Peer Review

Tonight we are going to experience the dreaded peer review process. Although the students in our class are all capable of intellectual insight, this is not always the case. I have never been an "anti-peer review" type, but I definitely have my issues.

As we have discussed before, there are problems with the peer review process. My biggest issue is the different levels of motivation in the students of a group. I, personally, have always been an overachiever (sometimes this is NOT a good thing though, lol). I have found that when an underachiever realized they were in my group, they were more than ecstatic. As frustrated I would get with the leeches, I still did all the work if I had to, because it HAD to get done. Moreover, I usually felt that I could do it better, so I did it myself. This may sound cocky, but I am sure almost all of you (if not all) can relate to what I am saying.

We have also previously discussed the idea of "hurting people's feelings" when commenting on a fellow student's paper. I never got offended, and if I did, I just dismissed the diss. :) However, I can see where students could take criticism to heart. HOWEVER, I feel like this is part of the writing process: having others read your work. Personal composition is usually the most entertaining or insightful, and having an audience should never be neglected. Writing for yourself is an amazing form of therapy, but I do not feel that we should be afraid to share our work. If the appropriate amount of time was put into a piece, it should be ready to be presented to others. We just have to remember to inform our students that if they create a composition that is extremely private, they will still have to share it. Therefore, if they are uncomfortable with this, tone it down.

Maybe my mindset seems a bit harsh, but one of my biggest pet peeves is people unwilling to speak in class. As a teacher, I want all of my students to feel comfortable enough to speak their voice, and peer review is a healthy process. Even if your peer cannot help you with the mechanics or focus, they still can read it for you and tell you what parts make sense and so on. Peer Review has its downfalls, but if manipulated correctly (i.e. the teacher making the groups), it can be very beneficial to the student writer.

~*~Tara Biggs~*~