Encouraging Peer Feedback
When providing feedback to peers, learners are learning about learning by reflecting on the activities of other learners. Learners are forced to think analytically about their peers' performance and, in turn, they are able to extend that thinking to their own performance. Peer feedback encourages a greater sense of involvement and responsibility and helps learners define what excellence looks like.

It is very important to set clear criteria for learners when they provide feedback to their peers. They need to know what to look for in their peer’s work. One way to ensure learners understand this type of assessment is to give them a practice session with it. In this way, learners can experience the process and become familiar with the procedure and what is expected of them before they conduct their first review.

One way to start is to provide two completed learner samples, one at a very high level and one at a low level, so learners can compare the strengths and weaknesses of each. Discuss the criteria with the class, passing out the checklist, rubric, or question prompts. In small groups learners then apply the criteria to the learner samples. This method allows for a rich discussion while learners try to come to consensus about the criteria as it relates to each sample. When the small groups have finished, each group shares their thinking and feedback on the samples with the whole class so that all can benefit from the insights of others.

When learners are learning how to give constructive feedback to their peers, teacher-made checklists and rubrics can give them the guidance they need.

Once learners have more experience, however, they can develop the checklists and rubrics for peer feedback themselves. The Assessing Projects application has many examples of peer feedback checklists and rubrics.

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