Peer editing is a wonderful tool…if done effectively. When students read one another’s work, they are able to see and fix errors in their peers’ papers, as well as translate those changes to their own papers. They are also able to read with a critical eye and put themselves in a teacher’s seat for a moment, hopefully looking at their work from a flipped perspective.
Here is a simple sheet I created for my Honors 10 students to peer edit their Old Man and the Sea papers. I displayed it on the board and had the students:
- Read the paper silently without making any corrections
- Read the paper again, silently, while doing the above tasks
After this, I had them share aloud with their partners, talking through some of the comments they made or questions they had. Then, as a large group, we went over the main editing points: introduction, thesis, MLA format, and any additional questions.
The remaining time was given to the students to work independently and ask me questions.
I think peer editing is effective because it gives the students ownership and responsibility. Make sure they write their names on the papers they edit, and have them turn in the peer-editing copies with their final drafts so you can see what changes were made!