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Alva Nidia Huerta

ENG 1320/1301.158

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Peer Response: Teaching Specific Revision Suggestion

Summary:

This article written by Gloria A. Neubert and Sally J. McNeils, talks about the peer revision of writing. The article focuses on the effect of peers and teachers feedback on student writing. They talk about a drill practiced at a middle school referring to this.

Teacher and peers feedback is a big part of the writer’s process. It is very important, even though the improvement of their writing is undetermined; it really helps them one way or another. The PQP technique helps students stay focus on their task and to maintain a positive attitude toward the critique process. The technique requires a group of members to take turn and read each other drafts out loud as their other classmates followed along with a copy. The reason for the PQP technique is for peers to praise, question and polish their classmates writing.

This technique really helped out how the students criticize their classmates work. At the beginning of the drill they had a low percent of specific comment and a high of vague comments. But after trying this technique a couple of times the percentage e of vague comments dropped drastically and the specific comments percentage arose highly.

Gloria A. Neubert and Sally J. McNeils. “Peer Response: Teaching Specific Revision Suggestions”. The English Journal, Vol. 79, No 5(Sep., 1990) pp. 52-56

Question:

Why “peer response”? What can peers’ comments do for one’s writing?

Response:

Peer response is a good process and it helps writers in their overall composing. Peers read the writers papers and comment on what is good and what needs help on, etc. The peers commenting can be very useful to the writers composing. It really depends on what comment peers give, specific comments like “it’s good!” doesn’t really help the writers, because it doesn’t tell them if they actually need help or if they made a mistake and need to improve it. Comments that really help the writers are vague comments, because those comments do specify on the writers composing. The peers usually comment on what is good and what needs to be fixed. I actually want my peers to tell me straight out and tell me where are my mistakes, because that really helps me out and it makes me grow as a writer. Commenting on one’s writing can really help them and change their point of view of seeing their writing.