Sticky Note critiques are an accessible option for students to give feedback to their peers. This strategy can be used for students to give one another feedback mid-process or through a more formal critique upon resolved artwork. Sticky note critiques offer the advantage of being quiet and introspective, enabling even the quietest voices in the classroom to be heard. They're also easy to implement, taking much less time than a verbal critique. Here, we'll provide some tips to implement this critique structure in your classroom.

Students enjoy receiving quality feedback from their peers but often struggle to give the feedback they hope to receive. This takes guidance, training, and practice and can be improved through thoughtful strategies. Because traditional verbal critiques require anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes per artwork, verbal formats can be lengthy or nearly impossible, especially for larger class sizes. Verbal critiques also present the issue of mixed levels of participation. As many teachers know, often, the same students raise their hands and their voices time and again.

Meanwhile, some students listlessly wrestle through the presentation-style format, and some anxious students struggle to find their words when responding in a whole-class format in a substantive way. An excellent solution for all of these problems is a sticky note critique. These critiques can be used year-round as a collaboration tool to build classroom community and support students as they prepare to revise their work or self-reflect upon a completed piece.

The Activity

Traditionally, in art schools, critiques occur at the end of the semester or after a project. However, students often find peer feedback more helpful in the middle of the process as it gives them a chance to take on helpful suggestions and ask questions about aspects of their work that they're struggling to resolve. On the other hand, critiques held at the end of a project offer an opportunity for consolidation, reflection, and celebration of students' achievements. Both types of critiques are essential to engage in. The more often students engage in critiques, the more they'll value them and look forward to the feedback they'll be able to give and receive.

One or two lessons before hosting a sticky-note critique, prompt your students that there will be a critique session the following class to discuss their artworks. This is helpful for buy-in as some students may feel quite frustrated to be told class time will be spent on feedback if they were expecting, instead, to work on their pieces during a lesson.

First, we'll spell out how to conduct this critique using a strategy called "Praise-Question-Polish." Below this set of instructions, you'll find additional strategies for Mid-Process Feedback or a Cold-Read Critique (Mid-Process or Resolved Artworks). 

Timing

If you complete 3x rounds of feedback (students write feedback for at least three peers), this activity will likely take 40-45 minutes. This includes the preparation time before the feedback session begins and time to read, process, and reflect upon the feedback received.

Materials & Preparation

• A display area for completed or in-progress artworks (this could be a board or tables in the classroom)
• Sticky Notes, index cards, or small pieces of paper
• Thumbtacks (if using a pin board)

• Optional: Printed Exhibition Text to go next to the artworks if finished

Additional Strategies:

Mid-Process Feedback:

• For a shorter critique structure, simply ask your students to generate a list of 2-3 specific questions they'd like their peers to address before commencing the feedback session. Ask students to write their questions in their sketchbooks and place them next to their artwork when finished. Engage students in a gallery walk and ask them to give specific, helpful feedback that answers their peers' questions.

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Cold-Read Critique (Mid-process or Resolved)

• This critique structure works well in a larger or quiet class, where many students are "in the dark" and don't know the ideas behind their classmates' art pieces.
• First, instruct students that they are not allowed to explain** or discuss any ideas about their artworks (as sometimes students are tempted to chat and answer one another's questions during the critique). The idea behind a cold read is that students don't know the full conceptual background behind the artwork. This enables students to ask clarifying questions of one another. Furthermore, they often suggest interpretations that, otherwise, the student artists might not see for themselves.
• Students can either complete the P-Q-P Strategy shared above or, for a looser option, simply ask students to write down their first impressions and questions for one another on their sticky notes.
• **NOTE: Exhibition text should not be shared or printed for this critique.