Teaching with Writelike ARCHIVED NOV 2023

Peer review is nicely systematic.

• Students are given one snippet at a time, with all relevant contextual information.
• The feedback is simple but scaffolded around the question of "Does this match the pattern?"
• When a response has received the specified number of reviews, it will be removed, so the spread of feedback is more even than in Wrotevote.

Peer review is good for long snippets

Because students focus on one snippet at a time, Peer Review makes it easier to review multi-paragraph responses.

Its main weakness is it feels like work

While Wrotevote's randomness can mean the results are lopsided and unreliable, it provides an combination of surprise, unpredictability, and social comparison that can be entertaining and motivating.

In comparison, Peer Review is orderly and systematic, but it also feels like an obligation.

We suggest using Peer Review when students are already motivated, and the lesson produces long checkpoint pieces.

Each piece must be reviewed a minimum number of times before it is removed from the review pool.

The default is three, meaning each piece will be left in the feed until it is reviewed by three different students.

You can adjust this default under Manage Class > Edit Class.

When they submit the review, they will see another checkpoint piece, if one is available.

Students can review as many pieces as they like, so it's possible for one enthusiastic student to review everyone's writing, which may not be what you want.

You might want to establish some ground rules, such as asking each student to limit themselves to 3-5 checkpoint pieces.

All peer review settings are managed in the Class view: go to My Lessons > Manage Class.

By default, peer review is enabled for all assigned lessons. You can change this class-level default by clicking Edit Class. (You can also adjust the minimum number of reviews before a checkpoint piece is removed from rotation.) 

To enable or disable peer review for a specific lesson, click the menu button next to the lesson and select Edit peer activity settings.

Students aren't technically obliged to complete checkpoint peer reviews. Some students might dive in, while others might avoid it. 

We suggest establishing some ground rules as a class.

• For example, you might allocate a specific time in class: "We're going to do 10 minutes of peer review in class. You each need to review 3 pieces."
• Or you might treat it more like an assignment: "Everyone complete your checkpoint pieces by Wednesday then review 3 peer pieces each by Friday."