Peer Writing Review Process | Otis College of Art and Design
Summary
TLDRMaggie Light, an English faculty member at Otis College of Art and Design, discusses the peer review process in writing. This method helps students improve their essays by having peers read and critique each other's work. She emphasizes that while writing is often a private act, editing should be public. Peer review allows writers to see their work from another perspective, refine their arguments, and organize content more clearly. Light encourages students to offer specific feedback, be open to criticism, and use the process to produce concise, compelling writing.
Takeaways
- 📝 Peer review is a process where students read and revise each other's work to improve clarity and organization.
- 📚 The goal of peer review is to generate compelling, clear, and concise content by receiving feedback from others.
- 👂 Writers often have a hard time seeing issues in their own work, and peer feedback helps address that.
- 🎯 First drafts are often disorganized, and peer review helps refine and focus the content.
- 🔍 Reviewers should read the essay quickly for an overview, then reread slowly to provide detailed feedback.
- 🤝 The peer review process involves discussing the feedback and providing specific, constructive suggestions.
- 🔗 Reviewers should pay attention to structure, organization, and whether the main argument is supported with evidence.
- 💬 Positive feedback is just as important as constructive criticism, and both should be specific and actionable.
- 💪 Writers need to develop a thick skin for critique and should use peer feedback to objectively assess their work.
- ✨ Writers don't have to accept all feedback, but should consider revisions carefully and seek clarification when needed.
Q & A
What is the purpose of peer review in the writing process?
-Peer review helps writers improve their work by allowing others to provide feedback on clarity, organization, and content. It makes the revision process more effective and helps students create compelling, clear, and concise content.
Why are we not always the best critics of our own work?
-Writers are often too connected to their material, making it difficult to see issues like underdeveloped ideas or disorganization. Things that are clear in our minds may not translate well on the page.
What should be the first step when conducting a peer review?
-The first step is to read through the entire essay quickly to get a sense of its content. After that, you should reread the draft slowly, making remarks where appropriate.
What qualities should a reviewer bring to the peer review process?
-A reviewer should be enthusiastic, focused, and generous while editing. They should give the same attention to their partner's essay that they would want for their own work.
What are some key questions to ask when reviewing a peer’s essay?
-Key questions include: Why is this student writing this? Is the argument or main idea supported with evidence and significant detail? How is the essay organized or structured?
What type of feedback is considered most helpful during peer review?
-Specific feedback is the most helpful. Instead of vague comments like 'this part doesn't work,' reviewers should point out specific passages that are unclear or unsupported and offer solutions.
How should writers respond to peer feedback?
-Writers should not take criticism personally and need to develop a thick skin. They should use feedback to revise their work and take the comments as an opportunity to improve.
What are three final reminders given for the peer review process?
-The three final reminders are: (1) Take chances and be bold with your writing, (2) Give yourself a break, as sharing your writing can be difficult, and (3) Trust your instincts when considering reviewer suggestions.
What should a writer do if they don’t agree with some of the reviewer’s suggestions?
-Writers should carefully consider all suggestions but don't have to agree with them. If they're confused, they should ask the reviewer or their instructor for clarification.
What is the main goal of the peer review process?
-The main goal is to help writers improve their work by making their ideas more clear, concise, and well-supported, ultimately leading to stronger, more compelling essays.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to Peer Review in Writing
Maggie Light, an English faculty member at Otis College of Art and Design, introduces the peer review process for college English essays. This method is valuable for students of all levels, including high school and elementary students. She quotes Stephen King, emphasizing the importance of writing in private but editing in public. Peer review helps writers improve their clarity and organization, offering insights from others who may better understand the weaknesses in a piece of writing.
✍️ The Importance of Peer Feedback
Maggie explains that peer review is crucial because authors are often not the best critics of their own work. Ideas that seem clear in the writer's mind may be underdeveloped or confusing on paper. This review process helps writers refine their essays, generating compelling, clear, and concise content. While it can be difficult to accept feedback, the rewards are substantial, as noted by fellow students who share what they learned through the peer review process.
📝 Lessons from the Peer Review Process
Students reflect on their experiences with peer review. Some learned the need to add more research and develop their thesis, while others recognized issues like cluttered essays or lack of sufficient information. The process of receiving feedback made them aware of where they needed to elaborate, include more sources, or refine their arguments to improve their overall paper.
🔍 Starting the Peer Review Process
Maggie outlines how to approach peer review. First, read through the entire essay quickly to get a sense of its content, then read it again slowly to provide more detailed feedback. Reviewers should focus on being concentrated, enthusiastic, and generous with their critiques, offering the same level of attention they expect in return. Key questions include understanding the writer’s purpose, the strength of their argument, and the organization of their essay.
🗣️ Offering Constructive Feedback
After reviewing the draft, it's important to engage in a discussion with the writer. Reviewers should ask questions and provide specific guidance for the next draft. Instead of vague comments like 'this part doesn’t work,' offering detailed feedback about cluttered passages or unsupported claims gives the writer actionable steps to improve. Positive aspects should also be highlighted, recognizing what worked well in the essay.
