This graphic indicates an interesting aspect of the writing process. Many students do a revision or possible two of their writing but they do not go through the constant revision that professional writers do. However, the classroom teacher can build in many more revisions on the students’ work with little effort.
The students can peer review and revise their work as they do it. For example, students write a thesis statement and then have a peer assess it and give feedback based on the teacher’s guiding questions. As the students develop their graphic organizer, other students can look it over for different categories, evidence and details and then the students can revise it. As the students write their first body paragraph, another student can peer review it using a teacher-provided rubric and then the students can revise it. The teacher can have writing strategies for that particular part of the writing process to help the students who need additional assistance in areas of the writing process or they can find other areas for peer review as shown in my book Successful Student Writing Through Formative Assessment
Constant assessment and revision improves student writing.
How often do you students receive feedback on their writing during the writing process and then make revisions?
My book, Formative Assessment: Responding to Your Students, is available through Eye on Education.
Also, my book, Successful Student Writing Through Formative Assessment, is available through Eye on Education.
Education with Technology Harry G. Tuttle 
How valuable is Peer Review?
Published December 15, 2008 Change , Comment , Composition , Edublogger , Education , ELA , English , Feedback , peer , Peer Review , Review , Revision , write , Writing Leave a CommentTags: Change, Comments, Composition, edublooger, Education, English, Essay, Feedback, Improve, peer, Peer Review, Revision, write, Writing
When my students hand in their final English essay, they also hand in their peer reviewed draft. I’ve noticed that usually they do not incorporate the changes that peers suggest.
I gave them a survey on peer review to help me better understand their use of peer’s comments. They admitted that they use very little of peer review.
Some of their reasons:
The reviewer isn’t as smart as I am.
I don’t care what they “feel” about my paper. What is good/bad according to the rubric?
They don’t understand the rubric.
It does not help me when a reviewer finds a mistake if he cannot tell me how to fix it.
They don’t understand my thinking/how I wrote the paper.
The reviewer found some spelling mistakes but missed the big things like my first body paragraph having two topics.
They don’t try/ they do not take it seriously.
How well do your students peer review each other? How valuable is the peer review to the author?
For any one who is interested in implementing formative assessment in the classroom, my book,
Formative Assessment: Responding to Students is available through Eye-on-Education.