Overview

Praise is an important element of peer and teacher feedback鈥攊t can, to quote Donald Daiker, 鈥渓ift the hearts, as well as the pens鈥 of student authors鈥攂ut substantive praise is one of the most challenging modes of feedback to compose (112). How can writing instructors move student responders beyond standard comments such as 鈥淕reat paper!鈥 or 鈥淚 liked it鈥 or 鈥淕ood details鈥? This chapter is a guide for students in composition classes, and aims to help them understand the importance of giving and receiving detailed, conversational praise; it presents scenarios for conceptualizing how to write praise, provides sample student writing excerpts that invite students to practice writing praise, offers and analyzes examples of different types of student-authored praise comments, and provides an array of approaches to writing praise comments.

In some first year writing classes, peer feedback days parallel the char- acters鈥 journey into the Appalachian caves in Neil Marshall鈥檚 horror film The Descent.* A group of female friends goes on an annual thrill-seeking adventure, climbing their way through a complex, uncharted cave, only to encounter some ferocious monsters, as well as their own inner demons. Vivian Sobchack characterizes the chaos depicted in the film this way: 鈥淓ventually trapped within the cave system by a rock slide, the six women become separated, each person or little group fitfully lit through different means to allow us to see their struggles in stroboscopic glimpses鈥攁nd then often to wish we hadn鈥檛鈥 (41).

Comparing the film to a first year writing class, the 鈥渄escent鈥 into peer feedback can sometimes leave all parties lost and helpless: we teachers bemoan the ragged and inconsistent quality of some peer comments, and you, who often complain only to us when your peers do a slack job writing comments on your work. Too often, all of us 鈥渨ish we hadn鈥檛鈥 wasted time at all doing peer response.

A few years ago, I had a student (we鈥檒l call him Ray) whose peer response routine involved shuffling through his peers鈥 papers鈥攚hich were to be responded to as homework鈥攁nd writing generic comments quickly at the start of class. 鈥淕ood opening,鈥 he would write, then next to each paragraph, 鈥淕ive examples,鈥 and at the bottom, 鈥淚 like the ending, but maybe expand.鈥 I began to realize all his comments were the same, and a student who was in his group confirmed that he never read his partners鈥 essays before writing feedback.

Now, that鈥檚 a descent.

Why go into the cave at all, we might ask, especially if even one of your peers approaches the task with such disregard? Or, what about the fact that some writers ignore your feedback anyway, preferring to only pay attention to the instructor鈥檚 comments, because 鈥渢hey are the one giving the grade鈥? Not too long ago, Fred, a student taking his second composition course with me, told his group as he handed his peer feedback to them: 鈥淵ou can ignore these; I鈥檓 just trying to get plusses on my feedback.鈥 (I assign grades of Plus, Check, or Check Minus on feedback, with some brief commentary about how responders could improve next time.) I was struck by Fred鈥檚 admission, and his willingness to participate in writing peer responses that he didn鈥檛 fully stand behind.

The psychology going on in peer groups reminds me of some of the conclusions I drew working on my dissertation on peer response while a graduate student at Florida State University. I collected and studied my students鈥 peer feedback and their thoughts about the feedback they gave/ received. I noticed that:

  • Students placed greater value in professors鈥 feedback vs. peers鈥, usually ignoring peer responses unless they were forced to use them in revisions;

  • Students often felt poorly qualified to write meaningful responses, since they saw themselves as merely adequate, 鈥渘ot good enough to tell someone else how to write;鈥

  • Students were often reluctant to write questions, which they viewed as critical, because they did not want to be perceived as 鈥渏udging鈥 their peers鈥 experiences, thoughts, or feelings;

  • Students would often judge their peers鈥 writing based on what they thought a teacher would want, rather than their own criteria for what makes writing good; and

  • Students initially tended to comment on things that were easier to 鈥渇ix鈥 like grammar or spelling mistakes, and paragraph size.

You may see yourself in one or more of these attitudes, and you may have received or given feedback similarly to Ray or Fred. Such attitudes and approaches are natural: given how sensitive the act of sharing an essay can be, these attitudes and others create a complex dynamic in small groups, leading some of us to prefer to avoid peer feedback, especially if we have not established trust with our group. As a result of these ways of thinking, some writers become frustrated working in small groups, because they don鈥檛 put much faith in the process or in the weak comments they anticipate receiving.

