The Power of Critique and Redrafting

The dynamics of teaching performers have changed. Now with growing expectations from external organisations like Ofsted  there are now demands placed on practitioners to use feedback and critique as part of the learning. Like most, my first reaction was to see this as an obstacle - but actually it can be an interesting tool. 

Critique allows students to learn from each other and become accountable for their own ideas. It gives them a glimpse of how the real world would respond to their work, and insight into what is working and what needs redrafting. When the culture is right, students see critique as a gift to redraft their work and reach for a better outcome.

Audience Response is a talk protocol that I've created and use in my classes to empower students in critiquing each other's work and then redrafting their own. My Audience Response protocol is one of many oracy talk protocols that I use in my daily practice, and I believe that it's adaptable for teachers across all disciplines and levels to aid students in redrafting their work through critical talk.

By using a clear and concise response model to students' work, the process empowers them to express their views without directly offending or deflating their peers, and it allows them to receive feedback without reacting defensively.

This is a culture that grows over time. I've found that although students will fixate on trying to get their work "right" at first, after we nurture this approach to critique, they develop a growth mindset about their work and become open to developing it as part of their process.

If you want to develop a culture of critique and redrafting in your studio, below you'll find the Audience Response protocol, and three tips for implementing it.

Audience Response Protocol

1. One group watches another person's/group's piece of their work.

2. The group watching becomes a critical audience. They keep in mind what they feel that the presenting group/person should keep, introduce, or question.

3. Once the play or presentation is over, you'll discuss the work. The audience sits in a circle with you, and the students being critiqued sit in an outer circle, facing the centre.

4. Using the protocol of keep, introduce, question so the audience responds critically to the piece they've just seen. They may agree or disagree with each other, or build upon each other's ideas, helping the performers to understand what's working, what's not working, and what they can change. You can also add your own critique during this time.

5. A person from the outer circle will scribe the responses, and the rest (if in a group) will observe what the audience thinks of their work. At this point, it's important that the outer circle observes the reaction to their work without commenting on it.

6. It's important to insist on critical, diplomatic language during the process so you can embedded an academic, non-personalised approach to critique. 

7. At the end, those critiqued get an opportunity to first clarify anything that they feel needs clarification, and then express what aspects of their work they will redraft based on the critique received. 

8. The groups/person then swap. The presenters become the critical audience, and the critical audience members become the presenters.

3 Tips for Using the Audience Response Protocol

1. It Takes Time to Build a Culture

The first time you try the protocol, it will probably go wrong. Students may find it strange or feel that they can't help but respond out of protocol. I embed talk protocols in many of my activities as part of a routine. And like any routine, you need to nurture it over time to perfect it. Your role -- especially at the beginning -- is important. Make sure that all students are involved. If your students speak out of protocol or too personally, stop and guide them back on track. Over time, you want your students to lead the critique themselves.

2. Hard on the Content, Soft on the Person

You need to model and insist on judging the ideas and not the person. As your students learn to appreciate being critiqued, this approach will come more naturally to them. A negative judgment like, "Sarah, I really think you shouldn't do that monologue. I think you should change it," becomes, "I think that Sarah should really think about the purpose of her monologue. What is it aiming for and is it serving that purpose?" The critiquer doesn't look the person in the eye and criticise him or her. The critical audience is having a discussion with each other; it's done in a safe protocol with an emphasis on what is best for the piece of art or artist, not the person involved.

3. Use the Feedback

What I learned through creating and using the Audience Response protocol with my students is that they either forgot the feedback or ignored it. I noticed that my students' work wasn't improving and realised that, although I was giving them an opportunity to critique, they didn't know what to do with their feedback. I now encourage them to record their feedback, and I've included their decision-making process on what will be redrafted within the Audience Response protocol. In step seven (see above), students voice three things that they'll commit to change by the next session, and then the critique cycle continues. You can use the Audience Response protocol on the same piece multiple times to continue redrafting and developing it.

Critique is embedded into a growth mindset culture. Rather than having students fixated on getting it done or being the best, by using critique protocols and nurturing the redrafting process, we can create a culture that builds on the experiential development of becoming something rather than completing it.