Reflection on Teaching Feedback

Brea Rhein, PT, DPT, WCS, CLT

When reflecting on my teaching, I consider not only the growth I’ve witnessed within myself but also the
variability of experiences I’ve been privileged to gain over the past few years. To teach is to instruct but
also to guide and share your expertise with others. Regardless of how that knowledge sharing occurs, it
can leave a meaningful impact on others. I've had the opportunity to teach in a variety of settings and to
a variety of audiences, which has proven to be a challenge that has supported my growth within the
world of education. Having the opportunity to interact with different learners has also provided the
opportunity to gain feedback from different lenses, encouraging personal growth in a variety of skills
and contexts.

Throughout my professional career, I've learned from teaching patients in the clinic, physical
therapy colleagues within local and national contexts, and colleagues within the world of higher
education. As I began to spend more time at Saint Louis University, I also learned from teaching
undergraduate and graduate students in the classroom, lab, and clinic settings. Something I quickly
learned was how important it was to modify the depth of the information given and adapt how it was
presented based on the audience receiving it. This was a common feedback theme I was given from my
mentors. Initially, I was presenting information in a way that supported my own level of expertise and
understanding. While this is appropriate for peer-to-peer education, it was not supporting goals of
undergraduate or graduate coursework, nor was it a realistic expectation for students in the clinic. This
feedback reflects my ability to reference my own experience in my teaching, but I had to take a step
back and be more intentional with my content and delivery, which is something I am continuing to
develop.

Working on my scholarly product within the SLU-SSM Women’s Health Residency allowed me
the opportunity to design educational opportunities for students across a continuum of experience,
beginning in undergraduate classes and ending in their final clinical experiences and as newly licensed
clinicians. Within this context, I explored how to build on foundational material and progress
expectations as students move through their program. Being involved in teaching at all levels of the
educational continuum was an excellent opportunity to practice my delivery of information and content
creation. Throughout these experiences, I received constant feedback from a variety of university
professors and mentors, further supporting my goals of exploring content creation and modifying the
material appropriately. They took the time to teach me about general expectations of the core
curriculum so I could build my specialty content to match.

I was also given feedback within the clinical context, and while a primary component of the
residency was developing as a clinician and expert in my specialty, it also served as another opportunity
for teaching feedback. My clinical practice prioritizes patient education, and I frequently received
feedback from patients and from residency mentors. Patients often provided very positive feedback,
supporting my confidence in providing person-specific education in a one-on-one setting. They often felt
heard and supported, but as expected, patients did not give much feedback on teaching style. Common
feedback themes from mentors highlighted my strengths in patient education, but also identified areas
for improvement. I often cover a variety of topics in a single treatment session, discussing relevant but
diverse concepts. While the education I provide is appropriate and often necessary, it is not always
presented in an easily digestible format. Patients will only absorb a portion of what we say, so it is
important to modify my teaching style to focus on key points and reiterate that material to increase a
patient’s understanding. The theme of modifying depth of the education I’m providing is also relevant in
the clinic setting, and I’ve intentionally worked on reducing clinical fluff and presenting material in a
clear and concise manner.

Specific to my teaching video, I recognized personal growth and areas for continued
improvement. I noticed that I still struggle with consolidating content, as I oftentimes want to provide as
much information as I possibly can. While I do this with the goal of optimally educating the audience, my
intentions will not be successful if the content is too complex, or the slides are too busy. While my
presentation of the material was clear, I still struggled with simplifying information. My faculty mentor
appreciated my engagement, but noted there were times I still read from the slides. This class was
virtual, which posed a new challenge for me in terms of optimizing interaction between teacher and
receiver. It was also evident that while I knew the material, I could still grow in my preparation and
knowledge of the lecture layout, improving the overall presentation of the material.

Participating in the Certificate Program served as an excellent resource for me to learn how to
address the common feedback themes I received. The theme of too much information and the challenge
of presenting material to best serve my audience was similar in the classroom and the clinic. Learning
about course design and building my teaching identity through my teaching philosophy was a
foundational experience to improve my skills as a teacher. Additionally, different Praxis workshops
supported my goals. For example, I attended one workshop that specifically covered strategies to teach
different learners with different experience levels. I quickly realized that the opportunities presented
within the program allowed me to directly improve the areas identified in feedback given. I am very
grateful for this opportunity, and plan to continue working on these areas of growth. I believe to be a
good teacher is to be a good student, and I plan to pursue a lifetime of learning to progress my skills.