Blog Assignment #3

After watching and reading the resources provided about peer editing, I learned that there is more to editing than thinking it sounds good. I used rubrics all through high school, and I have done peer editing. However, I will be the first to admit that most of my “peer editing” time turned into socializing. I guess you could say I am a Social Sammy.

There is a lot that I learned by watching the videos and viewing the PowerPoint presentation. I really had no idea of the three steps to peer editing: Compliments, Suggestions, and Corrections. I love that the emphasis was on staying positive. There is many times where I just don’t want to say something to someone else because I am afraid I’m going to offend them. That is where compliments come in. I believe that you should balance out the good and the bad so that the writer doesn’t feel that the only reason someone read it was to tear him or her down.  Even if the compliment is “I like that you used the word            “, that one sentence will make the writer more confident in his or her writing.

The next step to peer editing is suggestions. This area covers word choice, details, sentences, topics, and organization. A suggestion can mean instead of saying that a sentence “doesn’t make sense”, you can tell the writer “If you add more details after this sentence, it would be more clear”.

The final step to editing is corrections. This is the section that you look for mistakes in spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and grammar mistakes. This area is a common place where it is possible that a student can forget the number one rule STAY POSITIVE. I know I often get frustrated reading a paper with every other word spelled wrong or missing periods. 

After reviewing these resources and discussing it in class, I would definitely help share corrections both in a private manner and in a public manner. The reason being that by messaging privately, it rids the embarrassment the writer may feel if I would post on their blog the things that need to be changed. The reason I would also post publicly AFTER the writer knows my thoughts is to show the readers that they can correct others blogs and it also can point out things the readers need to do in their own blogs. As a future teacher, I would have to provide responses to papers and assignments that students aren’t always going to like. Believe me, I have seen my fair share of red marks on assignments, and I always hated seeing them. These critiques are necessary for growth and learning.