The document discusses the challenges of accurately evaluating teaching quality through student surveys and feedback. It notes that students must be provided context to understand what constitutes "proofs of good teaching." Student satisfaction can be influenced by likability rather than substance. Getting perspectives from peers and department heads in addition to students provides a more well-rounded view. Surveys also rely on students accurately recalling details from a class weeks or months later. Priorities of teachers and students may differ, so feedback must be considered in light of teaching objectives. Intangible factors like class environment or a teacher's availability can also impact perceptions of teaching quality. To get meaningful feedback, clear expectations need to be established for both teachers and students.

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Reading the Proof
by Dara Wilkinson Bobb
There is a famous quote attributed to Pierre Reverdy that captivated my attention when I
read it in Gretchen Reuben’s book The Happiness Project. The quote says, essentially, that there
is no love but rather there are only proofs of love.
Similarly, one might argue that there is no good
teaching but only proofs of good teaching (… and I use proofs
here almost as one might use Mathematical proofs or types of
proof). I wonder, however, how one begins to accurately
identify and read these proofs? As a practitioner and lecturer
in writing practice, language skills and communication, I have
often wondered whether we are measuring the best
indicators, whether we are using the most appropriate
measuring sticks and whether we are reading those insightfully.
Firstly, beyond the assessment of academic results, one popular measure is a student
satisfaction survey at the end of the term. This attempts to measure the student experience of that
class and that particular instructor by assigning values to different dimensions of the learning
experience.
Pierre Reverdy- Poet- 1889- 1960

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We must ask ourselves, however, whether we have given the students the tools to
understand the “proofs of good teaching” which the instructor is offering. Plainly speaking, some
context must be given. If you are going to ask students
who have come into a classroom with little fore-
knowledge of the subject matter whether the instructor
“displayed sound knowledge of the subject” then the
students must be equipped with some method for
ascertaining that. Otherwise, it is just a guessing game. If
the student is being asked whether subject matter was
presented at an appropriate level, there needs to be
clarification as to whether this means level appropriate to
the age of the student, the grade of the class or the
subjective level of understanding of that particular
student. Indeed, a colleague of mine once pointed out that students are being asked to evaluate
whether teachers are making use of varying teaching methods without being aware of what
comprises the spectrum of teaching methods that potentially could be employed. Context is key.
In addition, many questionnaires attempt to render a very qualitative experience through
the ticking of ranked boxes which would render or lend itself to a quantitative analysis. Customer
experience is subjective. Is this subjectivity, with all its subtle nuance, something to embrace or
something to regard with caution? For example, one can imagine a scenario in which there is a
funny and “cool” teacher – very relatable to the students – who may win the confidence of his
students on the basis of personal flair rather than the substance of what is taught. The subsequent
rankings by students are then given as all positives because this teacher is seen through rose-
coloured glasses. Similarly, one can imagine a different case wherein an instructor emphasizes
her strengths in the rendering of certain subject matter and downplays her weaker areas. The
focus of the teacher, in this case, may not be the focus of the students – that is, the area that most
"Students with little fore-knowledge are being
asked if the instructor displayed sound
knowledge"

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students were interested in and wanted to focus on – leading students to penalize the teacher in
her overall rankings although she only faltered in a couple of areas.
The subjectivity can be counter-balanced by having a range of perspectives – not just the
perspective of students but also the input of peers in the faculty and academic heads of
department who might visit a class and observe a teacher, learn from him or her and share
strategies. In narrative theory, one of the ways a character is understood is by what others say
about that character and thus, to draw upon this idea, by having a range of perspectives,
including the perspectives of informed fellow practitioners, we get a more well-rounded view of
the teacher.
The lecturer himself has a duty to also remain congruent. That is, if there are indicators
that he is an effective teacher existing side by side with indicators that he is a weak teacher, this
lends itself to dissonance when his practice is analysed by others. There is no guarantee at that
point what factors will tip the scale to create a favourable or an unfavourable analysis of his
teaching. The more dimensions in which the teacher proves
his reliability and consistency in meeting or exceeding
benchmarks (objective and subjective) is the more likely a
congruent and less easily undermined picture or teaching
reputation is created.
Persons also look to cultural norms or frames for
their proofs. A high school student might lose confidence
in a teacher who does not call out notes whereas a graduate
student might become dismissive of a lecturer who,
perhaps for her own valid reasons, rejects Power Point
presentations in favour of more old-school lectern-clutching
delivery of lectures. These cultural norms operate side by side
“A high school student might lose
confidence in a teacher who does
not call out notes”

