All feedback should help students grow, but that doesn’t mean that all feedback should be purely positive. There is a real need to give constructive, growth-oriented feedback to drive change with students.

But how do you give negative feedback to students so they know to improve? How do you do this without demoralizing them? It’s a balancing act.

This guide explores balancing constructive feedback with care, including practical examples to help navigate this delicate process.

Positive vs negative feedback in the classroom

When we think about feedback, we often classify it as either positive or negative—primarily based on how it makes us feel. For students, how feedback is delivered can strongly influence how they perceive themselves and their ability to improve.

Negative feedback can feel like the teacher is on a mistake hunt. It can feel like it came out of nowhere, piled on, and you’re experiencing a “gotcha” moment. It makes students shut down. They label the experience as negative and internalize the feedback process as another example of their negative self-concept.

When a student receives a math test with most of the paper marked in red, they are likely to view it in two ways:

Negative: “I’m bad at math. I’m never going to get this material. I hate this class.”
Positive: “This test was hard, but I know from working with my teacher that I’m good at math. I just need to go by for some extra help.”

The difference? The student in the positive scenario is operating from past experiences of positive feedback. They are still getting questions wrong — and it still stings — but they can move forward and grow. The feedback is the same on paper, but their classroom experience is likely very different.

Positive feedback creates positive change in the classroom, including changing students' perceptions of themselves to continue positive change.

How teachers can give constructive negative feedback

Sometimes, students are wrong. They get a question incorrect, misbehave, or aren’t performing a skill at the right level. It’s valid to give negative feedback in these situations. However, you’ll see the most transformation by giving them constructive negative feedback.

Should you use the Feedback Sandwich method?

Most education training emphasizes the Feedback Sandwich technique, which involves giving negative feedback sandwiched between two positive statements. This technique can keep spirits high by leading positively, delivering the negative, and ending with positive feedback.

The feedback sandwich works well in many adult situations but often gets lost on students. They hear too much feedback at once. Often, the negative feedback gets diluted by the positive comments.

Be clear and constructive

You can deliver negative feedback if your students understand you want them to succeed. Generally, that means you need to:

Emphasize growth
Be specific, actionable, and future-focused
Indicate you care about their success
Focus on situations and skills, and stop making it about the person

Create a classroom feedback culture where students observe you doing this with everyone. Do it with so much consistency that students know that you respect them when feedback ultimately gets critical in tough times.

Negative student feedback examples

Delivering negative feedback requires finesse, but with the right approach, you can communicate the areas where you want students to grow.

On writing assignments

Constructive: "Your introduction sets up your topic well, but it could be more engaging. Try starting with a question or a surprising fact to draw in the reader."
Why it’s helpful: It identifies a specific area to improve and offers a clear strategy.
Unhelpful: "This essay is poorly written. You didn’t try hard enough."
Why it’s unhelpful: It’s vague, demoralizing, and lacks actionable suggestions. It also focuses on the student rather than the action.

On classroom participation

Constructive: "You have great insights, but you tend to speak very quietly in discussions. Try projecting your voice so others can benefit from your ideas."
Why it’s helpful: It acknowledges a strength and provides an actionable suggestion.
Unhelpful: "You don’t speak enough in class. You need to participate more."
Why it’s unhelpful: It doesn’t guide the student on how to improve or address possible underlying reasons (e.g., confidence issues).

On math problem-solving

Constructive: "You got the correct answer, but your work is missing some steps. Be sure to show how you arrived at your answer so others can follow your reasoning."
Why it’s helpful: It reinforces the importance of process and transparency.
Unhelpful: "You always make careless mistakes. Stop being so sloppy."
Why it’s unhelpful: It’s accusatory, dismissive, and lacks a solution-oriented approach.

On time-management

Constructive: "I noticed you submitted your project late. Try breaking the task into smaller deadlines to stay on track in the future. I can help you create a timeline if you'd like."
Why it’s helpful: It identifies the issue and offers support for improvement.
Unhelpful: "You’re always late. Figure it out."
Why it’s unhelpful: It generalizes the issue and offers no support or actionable strategies.

On group work

Constructive: "You contributed some great ideas during the group project, but your teammates felt you could have been more involved in the execution. Next time, consider taking on a specific task to balance the workload."
Why it’s helpful: It’s specific, constructive, and encourages collaboration.
Unhelpful: "Your group didn’t like working with you."
Why it’s unhelpful: It’s demotivating and fails to address specific behaviors or areas for improvement.

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How To Give Negative Feedback To Students (With Examples!)