"Really Responding"

Madison O'Brien

1. The text surprised me and ultimately changed my attitude towards peer reviewing. I have been doing it wrong all my life. I'm glad I came across this text because now I know how to properly peer review. I used to think it was a tedious and unnecessary task. I only did it when it was required of me in English class. Next time, I will look in depth in order to help my peers better their writing as much as possible.

2. I definitely think the strategies in this text will help me a lot in peer review. Two strategies that stuck out to me were be specific and ask questions. The reader might not be able to understand something the writer thinks is so simple. Asking questions is very important. Questions can help the writer clarify their writing without completely changing it. Straub also mentioned considering who the writer is. I never knew you were supposed to do that when peer reviewing because it seems like it would be biased. However, it makes the review more personal and will help them with the things they struggle with.

3. In the past, I would try to avoid pointing out what was wrong because I didn't want to be mean. That experience has been negative. I wasn't telling the writer things they can improve on. If it was me, I would want to know what I need to work on. I also used to write as little words as possible, by saying "I like that" or "nice job". You can criticize, without being rude or disrespectful.