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with personal frames, that is, personal preference or what historically has worked well for the
student.
It is also important to remember that unlike the case of a character in a novel being
interpreted by a reader, the student who “reads” the teacher has no access to that teacher’s inner
thoughts and motives. An instructor might prepare for days or do several hours of research
before a two hour class, or have years of background experience and knowledge, and then filter
that down into a two hour presentation or nugget for students to easily digest. Survey questions
therefore, that ask whether the teacher was adequately prepared or whether the teacher was up to
date in his knowledge of the subject, rely heavily on appearance. These questions also rely
heavily on the ability of the student to recall these details with so-called accuracy at the time the
question is posed at the end of the semester. Indeed, I can personally recall one class wherein I
spent a significant portion of the allocated class-time in both the first and second sessions
reading the course outline aloud with my students and breaking down the course objectives and
learning outcomes stated there so these could be easily understood by the students. When asked
at the time, the students indicated that they clearly understood what to expect from the course. A
questionnaire given four weeks later revealed that either those same students had forgotten going
through the course objectives and learning outcomes, or that they simply had not spoken up (or
felt comfortable to speak up, perhaps) in order to clarify when they did not understand. Perhaps,
too, one remedy would have been a topic-by-topic harking back to these objectives and outcomes
on my part to reinforce the linkages.
In another instance, although I felt that I was offering proofs of quality teaching, the
priorities of the teacher, myself, differed significantly from the priorities of that small class of
students. As such, it is important to recognize that if priorities are different, the proofs that are
offered will be misunderstood. For example, I wanted to begin the Literature class by teaching
the fundamentals of essay writing but my class felt we were wasting time and should move on to
the content of the novels. Indeed, this class generally struggled with the fundamentals of a well-
organised essay and it was only through persistently addressing this area that they began to

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improve in a skill that contributed to approximately one third of the overall marks when essays
are graded. Further, I wanted to do close readings of the literary texts but the students, again
anxious that we should finish well within the year-long timeframe, felt that this was a slow use of
time. We alternated flexibly between close
readings and overarching discussions, but I
noticed that it was the passages for which
we had done the close readings in class that
they were able to easily and accurately
reference and quote from in their essays.
As such, had I been swayed entirely
by the students, their estimation of my good
teaching would have been buoyed up, but
my actual teaching and their learning would have
suffered. Informed by my experience and instincts,
I was able to, over time, show them how my strategies had in fact helped them. In my previous
year, I had received an over-ninety percent approval rating from my students. The principal of
my campus indicated to me that in her seventeen years of being principal there she had never
seen such high scores. As such, I had to remain true to what experience had proven to work for
my classes as well as accommodate my students’ concerns.
Then there is the issue of punctuality and attendance which, in a bit of a confessional
vein here, some of us are notoriously poor at. Remember that punctuality sets the tone and the
expectations for the class. If students see teachers cutting corners, regardless of the validity of
the good reasons and extenuating circumstances, they will be tempted to cut corners too. Indeed,
a gym enthusiast will hypothetically build more muscles going to the gym for two hours, four
times a week, over six months, rather than if he goes for one hour, three times a week, for the
same six months. The same is likely true for academic muscles. Quantity, consistency, sets and
"Had I been swayed entirely by students, their
estimation of my good teaching would have been
buoyed up, but…”

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reps are achieved through good punctuality and
attendance which through sheer aggregate volume
increase the probability for intellectual leaps and
scaffolding.
Finally, relationship and other intangibles
must not be denied as key factors. Is the teacher
able and willing to provide individual attention as
well as individualized instruction? Can the teacher
connect on a human level beyond professional
competence? Even intangibles as the emotional
atmosphere created or the level of physical class
comfort are important. Last year I taught a class in a
bright, clean, comfortably cool air-conditioned class with a beautiful view. I am teaching the
same course this year with equally engaging students but in a small, stuffy, hot class with
significant noise intruding from adjacent classes. We would hope these things are negligible and
they should be, but really they are “insignificant” the way an itchy shirt tag is tiny but will not be
ignored.
If one is to accurately identify proofs, measure them appropriately and read those
measurements insightfully, then a clear understanding of purpose, audience and context is
needed. Let us get clear on the purpose of these questionnaires. Let us provide context for all
parties who are both active agents as well as receptive audience in this scenario. Avenues could
be created for capturing narrative data that, through subtlety and nuance, might elude the neat
capsules of some scoring rubric. Academic heads could establish in the lecturers’ minds
descriptions of what several possible best-case-scenario outcomes could look like. Similarly,
both administration and lecturers in turn could find it useful to frame these barometers for the
students. As such, students then become equipped to give feedback to lecturers who are
themselves equipped to meet specified expectations.
"Is the teacher able and willing to provide
individual attention as well as individualized
instruction?"

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Dara Wilkinson Bobb is a senior consultant at WINNOW Consultants
and Associates. She is also a part-time lecturer in English Language
Skills and Communication at The University of the West Indies as well as
at UNB, Canada. In addition, Dara has earned a First Class Honours
Bachelors degree in Literature and a Masters in Fine Arts in Creative
Writing. She has decades of experience as a writing practitioner and has
been published regionally and internationally.