As a way of free falling right into this metaphorical dark cave, let鈥檚 jumpstart your class discussion of peer response strategies. I recognize that there are additional types of feedback, such as asking questions, giving advice, and editing or correcting errors, but this essay is going to focus on one important type of feedback.

How to Write Meaningful Praise

Think of a favorite food (I鈥檓 sure you have many, but pick one for now.). Why do you like it? What can you say about that food that conveys why that food is enjoyable to you? It is not enough, really, to say that you like it 鈥渂ecause it tastes good.鈥 In this sense, good just becomes an empty word that doesn鈥檛 really say anything.

I like pepperoni pizza. My two favorite places are Angelone鈥檚 in Port- land, Maine, and Burke Street Pizza in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. What I really like is how, on theirs, the slices of pepperoni curl up just a little and get crispy around the edges, leaving a tiny bit of oil residue in- side. I also like how their pepperoni slices can easily be bitten into, rather than the big round slabs of pepperoni that some pizzerias use, which sort of slide off whole when you chomp into them, pulling along large segments of cheese. Sure, there are plenty of places that offer adequate pizza, but only rare places like these make pepperoni pizzas that I really like.

It is easy (and somewhat distracting!) to come up with details to describe the foods we like; but, what about writing we like? Why do we like it? What does it mean to 鈥渓ike鈥 an opening sentence, an image, an insight? Since you don鈥檛 want to be that student who just jots generic comments down the margins in a hurry, like Ray made a habit of doing, I encourage your class, before workshops even begin, to do an inventory of what makes you like (or dislike) certain features of writing. Not just what makes writing 鈥済ood,鈥 but what makes writing really work for us, as individual readers.

Are you a reader who likes detail in the form of facts and data鈥攕uch as a newspaper article about Dustin Pedroia鈥檚 injury, one that provides statistics showing how well the Red Sox play when he has been in the line-up compared to their win-loss record without him? Or are you a reader who likes to 鈥渄iscern鈥 by reading in between the lines what an author might mean? Do you like to learn about new things, places, people, ideas, when you read, or do you prefer to read about that which is familiar? Do you like writing that makes you feel sadness or frustration, or do you prefer to read stories that look on the brighter side? It is good to know these things about yourself, as you approach any new text.

Now consider this: Is it even possible to like the writing that you and your peers have to do for classes? Not always. But, I would argue that you don鈥檛 have to like the academic writing your peers share with you (i.e., enjoy it the way I enjoy most any article about the Boston Red Sox) in order to praise what鈥檚 working for you as a reader.

Meaningful praise, then, is feedback that recognizes something that is working for you as a reader, that gives you an opportunity to have a dialogue with the author, and that expresses some sort of appreciation for the work the writer has done, or for the writer herself.

I remember when my student who wrote about his football experiences included a detail about coaches making him run up and down the bleachers with garbage bags wrapped tightly around his torso so he could get 鈥渋n condition鈥 for the upcoming game (I believe this is not allowed anymore). He did not use extensive description or need to. Through one well-chosen detail, he was able to illustrate what the players had to do and reveal some of the complexities of being a competitive athlete: his detail allowed the reader to imagine the exhaustion, and to question the methods the coaches used to get some players into shape. Praising the student鈥檚 use of detail had to involve more than just telling him 鈥渘ice detail.鈥 It meant explaining, as succinctly as I could fit in the margin, what made it work, for me as one reader: 鈥淎 nice detail. You鈥檝e already got me appreciating the physical and emotional stress an elite athlete experiences. It must have been draining. How do you feel now about the coaches鈥 methods?鈥 Here is an alternative praise comment, from a peer who likes the passage because he can relate to it: 鈥淕ood description. Our coaches used to do this too. I like how you make people who don鈥檛 know what it鈥檚 like understand what we go through to compete.鈥

Practice Session 1

Let鈥檚 practice writing praise in response to an actual sample of student writing, the beginning of a personal exploration by Lili Velez. As you read the following excerpt, consider what praise you could write:

Examinations Outside the Classroom

We panic, we pack, we get to college, and then panic again, moaning, 鈥淚 wish I had known I鈥檇 need this!鈥 鈥淭his鈥 could be any- thing from that extra pillow to the answers to a high school test on Hamlet, or it might be something more abstract, like how to deal with issues we never thought we would encounter outside a classroom. For example, when a philosophy professor asks us to examine what is evil and what is good, that鈥檚 okay; we鈥檙e getting graded on it. But do we ask such questions in the cafeteria? In the dormitory? At home? Who needs to ponder academic questions outside of class? It鈥檚 an invasion of our private lives. I thought so until a question followed me home and shook up my ideas on what belonged in the classroom and what I should never be without.

