Facilitating Effective Peer Review Sessions
Students who actively participate in class and in conferences
are often loath to read and comment on other students’ work.
They may be unfamiliar and uncomfortable with receiving criticism
from someone other than the teacher. In addition, they sometimes
fear that their peers may take their best ideas. These responses
are not surprising in a society characterized by competition
and hyper-individualism. However, much theory and research argue
that all learning is highly social and that teaching (explaining
concepts and ideas to others) is also a powerful aid to learning.
PWR is committed to the use of small-group writing workshops.
By acknowledging the resistance students and instructors bring
with them, we can work to make these peer groups highly effective.
The first and most important work has to do with your own attitude
toward peer review. Take time to explain the rationale for using
these groups and to demonstrate your commitment to their usefulness.
Getting the groups working well together may take several weeks,
but with persistence and encouragement from you, they will get
there.
Here are some suggestions for successful peer group work:
- Make sure that the group work counts: assign points for it
and hold the students to high standards in their peer reviews;
- Assign groups early in the term, by at least the third day
of class, and keep them small and odd-numbered (3 is probably
best for PWR classes);
- Prepare clear and specific Peer Review Guideline Sheets for
each peer review session (see PWR website for samples);
- Spend some time with each group. Take notes on the students’ activity,
not the drafts; on how well the group is working; on who is
contributing strong, focused responses; on who needs to improve,
and so on;
- At the end of the session, remind the students to turn in
all their peer reviews with their revised essays;
- Take time to respond briefly but cogently to each peer review,
noting areas of strength and weakness and ways in which the
reviewer can offer more explicit and helpful advice;
- Several times each term, ask students to evaluate the progress
their group is making by having them list the most important
things they have contributed to the group, the most important
things each member has contributed, the best aspect of the
group, and specific suggestions for improving it;
- Finally, take time in the next class to refer to some of
the best points made in peer review and specify why they are
much more helpful than others. Remember that what may seem
obvious to you may not seem so to your students.
