How to Provide Useful Peer Feedback for a Friend or Classmate

"Can you look this over for me?" The question emerges often: on a school assignment, a poem, an application essay. It could come from a friend or from a teacher who wants students to critique each other's work. Unfortunately, the vast majority have no idea how to respond to the request or assignment, offering empty affirmation in the place of useful feedback. If you have the challenge of providing feedback to a friend or peer, praise for praise's sake is of little value. Instead, an honest, in-depth critique will help both the writer and the reviewer improve their skills. The critique, though, requires a thoughtful, tactful approach. This article identifies ways to help, and an overall approach to providing peer feedback.

Step One: Separate Writing from Ego and Feelings

Before beginning, both writer and reviewer need to understand that writing is not the textual soul of a person. Whether it is a personal statement, a poem, or an essay discussing the depiction of religion in The Brothers Karamazov, the written product needs to be clearly separated from the person writing it. The writer must understand this, because if s/he does not, s/he may feel that dissecting the written product implies disrespect for the writer. The reviewer must understand this as well, because to be helpful, the peer reviewer must focus on the text without worrying that s/he is criticizing the writer by doing so.

The best way to achieve this understanding is for the reviewer to be clear from the outset. A quick scan of the written work should give the reviewer an idea of how much work lies ahead. The first discussion, though, should be about the writer's intentions. What does s/he want for the product? Focusing on the separation between the writer's thoughts and what is on the paper will help show that both people understand the difference between the two. From there, the peer reviewer should talk about how s/he can help improve.

Step Two: Straight Rules