A Different Approach to Peer Editing

As a teacher, I have had students do peer editing a variety of ways: in pairs, in groups of 4-5, as a big group passing papers to the left every ___ minutes, online as a discussion thread, and so on. My new approach with peer editing in my two different creative writing classes has gone better than any other experience, and it's been so good that I'll try it with my English 101 class next week.My Creative Writing class is a sophomore level class which attracts all sorts of students, but most do have an interest in Creative Writing. They're not taking the class just because it's the only one where they could get a seat or the only one offered at a time that works with the rest of the schedule. My Nonfiction Writing class is an upper level class; students who take that class are English majors for the most part. Both classes are much smaller than my 101 class. The Creative Writing class is 10 students, Nonfiction 8. My 101 class has 24 students when they all come to class. Back to my…