Exchanging work with peers to receive feedback is common practice in the workplace, and is used increasingly in schools. Teachers use peer review in their classrooms most often to increase the amount of feedback students receive on writing. The short-term goal of peer review is to help students compose their best final draft of a paper. The long-term benefit is to help student writers give and receive constructive criticism in an environment of active learning. It can be used in virtually any content area to promote good writing practices. This week, we offer a series of tips on enhancing students’ writing experiences by integrating peer review into the classroom.
This Week's Tips
Plan Effective Peer Review Activities (Monday)
Peer review is a simple process, but requires planning to be successful. Peer review can occur in a single class period or as an extended assignment. To effectively plan, consider the length and type of written assignment to use, the number of students involved, mobility constraints in the classroom, and the amount of time available. In advance, determine how you will evaluate the peer review activity.
Design Peer Review Groupings and Establish Rationale (Tuesday)
Depending on your purpose, assign or let students pick their own partners. By assigning the peer groups, teachers can employ their own knowledge of students’ writing and editing skills. Explain to students the purpose of peer review. They should understand that their comments are critical to helping their classmates to become better writers. Others will be relying on them for an honest review, and they will, likewise, receive advice about their own writing.
Model Effective Comments for Peer Review Sessions (Wednesday)
Provide a sample of student writing on a handout or transparency. Elicit comments from students as you progress through the exercise. Provide feedback to them on which criticism is most constructive. Establish appropriate ground rules by distributing sample feedback sheets. Criticism may be provided in the form of a checklist or a list of questions designed for the particular features of the assignment. It can be open-ended or very specific. Use your students’ skills, knowledge, and experience to gauge which is best for your class.
Sequence Peer Review Tasks and Provide Incentives (Thursday)
Provide clear instructions and incentives for completing the task. Students must come to class with their best possible draft. Be prepared with a quiet task for those students who forget their drafts. Students should know what they are expected to do: exchange papers, read drafts silently, and respond in writing. After exchanging reviews, students should delve further by asking questions of their peer reviewer. To increase motivation, assign a grade for successfully completing the peer review.
Evaluate the Peer Review Experience (Friday)
Plan to evaluate the effectiveness and value of the peer review activity. Directly ask students which suggestions helped. Require a memo with their assignment to briefly describe how they used (or did not use) the peer review information on their final draft. Remember to provide in class peer review time. With repeated opportunities to peer review, students will learn how to respond to each other more productively.
