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Home  Fall 2005 Teaching Tips
An effective writing assignment encourages students to consider the
needs of their readers. Students see writing differently when they know
readers—actual people—will be sifting through their words to find
meaning, information, or guidance.
Josh Mueller, at right, an Undergraduate Writing Assistant trainee and
sophomore English major, offers suggestions on a classmate’s paper. UWC
Executive Director Dr. Valerie M. Balester uses peer response as a tool
to help students develop essays and written projects assigned for her
UWA training courses.
Of course, students aren’t grammar pundits or subject matter experts;
there are limits to what they can judge. But they do have experience as
readers, and they often hold different views from their classmates.
Those facts alone make them valuable commentators, especially when an
instructor helps them keep their comments focused and specific.
To make peer response work for your class, consider the following:
Plan the logistics.
Will students swap papers with one other student or several? Will they
choose their peer readers or will you? Will they read texts aloud? Do
they need to bring extra copies of their work? What happens to students
who don’t bring their completed assignment? Settle these issues up
front to avoid conflicts. Also consider having students write out their
responses. While in-class discussions are a good starting point,
students may make better use of their peers’ comments if they have a
written copy to refer to. A simple checklist is fine for “yes or no”
questions (“Are charts labeled properly?”) but ultimately students
should be providing more in-depth analysis.
Give them practice.
Bring a sample piece of writing—perhaps from a former student who’s
given permission—and respond to it together. A “B” level paper works
well, since it’s effective without being intimidating. Point out
features appropriate to writing in your discipline. Is first person
acceptable? What kind of supporting evidence is required? How are
visual elements incorporated? Help students develop a vocabulary for
discussing writing.
Give them direction.
When it’s your students’ turn to evaluate each other’s work, make sure
they have a few specific criteria (and only a few) to consider.
Possible questions might be: Does the introduction set up the paper?
What’s the thesis and is it supported? Are charts or illustrations used
effectively? Did the author apply a theory correctly? Did he or she
adequately defend a point of view discussed in class? What you don’t
want is students saying, “The paper is good. I liked it.”
Set the tone.
Don’t let a peer response session degenerate into a free-for-all where
students feel vulnerable or defensive. To set a positive tone, have
students pinpoint strengths. Questions might include: What’s the most
convincing evidence? Where did you feel most engaged by this piece?
Which ideas are worth further exploration? What’s one thing you
wouldn’t change?
Keep it short.
Consider having students exchange only part of an assignment,
particularly for a longer project. They might review only the project
proposal or an introductory paragraph with an outline of supporting
material. Have them brainstorm ideas for the rest of the paper.
Look to the future.
Remember: students are reading drafts. Encourage them to suggest
revisions: What three things can the author do to improve this paper?
Which section warrants further research? Which ideas need more
connection? Or, if students are looking at partial papers, have them
suggest evidence the author might use to defend a position or consider
what should be mentioned in the conclusion.
Limit the “fixing.”
Students may assume they need to proofread their classmates’ papers for
errors. Because they’re exchanging drafts, proofreading is probably
premature; there’s little value in correcting punctuation in a sentence
that may get cut entirely from the final text. One option: have
students point out only those surface errors that appear repeatedly or
that interfere with the author’s meaning.
Simplify.
Not convinced peer response is worth the effort? Borrow a technique
from writing expert Peter Elbow: have students exchange papers and read
them—no commenting required. Elbow believes that alone will help
students begin to think of themselves as writers—with readers waiting
to hear what they have to say. |
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Tidbits
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