Harsh Truths About In-Class Peer Review 3: Best Practices Series

Best Practices Series
3 Harsh Truths about

In-Class Peer Review
S pending class time asking students to read and respond to

each other’s work can serve to create meaningful commu-
nity-building experiences for the students, and if we teachers Steven Hawkins
are paying attention to the subtle social exchanges involved, Graduate Teaching Associate
every in-class peer review activity can be a learning experience Arizona State University
for both teachers and students. Tempe, AZ
#2 Criticizing Other People’s Writing is Unpopular

That being said, in my seven years of doing these kinds of
and Embarrassing
activities, I’ve found that there are plenty of opportunities for
this potentially productive activity to either feel like busy work It’s not hard to see that the ability to write well is
or to go off in unexpected and sometimes unwelcome direc- indelibly connected to a person’s sense of worth.
tions. Spelling errors and mistakes in grammar and punctua-
tion are very often equated with stupidity or lack of
In order to hopefully help you make more efficient use of the education. When students are faced with the task of
time you spend with peer review sessions, here are a three criticizing their peers' ability to write, they are some-
harsh truths I’ve learned that I want to share with you. times more likely to withhold the advice to save face or
to help their peers save face. Pointing out grammar
First, as I’ve watched my students' interactions over the years, mistakes is not a great way to make friends.
I’ve learned ...
#1 Students Usually Don't Trust Each Other On the flip side, people who offer corrections to others
grammar and spelling are often seen as overly serious or
Time and time again, I’ve seen that students have often been needlessly critical. (They get called “grammar nazis,”
reluctant to take on the role of editor for their peers. As a which isn’t such a nice thing to be called).
culture, we often think of teachers as the holders and distribu-
tors of knowledge, and this can make peer-review seem out of When I’ve asked students to critique each other's writing,
place for them. Even as we make efforts to create student-cen- I feel like I am putting them in a lose/lose situation—they
tered classrooms, students may still ask themselves, “Who am can either do something that could potentially hurt
I to make meaningful changes or comments on my peers’ another person’s self-worth, or be seen as knit-picky and
papers? I’m learning just like they are.” pedantic. Neither role is comfortable, and there isn’t
much guarantee that taking on those roles will even help
While this may not be true for all students, many may have a their peers get better writing.
difficult time even feeling the confidence to help their fellow
classmates improve their writing and often feel like the blind Telling students to help each other improve their writing
leading the blind. can sometimes feel so off-putting, that I’ve seen students
find anything to talk about, and I mean anything, except
Sometimes you have a few students who are comfortable for their writing.
taking on this role, but even if a student does feel like they
have enough expertise to help their fellow students ... Ultimately, I’ve found that ...
schoology.com 800-749-2590
#3 If Your Purpose for Doing Peer Review is to Improve the Papers, You’ll Probably End Up Disappointed
Peer review should be about improving the writer by As they do so, I tell them to pay attention to places
helping them to learn how to read more closely, and where they or their peer becomes confused or trips
to learn to identify ways in which a piece of writing up or gets lost. I tell them to listen for times when
does or doesn’t accomplish what it intends to do their readers, or they themselves, get bored. These
and why. situations will be a strong indicator to them about
whether their writing is accomplishing its task.
You need to help students have the experience of where they or their peer becomes confused or trips
coming face to face with the effectiveness of their up or gets lost. I tell them to listen for times when
writing. their readers, or they themselves, get bored. These
situations will be a strong indicator to them about
I’ve done this in a few ways that hopefully you can whether their writing is accomplishing its task.
use to create more meaningful experiences for your
students. This can be done in pairs as well. When students
hear their own writing being read out loud, without
First, have your students read their own writing out their ability to immediately correct it, they begin to
loud to each other. Or even better yet, have their see how their writing sometimes takes a new life
peers read their own writing to them. I often have that they can’t control once they’ve written it.
students do their writing in a Discussion Board on
Schoology so that they can easily locate their own This ultimately helps them to learn to anticipate and
work, and the work of their peers. plan for moments of confusion, which can make
their writing better by helping them reach more
I’ll often pull the page up on a projector so I know audiences more easily.
the whole class is looking at the same piece of
writing, and have the student read their own, or
another student’s writing, out loud to the class.
About the Author

Steven Hopkins is a Graduate Teaching Associate and former Assistant Director of Writing Programs in the
Department of English at Arizona State University. He is currently completing his dissertation on teaching
in college English classrooms. He is the host and producer of Writing Questions podcast, available on
iTunes, Stitcher, and SoundCloud.com.
Want to See Schoology in Action?
Get in touch with us to see a short demo and learn why Steven and thousands of
educators and institutions choose Schoology every year.
1-800-749-2590 or Request a Demo.

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Harsh Truths About In-Class Peer Review 3: Best Practices Series

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Best Practices Series

3 Harsh Truths about

S pending class time asking students to read and respond to

#2 Criticizing Other People’s Writing is Unpopular

About the Author

Want to See Schoology in Action?

1-800-749-2590 or Request a Demo.

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