🤔 Don't Take Critique Personally
Maggie stresses that developing a thick skin is essential in the peer review process. It can be difficult to receive criticism, but the ability to view one’s work objectively is a valuable skill. Writers should be open to revisions but also trust their instincts, keeping in mind that they don’t need to follow every suggestion. If any feedback is unclear, it’s important to ask for clarification from either peers or instructors.
💡 Final Advice: Be Bold and Take Chances
Maggie concludes with three final pieces of advice for writers. First, be bold and take chances in your writing, as guts are essential in this process. Second, give yourself a break—sharing writing with others is challenging, but it's a helpful and rewarding experience. Lastly, trust your instincts when reviewing feedback. While it’s important to consider suggestions, you are the ultimate judge of what works best for your paper.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Peer review
💡Draft
💡Editing
💡Evidence
💡Thesis
💡Organization
💡Feedback
💡Clarification
💡Revision
💡Confidence
Highlights
Peer review process helps students revise and improve their essays by having peers critique their work.
Stephen King emphasized the importance of writing in private but editing in public, which connects to the value of peer review.
The process of peer review can be applied to students of all ages, from elementary to college.
Peer review helps writers avoid confusion and improve clarity, especially after producing a disorganized first draft.
Writers often struggle to critique their own work, as ideas that seem clear in their minds may be underdeveloped on paper.
The goal of peer review is to generate compelling, clear, and concise content.
Peer review requires students to set aside pride and be open to critique, but the rewards are substantial in terms of writing quality.
Students who participated in peer review learned that they needed to improve aspects like research, thesis development, and essay clarity.
Initial steps in peer review include reading through the entire essay quickly, then rereading slowly to mark areas for revision.
Effective peer review involves being enthusiastic, focused, and generous when giving feedback.
Feedback should focus on specific areas for improvement, such as cluttered passages or unsupported claims, rather than vague comments.
Providing solutions during peer review is more helpful than merely pointing out problems.
It's important to recognize what works well in the essay, alongside areas that need revision.
A key part of the process is developing a thick skin and being open to critique without taking it personally.
Final advice: take risks, trust your instincts, and remember you don’t have to accept all suggestions. Seek clarification when necessary.
Transcripts
hello I'm Maggie light English faculty
at Otis College of Art and Design I'm
here to talk with you about the peer
review process for College English
essays but this method is good for any
age student high school and Elementary
as
well author Stephen King said to write
in private but edit in public peerreview
or writing Workshop is when students
read and revise each other's work in
class your fellow students become your
public per review rescues us from
confusion your first draft is only the
beginning of your process and often
yields a disorganized essay we use this
process because we're not the best
critics of our own work ideas that are
clear in our minds are often
underdeveloped on the page and we're
more connected to our material than we
know even if we tell ourselves it's not
very good but this review process gets
us to our goal generating compelling
clear concise content while having
others read your work does require that
you swallow your pride the rewards are
manyfold listen to what some of your
fellow writers learned in their latest
peer review I learned that I need to
write more and uh research more and
develop my thesis
more I learned that I tend to have a
cluttered essay but somehow still get my
point across to the reader one thing
that I learned about my paper is that it
lacks information I think I'm going to
add some more sources and be more in-
depth I learned that I need to elaborate
more on the subject and add more sources
specifically from the book getting
started first off read through the
entire essay quickly to get a feel for
the content then reread the draft slowly
remarking on the essay where appropriate
also it's important to concentrate be
enthusiastic focused and generous while
editing give the same attention to your
partner's essay you hope they give to
yours ask yourself why is this student
writing this is the argument or main
idea supported with evidence and
significant detail what is the structure
or organization so far you have a good
start you have strong imagery and um
you've taken
Chances with it um I would say that it's
a little disorganized and you should try
to
link the
tree uh the headphones and your bike
ride uh back to the main character
feedback after you've eded their draft
have a discussion with your peer what
questions do you have for your reviewers
tell your partner what to focus on for
their next draft the writer should leave
this process with a plan of action
and where I Circle and I like your
details and your paragraphs it's really
good be specific saying this part
doesn't work isn't helpful noticing
specific passages that are cluttered or
pointing out claims that are not
supported with evidence gives your peer
a solution this quote's a little long
for the um summary of the movie I think
you could do that in your own words in
addition to noting those spots that need
revision recognize parts that worked
well this analyzation right here was
really good I
thought um one one in margin don't
forget that
um yeah and if you would just focus on
one quote and really just get as much
going for you like say as much as you
could I think that would be really
helpful for your paper but I really
liked it thank you uhhuh don't take it
personally we need a thick skin in this
process it's not easy being critiqued
but being able to look at your own work
objectively is an invaluable skill three
final reminders take chances be bold
writer jine West said Talent is helpful
in writing but guts are absolutely
essential if you don't think something
is working in your partner's paper it's
your job to tell them the real work is
figuring out why it doesn't work give
yourself a break sharing your writing
with others is a trying task for the
most experienced writer remember we are
here to help each other and there's no
such thing as a perfect paper lastly
trust your instincts when you get your
paper back consider the revisions but
remember you don't have to agree with
all of the reviewer suggestions if
you're confused ask your peer to clarify
if you're still confused ask your
instructor good luck and happy writing
and
revising
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