Recently, I began to examine how I facilitated writing instruction with students, particularly English Language Learners. Since writing is an avenue of learning in my classroom, I realized that it was necessary for me to be more intentional about teaching students who are learning the English language to write effectively. They have the ability to make consistent progress, even if there is noticeable ineptitude in this area initially. If my expectation was for students to write in a way that demonstrates their content knowledge, I needed to give them the tools to do so successfully. This meant implementing specific processes that would be continuously taught and reinforced to improve their writing skills.
After contemplating how to reinvent the approach I took to facilitating writing instruction, I was introduced to the idea of peer review. Peer review is a strategy that enables students to give and receive feedback from their peers that can help them to improve their writing. Teaching students how to edit the work of their peers was a prerequisite that provided insight on the process and how it would work in our learning environment. After being introduced to peer review, students began to peer review the writing of their classmates using three steps:
- Complete a writing activity: To start, my students are given the responsibility of completing an expository text. The expectation is for them to write freely about a content specific topic that demonstrated their knowledge. There are time constraints so that they can quickly communicate their knowledge of the topic with as much information as they can comfortably write. Usually, I allot 8-10 minutes for writing. The amount of time can be increased as their writing continues to develop.
- Peer Review: Once the initial draft of the expository text is written, students should exchange papers with their table partner. They can each read the work of their peer and write feedback responding to questions such as: What were the strengths of this essay? What improvement do you suggest that could make the essay stronger? Were there any language and/or grammar mistakes? If so, list them. Another option is to provide a checklist that will allow students to determine if the essay they are reviewing meets specific criteria. This helps students to develop an eye for identifying what is and is not included in essays that should be present. Disclaimer: Authentic feedback may be limited due to a lack of comprehension of the topic. Despite the possibility of students receiving feedback with a lack of depth due to limited understanding, continuing this practice encourages them to bolster their knowledge of content over time. This will be a process for English Language Learners, particularly because they are learning how to effectively communicate through written expression while developing an understanding of content vocabulary at the same time.
- Text revisions: Students are given an opportunity to improve their essay using the feedback provided by their peers. Revising their work holds them accountable to actually applying the feedback in a timely manner. It also allows them to review information associated with the topic using resources such as class notes, which could improve their understanding of it as a result. This stage of their writing can also be timed so that students understand the importance of finishing the assignment to receive teacher feedback that is efficient. Once revisions are complete, final essays are submitted for teacher review and grading.
Implementing peer review has, undoubtedly, helped my students to acknowledge strengths and areas of weakness in their writing. While I am excited that my students are on the path of improvement, I understand that it will be an ongoing process in order to determine the effectiveness of this strategy. Nonetheless, it is quintessential to initiate steps such as these that can promote writing development for English Language Learners.