Introduction to written peer feedback: Three frequently asked questions
So you want to learn a little bit about written peer feedback? Well, you've come to the right place!
Directions: Please read this page carefully to add to your current knowledge about the topic. After you are done, write briefly about your experiences with peer feedback in the forum: Peer Feedback Experiences. Address questions like: Have you ever performed peer feedback for a written assignment? If so, how was the experience? If not, what do you know about peer feedback and what might be some benefits of this activity?
What is written peer feedback?
Peer feedback is a process in which students give feedback reviews on the work of their peer, usually a classmate. In written peer feedback, peers provide written comments and/or a note in order to show and explain how writing can be improved. Peer review is a reciprocal process, meaning students should expect to both give comments to their peers and receive comments on their own work for the same classroom assignment.
Why is written peer feedback important?
Peer feedback is important because it allows students to exchange ideas about how to improve the quality of their classwork. When peer feedback is written however, students have clearly gone through a thoughtful process while evaluating their peer’s work and making comments. Written comments and/or an endnote allow the student receiving feedback to have a reference or guide to refer to when making corrections. Written peer feedback also serves a log for students to see how their ideas and writing changed because of input from their peers.
Why is training for peer feedback needed?
Before having students perform peer feedback in the classroom, training is absolutely crucial due to the students’ varied prior experiences with peer feedback itself. Training will help the students learn the types of comments they should provide their peers (local vs. global, praise vs. suggestion), how to express/present these in writing and make everyone feel more comfortable with the process. Because many teachers do not have or allocate time for training in-class, peer feedback training can occur online instead.
Remember to recount your experiences in the forum: Peer Feedback Experiences