Summary of SyMETRI Meeting: April 8th, 2024 by Qiaochu Xu

Presenter/Guest Speaker: Lida Espinosa from the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Faculty of Education, UBC
Date: April 8th, 2024
Host: Dr. Cynthia Nicol

At the SyMETRI meeting on April 8th, 2024, master’s student Lida Espinosa shared her experiences as a mature student and discussed the rewarding yet challenging aspects of working on a capstone project that requires ethical approval. Lida shared her experiences and offered some tips for students who will need to obtain ethical approval (BREB) for their studies. Currently, the project is in the initial stage of submitting the RISE application.

Her project is titled “Counting on Experience: Exploring Mathematics Utilization in the Lives of Older Adults.” For this project, Lida intends to gather stories from adults over the age of 65 about their relationship with mathematics and how they utilize it in their daily tasks. She is curious to discover whether these individuals actively avoid engaging with mathematics, view it as unnecessary, or if their attitudes towards mathematics deter them from exploring math-related topics.

Here are some slides from Lida’s presentation:

During the SyMETRI meeting, members participated in an engaging discussion about alternative terms for referring to the demographic group targeted in Lida’s project. Suggestions included “mature adults,” “elders,” and simply “people over age 65.” Another suggestion was to describe them as “people born before 1960,” which emphasizes the subtle differences between these terms.

Bio:

Lida serves as a Senior Learning Consultant at a software company in Vancouver, BC, Canada, where she oversees the development of training courses in a multicultural environment. She is currently pursuing an MEd in Mathematics Education. Previously, while living in Colombia, South America, she taught mathematics to high school students. When not working or studying, she enjoys spending time with her son and husband. Their favorite activities include walking, going to the beach, sleeping, and watching movies.