Reflections on Teaching Feedback

CUTS
Justin Zweck

I tend to be pretty self-critical, not only in terms of teaching, but also in terms of
research, and other duties of a graduate student. As a result, Im constantly giving
myself feedback before, during, and after teaching. This quality has proven to be
beneficial in some ways, as it means that I typically spend a lot of time in lecture
planning and preparation. The downside of this tendency towards auto-feedback is
that it becomes difficult to accurately self-assess, as I might overestimate or
underestimate various components of my teaching performance. Im therefore very
thankful for the feedback Ive received regarding my teaching, both from students
and from my CUTS mentor.
Ive learned, for example, that I speak a bit too quietly during lectures. This came
as a big shock to me, as I always felt that I was yelling, maybe even too loudly,
during my lectures. I would have never known this if it hadnt been for external
feedback. Instead, I probably would have begun speaking even quieter if left to my
own assessment.
Ive also learned better ways to foster in-classroom learning by speaking with my
CUTS mentor. For example, my strategy for encouraging questions had always
been to pause for questions during a summary slide, and then also walk around
during in class activities to ask groups individually about what was still unclear or
interesting for them. I now know that I can also incorporate think-pair share, in
which students form groups to come up with questions, which are then addressed
before the class. This method is a better midway point between my previous
strategies, especially considering that class size or duration might not always
permit me to interact with each student during an in class activity.
External feedback has also been beneficial to me as it has reinforced my strong
points as a teacher. I love interacting with students, and I feel that my lectures are
never impersonal or dry. I also feel that I do well in engaging students as I deliver
the lecture, and through in class activities. Hearing this from students evaluations
and my CUTS mentor has been very valuable to me, and it has made me feel very
positive about my role as a teacher. I like to spend a lot of time planning lectures as
well, from the overall goals to the transitions between topics and illustrations used
to convey those topics. Students have told me that they appreciated the flow of my
lectures, and this has encouraged me to continue to devote time to this craft.
I hope that I always continue to improve as a teacher, and I hope that I continue to
receive such helpful feedback in order to do so.