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Helping Students Deal With Criticism
Posted: February 1, 2019By Rossana Villaflor, Teacher
“Ew, your work looks dumb! My baby brother can do better than that,” says one student to another about her art project. This is the type of statement that can cause a student to lose motivation and give up on their assignment because they feel defeated and hurt. I’ve witnessed this before, and it can both damage and hinder a student’s personal growth. They might decide to shut down rather than have their work criticized by their classmates. And while disrespectful comments should never be tolerated in class and must always be addressed and reprimanded, they are not always avoidable outside of the classroom. How can we help our students deal with offensive remarks about their work or performance and still stay focused and motivated on their goals?
One of the best ways I’ve found to convince students to persevere is by giving them examples of individuals who did just that. Lesson Four of the Getting Started module in the Overcoming Obstacles Middle School Level curriculum has a lesson extension where students read and respond to “The Maya Lin Story” (activity sheet #2). This is a great opportunity for students to learn about a young woman’s journey to her success despite the criticism and prejudices she faced along the way. In this extension, students are instructed to write in their journal about why Maya Lin was able to realize her vision and push forward toward her goal. I think getting to know how she responded to her critics by remaining flexible and open to the feedback, yet stayed true to her vision is a great example for students on how to persevere while working toward a goal.
As you know, for some students presenting a project or sharing a finished essay, poem, or artwork in front of a class is a huge stress factor. There are students who do not like to write their names on their papers because they are afraid that other students will figure out which work belongs to them. By middle school, students know that they need to write rough drafts or draw sketches in their preliminary steps in order to arrive at their finished product. Some students are highly critical of each other’s work yet provide no constructive feedback, while others need to learn more appropriate vocabulary to better describe and express their thoughts. (I recommend the glossary found in Module Three: Goal Setting for your students to use when reflecting on their work or evaluating their progress.)
I find that many of the extensions in the Overcoming Obstacles curriculum help my students visualize positive outcomes for a difficult situation. It is my goal for students to learn from Maya Lin’s story and try to understand the perspectives from which they receive criticism for their work and to learn to defend their vision in positive ways. As Bruce Lee says, “Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.” By learning from Maya Lin’s story, and researching other stories similar to hers, students will understand that everyone in life will face criticism, and learning how to respond is a great skill and strength.
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