Introduction

Accepting criticism is an essential skill for personal and professional growth. High school students often struggle with this, as they may feel vulnerable or defensive when their work or actions are critiqued. By incorporating principles of Social-Emotional Learning, educators can help students understand the value of constructive feedback and teach them how to accept criticism gracefully. This will enable them to improve their skills, adapt to new challenges, and build stronger relationships.

No-Prep Activity: The Compliment Sandwich

This activity requires no preparation or materials from the educator and encourages students to practice giving and receiving criticism in a constructive manner. The Compliment Sandwich method involves sharing a piece of constructive criticism between two positive statements. This helps the receiver to be more receptive to the feedback and the giver to practice empathetic communication.

1. Divide the class into pairs.
2. Ask each student to think of a recent project or assignment completed by their partner.
3. Have the students take turns giving their partner a Compliment Sandwich, which consists of a positive statement, followed by a piece of constructive criticism, and ending with another positive statement.
4. Once both students have shared their Compliment Sandwiches, facilitate a class discussion about their experiences and the importance of accepting criticism.

Discussion Questions

1. How did it feel to receive criticism in the context of the Compliment Sandwich? Did it make it easier to accept the feedback?
2. What are some strategies you can use to stay calm and open-minded when receiving criticism?
3. Why is it important to accept criticism in order to grow and improve in various aspects of life?
4. How can you differentiate between constructive criticism and negative comments that are not helpful?
5. What are some examples of situations where accepting criticism could lead to better outcomes in school, work, or personal relationships?

Related Skills

In addition to accepting criticism, there are several other skills that contribute to a well-rounded Social-Emotional Learning experience for high school students. These include:

• Active listening: Being attentive and focused on the speaker, showing empathy, and asking clarifying questions to ensure understanding.
• Effective communication: Expressing thoughts and feelings clearly, using appropriate language, tone, and body language.
• Self-awareness: Recognizing one’s own emotions, strengths, weaknesses, and how they affect thoughts and actions.
• Emotion regulation: Managing and coping with emotions in healthy and appropriate ways.
• Conflict resolution: Addressing disagreements and finding solutions that respect the needs and feelings of all parties involved.

Next Steps

Teaching students the skill of accepting criticism is just one aspect of a comprehensive Social-Emotional Learning curriculum. To further enhance your students’ learning experience and support their development, consider incorporating additional SEL activities and lessons into your classroom. To get started, sign up for free samples of skill-based activities and resources from Everyday Speech. These materials are designed to help educators create engaging and effective learning experiences that empower students to thrive in all aspects of life.