Giving Helpful and Constructive Criticism To Your Students

If you’re wondering whether or not the criticism you are giving to your students is constructive or not, then you’ve come to the right place. 

Criticism can help students be more productive the next time they perform a specific activity. However, poor criticism can be damaging. In this article, we’re going to talk about constructive criticism and what it means to be constructive. 

Let’s dive in and check out three steps to help you give better constructive criticism!

But first…

Here are a few signs that the criticism you’re giving is not constructive:

• Using “you” statements in a negative way

• Using an angry tone

• Approaching criticism with any suggestions

• Only focusing on the negative

Use The Right Tone

When we’re asked to give a student constructive feedback, it can be extremely difficult not to judge them too harshly. It’s often best to take a step back and observe what you are attempting to judge with fresh eyes. Know that students will likely make mistakes that you wouldn’t make, and there is a reason for that. 

Start by observing and commenting. 

At first, you should keep your comments pretty neutral, telling them what you are observing before you tell them how they can make improvements. 

Many teachers will use the “feedback sandwich,” which we and other educators recommend avoiding. The idea of a feedback sandwich is to have a piece of negative feedback in-between two compliments. 

While the idea with the feedback sandwich is that it is meant to cushion the blow of negative feedback, all it truly does is reduce the perceived sincerity of your compliments. Beyond that, you never really address the full extent of the negative feedback.

Not only does your student not feel better, but they won’t grow because they don’t have the proper feedback to grow from.

Positive feedback is great, though it’s important to keep it separate from negative feedback. 

Be Specific With Your Constructive Criticism

One thing many educators struggle with is asserting their feelings when the things they are trying to communicate are complex. Many people refer to the following method as the DESC model, which stands for:

• Describe - Telling your student about the situation

• Explain - Tell your student your feeling regarding the situation

• State - Tell them what you need them to do to improve

• Consequences - Tell them what will happen if they don’t make those improvements

As an example, you could describe the fact that a student isn’t engaging their core while singing, therefore straining when trying to hit high notes. You could then explain that you hear the strain and see it in their body. Then, you can state that you need them to try the phrase again, though this time, think about engaging their core. Lastly, you could tell them that the consequences of not engaging their core could be that they hurt their voice or crack on high notes. 

Many students prefer feedback that is in the form of ongoing dialogue, and it is much more helpful than simply stating criticism and moving on. Allow them to speak so you can create a dialogue.

Come Up With Solutions For Your Criticisms

One of the most important parts of providing constructive criticism is providing solutions and support for the problems you discussed. Students want to feel they have support. In having that support, they can learn from their feedback and become better at their craft.

You need to ensure that if you’re going to give constructive criticism in any way, you have a solution to follow up.

Final Thoughts

Even after you’ve given your students constructive criticism, it’s important to follow up after the fact to see how your constructive criticism helped or not. How are they doing a week after your talk? How about a month? 

It’s a good idea to take time to follow up with students after you give them feedback to ask a few questions:

• Was the feedback that you gave them clearly?

• Are they able to implement the solutions that you gave them?

• Do they feel comfortable voicing any of their concerns about your feedback to you?

It’s important to think of giving constructive criticism as a very specific style of coaching. Remember, the goal is not to make your students perfect after a bit of criticism. Instead, your goal is to continue guiding them in the right direction so they can improve over time.