By Jennifer Forsthoefel Courtesy of The Writing Studio Giving Peer Review a Second Chance: Strategies for Providing and Interpreting Feedback By Jennifer Forsthoefel Courtesy of The Writing Studio

Opening Questions Do you ask someone to read your writing before turning it in to your instructor? If so, who do you ask and why? If you don’t ask anyone to read your paper, explain why. What are the benefits of having someone else read your writing?

Defining Our Terms “Peer response can be defined as the use of learners as sources of information, and interactants for each other in such a way that learners assume roles and responsibilities normally taken on by formally trained teacher, tutor, or editor in commenting on and critiquing each other’s drafts in both written and oral formats in the process of writing. Peer response, also sometimes referred to as ‘peer review’ or ‘peer editing’, usually goes beyond giving feedback on grammar and stylistic concerns. When properly implemented, peer response can generate a rich source of information for content and rhetorical issues, enhance intercultural communication, and give students a sense of group cohesion” (Hansen and Liu 2005).

Why We Hate It “I don’t get out of it what I put into it” Even if I do spend a lot of time trying to give good feedback to my peers, they never do the same. I always put more effort into it then anyone else does, so what is the point? It’s a waste of time.

Why We Hate It “I don’t know what I am talking about” I am not the teacher and I am not an expert. I am taking this writing course because I am not a good writer and need someone to tell me how to improve. Therefore, I am not qualified to tell other students what they can do to improve their writing.

Why We Hate It “My peers don’t know what they are talking about” My peers are not experts like my teacher is. Therefore, their feedback doesn’t matter. All that matters is the feedback from the teacher. The teacher’s feedback is the only thing that is going to give me a good grade in this course.

Why We Hate It “I don’t want to be mean” It is hard for me to tell my classmates what I think about their writing. I don’t want them to think I am mean or too critical. If I say they need to improve something they might not like me anymore.

Why We Hate It “My peers are too critical” I don’t want anyone to read my writing. It is bad enough that the teacher has to read it. When my peers comment on my work, it hurts my feels and only confirms my suspicions that I am not a good writer.

Why We Hate It Other Reasons? (Go Ahead! Vent!)

What is the difference between… Expert vs. Reader

Local Responses to Writing entails responding the details of the writing, such as: sentence structure, paragraph coherency, and diction. This entails examining writing for general grammatical and mechanical errors such punctuation and spelling.

Global Responses to Writing entails responding to the writing as a whole and the elements that effect the overall communication of the writer’s ideas. Global comments reflect elements such as organization, audience, purpose, tone, transitions, and idea development and support. 

Types of Peer Feedback Evaluation refers to judgments made by the peer reviewer on his/her partners writing, but it provides no hints for further improvement. Examples: “This sentence does not belong here.” “Your thesis is good.” “I like your use of sources.” “I hate this paper.”

Types of Peer Feedback Alteration refers to errors that are directly or explicitly corrected by the peer reviewer Examples: Changing your peers spelling or punctuation Crossing out sentences/words Adding sentences/words

Types of Peer Feedback Clarification elicits explanations of those ideas that the peer reviewer does not understand and is usually in the form of interrogative statements. Examples: “Could you explain why you think…?” “Do you mean that…?” “Why did you put…in this paragraph?” “What do you mean when you say…?”

Types of Peer Review Suggestion means that the peer reviewer gives advice or asks questions that lead the writer to workable changes in the writing. Examples: “Would it be better to focus on…?” “You might want to concentrate on…instead of…because…” “Can you find a better way to…?” “More explanation might help here because…”

Let’s Try It! Given this student’s paper, what feedback would you give? What type of feedback are you giving?

One Last Thought What “real world” situations might require you to participate in something similar to peer review? Where is peer review necessary outside of the classroom?

Questions? Visit us on the web: writingstudio.gsu.edu Email us: writing@gsu.edu Email me: jforsthoefel1@gsu.edu