7/29/2019 PeerReview Guidelines 2012

1/1

Small Group Peer Review

How does small group peer review work?

You, the student, compose a text. We read it, think about it, and write about it. We discuss it in your presence. You make use of our thoughts as you see fit. TAKE NOTES! At the end of the session, you ask questions of us. These questions may be to illicit further

explanations of comments already made or regarding elements or your work that we may not

have covered.

Your drafts will be at different stages (the draft is in need of revising), but the peer review draft mustbe acomplete rough draft:

These compositions are as good as you can make them, but they are not done. The main idea/thesis/dominant expression might be fuzzy or indefinite The organization may be unclear, maybe missing elements

What are the rules for (group) discussion?

You will discuss the compositions within the group, approximately 10 minutes for each. The discussionwill be shaped by three general questions (Note: that you might have different questions based on the

type of assignment, e.g., research proposals, generic analysis, etc.): Why do particular things in the composition seem to work for some readers? Why dont certain things in the composition work for some readers? In your opinion, what can the author do to improve the composition?

Reading RhetoricallyYour group should try to identify:

The authors purpose? What is it? The intended audience and the effect the author hopes to have on the audience? The context of this essay?

What are your duties as a critic?

You have three major responsibilities:

Attendance is essential (If required) To have read and commented on the compositions of your group members (If required) Be prepared for the workshop by having written an end/footnote ofat least a few

sentences, signed with your name. Discuss what you feel are the strengths and weaknesses ofthe essay, citing specific examples from the text and specific praise and advice to the author

A few rules:

Speak respectfullyand specificallyabout the work. Use I statements, and refer to specificareas or examples in the draft

Discuss problems in terms of your reading processwhere you got tripped up (as aconsequence of how the text is composed).

Do not focus on your own tastes. Take the work on its own terms. You are not author of thistext

Possible Areas of Discussion

Anything that strikes you as cool, amazing, thought-provoking, etc Content, Insights, Thinking, Grappling with Topic Organization, Structure, and other design elements