Brittany Kiser

Assistant Professor

Brittany Kiser

WhyLynn

Dr. Kiser was excited to be afforded the opportunity to join the Lynn community—a unique working environment, fueling excellence among its faculty and students through support, flexibility and caring. Although scholarship and research are encouraged, the focus of Lynn as a teaching institution appeals strongly to Kiser; and Lynn’s mission of proffering "an innovative, global and personalized education" aligns with her teaching philosophy and desire to provide the best educational experience she can for the world’s future educators.

Professional profile

Dr. Brittany E. Kiser is a professor in the Ross College of Education at Lynn University. She is a passionate educator, science nerd and digital immigrant. Kiser studied biology, psychology and theatre at Stetson University before embarking on her career as a classroom educator and teacher leader. An award-winning educator, Kiser earned her Master of Education degree, specializing in curriculum and instruction, from the American College of Education. Shortly thereafter, she advanced to the central district office at the School District of Palm Beach County, then the tenth-largest school district in the United States, serving as a district administrator. While in this position, Kiser earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Lynn University. Her dissertation focused on pedagogy in middle school science classrooms and its effect on student achievement. As part of her influential work in K-12 education, Kiser has been noted for building the second-largest SECME engineering design program in the nation and has been selected to present at numerous conferences. Her professional interests include pedagogy, education policy and standards-based instruction.

Education

  • B.S. Biology, Stetson University
  • M.Ed. Curriculum & Instruction, American College of Education
  • Ed.D. Educational Leadership, Lynn University

Teaching philosophy

The evolution of Dr. Kiser’s teaching philosophy has come to revolve around the widely accepted Four C’s of education—collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking.

Collaboration in Kiser’s classroom is exemplified by a student-centered learning environment, fueled by formative assessment, reflection and research. Whether working in dyads, analyzing in small groups or participating in whole-class discourse, the emphasis is on the seeking and development of knowledge. Collaboration is a subtle but necessary shift from the prominence of herself teaching to her students constructing their learning as a classroom community. Communication is the second facet to Kiser’s teaching philosophy. It is through effective communication that relationships are built. It is essential to her pedagogical practice that she instill a foundation of becoming comfortable with and understanding the importance of failure, for this is how we learn. In order to successfully do this, communication is a skill used to create a respectful, feedback-centric, safe learning environment. This includes developing and maintaining an open-line of dialogue in which Kiser makes herself readily accessible to her students. As part of her philosophy, creativity stretches far beyond the typical artsy activities that come to mind. Creativity now is about accommodating new ways to recognize problems and present solutions, the incorporation of technology in unique ways, experiential learning and divergent thinking. As a result, rather than provide exemplar assignments, Kiser provides rubrics and requests her students take advantage of the freedom to express themselves and their learning. The fourth and final C, critical thinking, goes hand-in-hand with inquiry. Kiser believes it is her role to act as the facilitator of knowledge, the "guide on the side," and to ask probing questions to lead her students as opposed to providing answers to unasked questions as the traditional "sage on the stage." Critical thinking in Kiser’s classroom inspires students to build understanding, piece by interlocking piece, developing connections across disciplines while learning and growing together.

Time and again, it is this particular set of skills which employers seek and which teachers need to prepare for success in the 21st century global environment. As the professor, Kiser believes it is her role to help her students meet these challenges. Her classroom lessons, activities and assignments are carefully developed to support these skills, to create meaningful learning experiences and to ultimately equip her students with the tools they need to be successful as tomorrow’s classroom teachers.

Teaching specialties

  • Student-centered pedagogy
  • Education policy
  • Standards-based instruction
  • STEM and science education
  • Assessment writing and data analysis

Awards and honors

  • National Program Director of the Year, SECME National Office, June 2016
  • Outstanding Service on School Leadership Team, Emerald Cove Middle School, June 2013
  • Voted Most Talented, Emerald Cove Middle School, June 2008
  • Teacher of the Month, Polo Park Middle School, October 2006