Preparing pupils for peer or group response

Abstract

Teaching writing is a complex skill, and one that needs attention if student writing scores across New Zealand are to improve. The teaching of writing has changed over the years from a traditional product approach, where students wrote for the teacher, to a more collaborative approach where students work together as part of a writing community. Peer or group response is one approach that teachers can use when building a writing community as part of their writing programme. This typically involves groups of students sharing and responding to writing, usually during the revision stage of the writing process. Students use the responses they receive from peers to revise their message, which in turn impacts on the quality of writing produced. Preparing students for effective peer or group response is a sophisticated process that requires careful planning and preparation. This research used qualitative observations and interviews to investigate some of the ways that four teachers prepared their students for peer or group response in writing. The results of this study suggest that there are a number of ways to prepare students for response in writing and that teachers will coach students how to respond to their own and others’ writing differently, depending on the discourse/s of writing and teaching writing that they consciously or unconsciously subscribe to. This research also shows that response activities motivate students, and suggests the benefits of adopting a school-wide approach and involving teachers in professional development to help develop their identity as a writer.