CTLE Faculty Spotlight: Brian Lee – Galvanizing Growth Mindset

April 8, 2024

Dr. Brian Lee is an Associate Professor of Physics at Santa Fe College and serves as Discipline Coordinator for Physics. Raised in Victoria, Canada, he earned a BSc in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Victoria, and a PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics from the University of Toronto. He conducted postdoctoral research into searching for planets around other stars at the University of Florida and the University of Washington, then settled in Gainesville, where he has been teaching at Santa Fe College since 2014.

Dr. Lee provides opportunities for students to practice a growth mindset via reflection and revision. Students in his class have multiple opportunities to revise quiz grades and even exams. He starts with low stakes quizzes and asks students who are earning below 70% to come into the office to discuss the quiz. When they visit his office, he discusses areas they may want to focus on for improvement. The same strategy is used for exams.

He has excellent attendance to office hours, and by adding the reflection piece, students can see where they can improve before their next attempt at the exam. Students typically increase their exam scores after working with Brian.

Learn more about Brian's work on the CTLE Canvas Page.

 

About CTLE Faculty Spotlights

CTLE Faculty Spotlights highlight Santa Fe College instructors who implement new and innovative strategies in their classrooms. Check out each spotlight to learn more about the instructor, what they are doing in their classrooms and how to apply it to your own courses.

Are you or someone you know using innovative teaching strategies in the classroom? Email leslie.rios@sfcollege.edu.