Letter of Reference - teaching specific

[crimcandidate2018]

For those on committees or who have gone through the process...how did you handle a request for a letter of reference that speaks specifically to your teaching abilities if you came out of a department with no sort of teaching evaluation beyond anonymous student surveys?

I've been on grants the past few years, and although I have extensive teaching experience, I don't have anyone who really has seen me in action to call on to be a reference. 

Have you used former students as references? My gut screams that students as references is a huge no-no, but I'm at a loss for what to do here...should I ask to give a guest lecture for one of my committee members so they can see me in front of a classroom? 

[dontdont]

Don't use students as reference. If you can, ask your letter writers to customize the letter to teaching institutions. And in that sense, it is not so much about proving that you are a good teacher, but that you care about teaching. I've been at teaching institutions for years now, and to the extent we rely on letters of recommendation, it's to determine if you are someone who seems to genuinely care about teaching.

[crimcandidate2018]

Thanks for the reply! None of the programs I am applying to are teaching institutions (they're all in the 2:2-3:3 range) but one or two specifically mention at least one letter should address teaching.