The research reported by this article was driven by the social constructive theory. The researchers designed an online learning community in which students played multiple roles as writers, editors and commentators. The purpose of this design was to foster social interaction according to the constructive theorists.
The study was done in National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Taiwan. Students read their peers’ texts, edited their errors, evaluated peer editors’ corrections and finally reconstructed their own texts.
The results of this study showed students learned to view their own texts from others’ perspective. Based on this experience, students are more willing to get information from and contribute information to peers. According to the article, this is the way (improving their own final drafts in both local and global revision) that meaning construction of texts takes place. Active participants’ final drafts were very different form those of passive participants whose first and final drafts were almost the same except some grammatical revisions.
I personally have the same experience when doing the pbworks activities. When I realized that my version was seriously read and edited by somebody, I was more careful about my product. And every time after I posted something, I very eagerly waited for people’s reply. During the process posting and commenting, I began to reflect what I was learning as a whole and gradually draw a bigger and clearer picture. For this point, I very much advocate for this approach.
But on the other hand, I am also curious about the accuracy of peers’ correction, since this research was done in a country where English was a second language. When there was not enough social background for the peers to trust for linguistic and ideological accuracy, what is the mechanics that drives learning forward?
Once again, I am questioning the portion of the application of such pedagogical approach, especially in areas where English is a second or foreign language.
It is always beneficial to learn how to see the word from someone else's point of view. When I took English 102 we had to peer edit each other's papers. I am a grammar freak so I would return a paper with a lot of marks. Sometimes I would get my paper with a few marks and this made me disappointed, I love people's inputs. After the first time this happened to me I would tell my peer don't be afraid to mark all over my paper.
ReplyDeleteHaving students edit one another's work is great in a classroom. It has been my experience that students often don't care what me, as the teacher, thinks because they know that I have seen quite a bit of their work and understand what they are trying to say. When they know someone different will be reading their work they take their time and really try to do their best. I think that peer editing is also a great way to help students learn editing marks and punctuation.
ReplyDeleteEditing peers papers is a good thing, and a bad thing. When my teachers made me edit someones paper I was always nervous to help my fellow classmates out because my grammar skills were never the best, and I always worried that I would not be able to help my peers as much as they might be able to help me. Then I would always worry that my paper was never at the same "level" as my peers, and they would judge me because of that.
ReplyDelete