Learning how to review the work of your peers in a genuine and respectful way is important no matter what profession you choose. It is refreshing to see Mr. Tim Bedley teaching this skill to his upper elementary students. I believe that as education students, we especially need to learn this skill seeing as we will be reviewing the work of our students on a fairly regular basis in the future. It is a good idea to get some practice now. From the video Peer Editing and the slideshow Tutorial Peer Editing, we learn that peer editing is comprised of three steps: compliments, suggestions, and corrections. All three steps are important for an effective peer review. Without the compliments, you may come off as a highly critical "Picky Patty", and without suggestions or corrections, what's the point? We must remember to maintain a positive attitude throughout all three steps so as not to offend.
I especially enjoyed the video Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes, not only because it was humorous, but also because it gave tips for the peer who is being reviewed. This video helped me to put into perspective that when I ask for someone to proofread my work and give advice, guess what? They might actually have some suggestions and corrections! It doesn't mean that I'm not a good writer or that I don't understand punctuation rules. It just means that I'm human. Sometimes I miss a comma here and there, sometimes I misspell a word, and sometimes my sentences aren't clear to the reader. Peer reviews are a valuable asset, but they are only effective if we all view them as a team effort to put forth the best work possible.
You must remember that peer review and critiques done by teachers are similar but are not the same.
ReplyDelete"and give advice, guess what?" End the first sentence with advice. Make Guess what? a separate sentence.
Thoughtful. Interesting.
Hi Julie!
ReplyDeleteMaking mistakes doesn't make us, or others, bad writers; you were right to say that it only makes us human! Unfortunately, most people do not see themselves that way, they believe that with so many mistakes it labels them as "bad writers." I think this is why peer reviewing can be such a delicate experience, kind of like the picture you included! Everyone has potential to expand their literary knowledge, and that is the goal of reviewing a peer's work. Also, I believe as we learn and master the three proper steps to peer reviewing, we will also have to teach our future students the same lessons.
You have a great point of view on this topic, keep up the good work!