Peer Response in Second Language Writing Classrooms

6. Instructing Students in Peer Response

Chapter 6 Instructing Students in Peer Response Both L1 and L2 writers need to be instructed in how to respond to writing. It is not realistic to expect that our students will be able to read effectively and make constructive comments on their peers' papers without being instructed in how to do so. Nor is it reasonable to expect that our students will be able to respond constructively to the comments made by their peers on their own papers without proper instruction. Therefore, instruction in peer response is vital in forming students' perceptions toward peer response activities, the types of responses they make, and the extent to which they incorporate their peers' suggestions into their papers . In this chapter, we will discuss three major issues pertinent to peer response instruction. First of all, why is there a need for peer response instruction ? What is the rationale for instruction? Many L2 writing teachers and researchers tend to ignore or downplay the role of peer response activities in their classrooms simply because peer response has little effect on students' revisions of their drafts; they tend to perceive peer response activities themselves as being at fault without questioning what they do to prepare their students for such activities. Needless to say, questioning the effects of peer response without questioning the adequacy of peer response instruction is misleading. Second, what is supposed to be covered in peer response instruction, or what is the content of peer response instruction ? Where shall we start, and how shall we incorporate such instruction into the entire process of writing instruction? What are the procedures for instruction? What aspects of in122 Instructing Students in Peer Response 123 struction should we cover? What are the responsibilities of the teacher and of the students? Third, at what stage of writing instruction should we incorporate students' peer response activities, or what should the timing of peer response instruction be? In order to maximize the role of peer response, we have to consider when our students should receive their peers' comments and also their teacher's comments. What is the role of teachers in peer response activities? Will the teacher's presence help make sure students are on the right track, or will the teacher's presence inhibit students' participation and group interaction? Should peer response instruction be completed before students actually participate in peer response, or should we train our students in peer response one step at a time? There are no simple answers to these questions, but there are some guidelines that teachers can use to make informed decisions and offer students the necessary instruction in order to maximize the effect of peer response activities. A brief note before we begin: Instruction can be a time-consuming activity. To many teachers, instruction and peer response may appear daunting, since they seem to necessitate too great a time commitment. However, it is important to note that instruction and peer response activities are beneficial for students (see chap. 1) and improve not only draft quality but also the overall language skills of students. It is important to engage students in peer response activities in order to help them develop their writing skills, but instructors need to invest time in instruction to ensure a high return on these activities . Proper instruction results in better peer response activities , which in turn result in higher-quality writing from students. The Rationale for Instruction The importance of peer response has been acknowledged by both L1 and L2 writing researchers (Berg 1999; Ferris and Hedgcock 1998; Guerrero and Villamil 1994; Hansen and Liu 124 Peer Response in Second Language Writing Classrooms 2000; Hedgcock and Lefkowitz 1992; Hirvela 1999; Liu 1997, 1998; Mangelsdorf 1989; Mittan 1989; Stanley 1992; Villamil and Guerrero 1996, 1998). As far as the L1 literature is concerned , the difference between what happens when students are instructed in peer response versus what happens when they are not instructed is obvious in several ways. Inexperienced writers and readers often get caught up in the subject of an essay and end up spending a lot of time discussing ideas rather than how these ideas are presented and expressed in writing. When students are not instructed in peer response, some of their verbal responses can be useless, uninformed, and nonconstructive because these verbal responses seldom allow students to contemplate their reactions and word them appropriately (Huff and Kline 1987). To investigate the effects of instruction in university...