Blog Post # 3

      Like the old adage says, you can attract more bees with honey than vinegar. Peer review is an important aspect of education, but nobody wants to feel belittled or disrespected. There are proper ways to assist your peers with their work and there are not so proper ways as demonstrated in Top Ten Peer Review Mistakes. No one wants to feel stupid, so always remember to stay positive and start with a compliment when reviewing a peer's work. Make sure that you are not vague when pointing out what is wrong, and try suggesting alternatives instead of just saying that's wrong.

      I remember a fellow student asking me to take a look at his English paper to see what was wrong with it. When I looked at it, I noticed that the teacher had written in big red letters "NOT TO COLLEGE STANDARDS, WHERE DID YOU GO TO HIGHSCHOOL?". After reading his paper, I agreed with the teacher, but not to her approach. She did not even give a hint of why it was not to standard and insulted him. After telling him that I agreed with his view on the topic, I showed him how to use the spell check on his computer and showed him a web site that walks you through how to cite his material. He got an A on his next paper with the words "I Knew you could do it". I hope she does not think her first comment inspired him.

      Remember to think about how you want others to review your work with you before you open your mouth. Always remember that no one is perfect and you are there to help. Do not simply point out what is wrong, but instead, tell them why and make suggestions on how to improve it. Remember, all of us are here to be teachers. That means that we will have plenty of parents reviewing our work. We might as well get use to reviewing each other.