Peer reviews can be used as a very beneficial tool. I believe there is great value in both being peer reviewed and being a peer reviewer. While it may have been difficult to critique a classmates style and lesson preparation, I believe we, as fellow student teachers, can offer insights or points that may or may not be picked up on by others.
When I was peer reviewing my classmates video, there were several times when I thought, "wow, she did that really well. I need to do that more" or conversely, when I thought, "hum, that really needed a stronger close...there have been times when I did not effectively close. Was it that obvious to my students?" So while I may have been trying to assist my classmate in becoming a better teacher, I was also learning how to be a better teacher from the video review!
Providing constructive criticism was a little hard especially since I know that I am not perfect in the classroom. I felt like I was the kettle calling the pot black and even mentioned to Bri when I thought it was an area where I am weak as well. However, I believe the comments we make as peer reviewers will most likely support the comments we may have heard from our co-ops and supervisor.
I liked using the same form that is used by our supervisor to peer review the video. This gave me a different perspective about the form in using it as the giver rather than the receiver. I was more focused on the specific areas being evaluated. As a receiver, I often just focus on those areas for which I did not score well, perhaps missing the importance of the other areas.
I think incorporating peer review in the classroom would be a great exercise for the students. While I have not yet had an opportunity to do so, I believe I would like to use peer review in the future. I think I will incorporate peer reviews in my Career Prep class when we work on our resumes.
Another area that I have observed peer review being utilized in the classroom is during student presentations. Students have a form which they use to critique the student giving the presentation. Not only does this keep the students engaged and involved in the class, it provides the student with an additional point of view. I do believe students need to understand the purpose of peer review and the proper way to complete it.
Hi Brenda! I always love reading your "brew" :)
ReplyDeleteI feel as if you and I operate on the same wavelength at times - when I was reviewing Tina's video, I kept thinking to myself, "How can I rate her poorly for this when I don't excel in it myself?" It was very difficult for me to sit there and mark 1's and 2's when I deserve them myself at times.
After sitting in the "reviewer's" shoes for a little bit, I do not envy Ms. Kieser! She has such a hard job to do! ... Even though its hard being graded all the time, I would much rather be the reviewee, and not the reviewer.
Generally, peer review has great value, for sure. However, I wonder - what happens if the person acting as the reviewer does not have the skills necessary to critique someone else? That is my only concern dealing with peer review.
Great post! See you soon.
Brenda,
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with your thought process on students peer reviewing each other. I have many presentations and projects in my style of teaching, and although listening to other presentations and being engaged are included in my rubric, I feel your idea of having them peer review while it is going on is a great idea!!! Very true it will keep them engaged in the presentation and I agree they need to be taught how to peer review properly!!!
I agree with your post on peer reviewing. I also had a difficult time grading weak areas in the video of a classmate when I know I am weak in areas too. However difficult it was for us to critique another classmate, I think we proved we were able to give and accept the criticism to our advantage. Peer review helped me compare myself to the student teacher I reviewed and helped me make my own faults clearer to me. During the video, I was able to compare and contrast myself to the student teacher I reviewed and found I need more structure in my class. Since then, I have added more structure and intend on building on that.
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