Building Communities of Writers through Peer Review

Abstract

In the field of L2 writing, peer review, also known as “peer response” or “peer feedback” is a relatively well researched phenomenon with a number of practical benefits for ESOL writers. These include gaining more feedback than is possible from the teacher alone, receiving different perspectives, fostering of critical thinking skills and participating in activities that help build classroom community. However there has also been criticism levelled at peer review with some researchers urging caution and teachers claiming it doesn’t work or takes up too much time. This presentation will review the potential benefits and drawbacks of peer review in terms of theory and practice, focussing, in particular, on the effectiveness of peer review in improving students’ writing and student views and responses to peer review. The presentation will end with practical guidelines based on the presenter’s classroom experience for implementing peer review in an adult ESOL writing course.