Question

The writing process is a collection of strategies unique to each individual writer. Writers continually evolve and adjust their strategies as they become more experienced. When you finish a writing assignment, how do you grow as a writer? Part of bettering your own writing is applying the feedback you receive from past assignments. One way to do that is through peer review. Peer reviews can offer a fresh lens on areas that need improvement. Using a previous writing example, explain how the feedback you received was helpful in improving your writing. Explain ways in which future peer reviews would be helpful. What advice would you give to students who take this course in the future who haven’t experienced a peer review of their writing?

Answer 1

You can grow as a writer after finishing a writing assignment, not only because of the knowledge you gained when writing the essay, but also by looking at and implementing corrections. You may see grammar mistakes, organizational issues, or citation errors more clearly, especially if a professor or peer has pointed them out for you.

After finding a previous writing example that has feedback on it, you can explain that the feedback was helpful by catching errors you didn't see, by helping you brainstorm ideas to expand your essay, or by helping you re-word phrases that were unclear to an outside reader. 

You can explain that future peer reviews would be helpful because you would be receiving multiple perspectives on your piece, and you would be able to have a discussion about your piece that could lead to new ideas and/or refinement of your previous ideas.

You can advise future students that peer reviews may seem daunting at first, but they are less scary with practice and are beneficial for your paper. You should also advise them that when giving peer reviews, the feedback should be honest, constructive, and professional.