BMath (Hons), M.Sc., PhD
Instructor
petersinclair@capilanou.ca
Education
PhD, Pure Mathematics, McMaster University, 2018.
M.Sc., Pure Mathematics, McMaster University, 2014.
BMath (Honours, Dean's List), Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo, 2013.
""The most harmful misconception is that mathematics is essentially a matter of computation. Believing this is roughly equivalent to believing that writing essays is the same as typing them." - Paulos"
Bio
Peter Sinclair (PhD, McMaster University, 2018) has taught mathematics courses ranging from mathematics for liberal arts to abstract algebra at post-secondary institutions across Canada. He has an active research program in both mathematics and the scholarship of teaching and learning.
Sinclair began teaching first-year computer science courses as an instructional assistant during his undergraduate at the University of Waterloo. During his graduate work at McMaster University, he continued developing his skills and experience as a teaching assistant and contract instructor, in addition to collaborating on a research team with educational developers at the Paul R. MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Excellence in Teaching.
Since graduating, Sinclair has worked as a teaching faculty member on both coasts, first at the Memorial University of Newfoundland's Grenfell Campus and now at Capilano University and Douglas College in British Columbia. His primary goal as an instructor is to create an environment where students feel that their learning is in their control, and he continues to develop and implement strategies that will improve the learning experience for mathematics students of all backgrounds.
I strongly believe that learning happens best when students are interested, engaged and motivated. Drawing on the principles of adult learning, I strive to make abstract mathematical ideas more tangible by incorporating real-world applications into my course design.
I also work hard to create an inclusive learning environment where diverse perspectives are recognized, respected and seen as a source of strength. I am always looking for new strategies and tools to cultivate this environment, including universal design for learning, open and free education resources and non-traditional assessments.
In my research, I study the relationship between mathematical logic and abstract algebra. Both of these subjects explore the consequences of changing fundamental rules of mathematics in different ways and my research focuses on connections between the two approaches. I am particularly interested in valued fields, which are structures with abstracted notions of addition, multiplication and distance.
I am also interested in the scholarship of teaching and learning, especially the study of effective feedback and communication between students and instructors. I am currently collaborating with colleagues at McMaster University on a project investigating how instructors use feedback collected from students midway through a course.
Sinclair, P. (in preparation) Burden of henselian valued fields in the Denef-Pas language.
Taylor, R. L., Knorr, K., Ogrodnik, M., and Sinclair, P. (in preparation) Sustained change in teaching resulting from midterm student feedback.
Sinclair, P. (to appear) Immediately algebraically closed fields, Illinois Journal of Mathematics, preprint available online at arxiv.org/abs/1902.05830
Taylor, R. L., Knorr, K., Ogrodnik, M., and Sinclair, P. Seven principles for good practice in midterm student feedback, International Journal for Academic Development, 25(4), 250-362, 2020.
Sinclair, P. Computable axiomatizability of elementary classes, Mathematical Logic Quarterly, 62(1-2), 46-51, 2016