TORONTO, ON - March 29, 2019. The Fields Institute is delighted to announce that Nat Banting is this year’s recipient of the Margaret Sinclair Memorial Award for "advancing the possibility of the mathematics classroom as a space for mathematical thinking and appreciation, and also for modelling a wider innovative possibility – that of the teacher in a digital age". The award, which is presented annually to recognize an educator in Canada with demonstrated innovation and excellence in promoting mathematics education at the elementary, secondary, college or university level, includes a $5,000 prize, an inscription of the winner’s name on a plaque at the Fields Institute and the delivery of an on-site public lecture. Nat Banting is a mathematics teacher and consultant working in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

The deciding committee noted that Mr. Banting’s voice across social media has garnered impressive international attention, helping to make mathematics widely accessible for many, including high school, undergraduate and graduate, students, postdoctoral fellows, early career researchers, and teachers. 

Mr. Banting holds a Master’s degree in Secondary Education from the University of Alberta. Academically, he focusses on the ecological and biological roots of cognition, the pragmatics of groups within high-density mathematics classrooms, and student impressions of probability. Currently serving as the Director for the Saskatchewan Mathematics Teachers’ Society, Nat Banting has curated various division-based curriculum projects and produces classroom resources: notably, Fraction Talks and 16 Boxes: Ten Numeracy Routines for the Classroom. Conceived in 2011, Banting’s Musing Mathematically Blog is active on his personal website; it houses current teaching techniques and maintains an accessible approach to exploring mathematics. 

In addition to teaching, Banting is engaged with active mathematics-based research, authoring numerous refereed publications. His commitment to promoting accessibility within the mathematical sciences is emblematic of his devotion to innovation and education. “It is beyond humbling to even have been considered for this award, let alone be selected,” said Banting. The Fields Institute celebrates this accomplishment and Nat Banting’s contribution to mathematics worldwide. 

For more information, please contact: 

Esther Berzunza, Manager of Communications and Development
Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences