Workshopping and Peer Review

Jen Michaels Lecturer I, Sweetland Writing Center University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Why have my essay reviewed?

To obtain constructive criticism and praise To see if whats happening in your head is whats happening on the page Improve your own understanding of the course materials

Why review other essays?

Gain perspective on how other students tackle a similar task

Check your own comprehension of course material and terms Sharpen your critical eye when looking at your own work

What if my peers essays are stronger/better than mine?

What a great opportunity!

Consider what makes these essays so convincing and competent. Can you adopt these techniques too?

How to Review a Strong Essay

Consider what makes the essay seem stronger:
Sophistication of the argument? Organization? Use of evidence? Type of evidence used? Writing style or tone?

Once you know why the essay feels strong, you can determine what can still be improved.

What if my peers essays are weaker/worse than mine?

Enhance your understanding of the course material by considering why this essay feels weak. Clarify key ideas and concepts from the course by considering how they are used/could be used in the essay.

How to Review a Weak Essay

What makes this essay difficult to read? Is it the argument, the evidence, the organization, the tone? Pervasive grammar issues? Is the course material applied unevenly or illogically?

Giving And Getting Quality Feedback

Resist the urge to obsessively correct sentence-level grammar.

Focus on BIG topics: argument, organization, use of evidence, etc. Ask yourself what kind of feedback YOU would want from your fellow workshoppers.

Giving and Getting Quality Feedback

Is the argument sophisticated, complex, well articulated, and clear?

Does the organization give the reader the necessary information in a logical, comfortable order?
Is the evidence used relevant, effective, and adequately explained?

Preparing Feedback At Home

Read the essay in its entirety, reading for big ideas/concepts and the main argument Ask yourself after every paragraph, What did this paragraph contribute to the essay? How could this paragraph do its job better? Look for trends in the essay weak transitions, unsupported statements, etc.

Presenting Feedback
Workshop can be an intimidating, even emotional situation. Present your comments tactfully.

Reflect your experience as a reader. Reflect the emotions you felt as you read:
I felt confused by ______. I was jarred when _______ occurred. I wasnt sure I believed ____ given the evidence presented.

Presenting Feedback
Your job is NOT to fix everything! Focus on revisions that will give the author the maximum return on their revision time investment.

Give the author enough information about the essays issues.

Presenting Useful Feedback

The number one best way to improve your feedback:
OFFER SOLUTIONS to identified problems! Ask yourself how you would solve the problems that you see on the page.

A Not-So-Helpful Workshop Comment

Page three just totally confuses me. The first paragraph is irrelevant and the second paragraph is long without really saying anything. You should fix that.

A Helpful Workshop Comment

I felt confused on page three. Theres a paragraph at the top of page three that seems more related to whats discussed on page one. Maybe if you moved that paragraph to be with the more related material on page one, the transition between pages two and three would be smoother? You might also consider adding more quotes in the next paragraph. I wanted to hear more from the source youre already citing to back up your point.

While Your Essay is Being Reviewed

Resist the urge to defend your work. If necessary, do clarify what you were trying to do or what your goal is. Write down EVERYTHING your group says about your essay! Actively use your essay as a reference and visual aid.

At Home After Workshop

Re-read the peer review letters you received Re-read your own workshop notes Re-read your own essay Decide which revisions you want to undertake

At Home After Workshop

Choose revisions that will give you the maximum improvement for your expended effort
Improved argument Improved organization Improved use of evidence Improved intro/conclusion/transitions Improved tone

Happy Workshopping!

Questions? Comments?

Sweetland Writing Workshop/ Peer Tutoring

Sweetland Writing Workshop: 9-5 M-F Appointment phone: 734-764-0429 1139 Angell Hall (First Floor) Sweetland Peer Tutors: 7-11 p.m. Sunday thru Thursday No appointments needed! Basement of Angell Hall