It was English 102, in small group discussion of my friend Donna鈥檚 paper, which was about whether fighting was a natural tendency, as it is in other animals that live in groups. (337)

It would be easy enough to write next to Lili鈥檚 first paragraph 鈥済ood opening.鈥 It would be simple enough to say that the opening is 鈥渄escriptive鈥 or 鈥渃aptivating.鈥 But, if you like the opening of this essay, what really causes your positive reaction? Even just as a draft, why does this opening work for you, as a reader? Take a moment to write two or three sentences describing what it is you like about Lili鈥檚 writing so far, and imagine you are writing these words directly to her in a conversation.

Is it the word choice? The arrangement of sentences? Her use of detail (the pillow, Hamlet)? Does it have something to do with the voice or tone? The way she uses questions? It could be any or all of these things, or something else altogether. I liked the commas and repetition in the first sentence, which create a sense of tension in the writing. (I am the kind of reader who likes some tension in what I read.) I also liked the feeling of momentum. Even just a little bit into the second paragraph, I am curious to hear more about what happened in her small group and the discussion about Donna鈥檚 paper. As Keith Hjortshoj describes in The Transition to College Writing:

Beginnings are points of departure, when readers expect to learn what this writing is about and the general direction it will take. Even if these beginnings do not explicitly map the routes the writing will travel, they tell us where this journey will start, point us in a certain direction, and provide some bearings for the next move. (115)

Lili is trying to do just that: engage the reader, point us in a specific direction, and pose a central question that will guide the exploration forward.

Elaine Mamon, Lili鈥檚 instructor in the class, praised Lili for her courage to tackle a challenging topic and for making the reader 鈥渇eel like getting into the conversation鈥 (Velez 340).

Practice Session 2

When writing meaningful praise, you might consider using a technique associated with rhetorician Donald Murray, who was known for writing his praise to students using this format: 鈥淚 like the way you鈥︹ (qtd. in Daiker 111). By including some praise written this way, you help writers enhance their audience awareness. As you read the following excerpt, the opening of a personal essay my student Nick wrote about declining wildlife in Pennsylvania, write 2鈥3 praise comments in Murray鈥檚 鈥淚 like the way you鈥︹ format:

Where the Wild Things Roamed

And there we found ourselves, on my hike in the woods with my dog Loki, his eyes fixed upon a herd of deer who stared back at him with the same intense interest. You could see it stir within them, the ancient war between their kind, Loki likely thinking 鈥淢ust chase! Must bite!鈥 though he probably does not know why, and the deer screaming in their minds, 鈥淭he wolf! The wolf!鈥 despite the ironic fact that these deer have never seen a wolf. For there are no wolves in these woods, nor in all of Pennsylvania. Gone are the days of wolves and mountain lions prowling through these woods giving the deer something to truly fear rather than this would-be predator at the end of my leash.

And here I am looking at these deer and wondering, 鈥淗ow are you all that鈥檚 left?鈥 (Brewster 1)

After completing your praise comments, I recommend talking with others in class about what you praised, how you worded each comment, and what it was like writing responses this way.

Donald Daiker believes that writers become less apprehensive when they 鈥渆xperience success鈥 and that 鈥済enuine praise can lift the hearts, and the pens, of the writers who sit in our classrooms鈥 (106, 112). After receiving fifteen sets of feedback from his classmates throughout the semester, which all had to include several praise comments, Nick explained his emerging confidence: 鈥淚 ended up deciding to let my creativity loose despite how un- comfortable it made me. I ended up finding myself greatly enjoying some of my later works. The more confident I became in my writings the more I experimented with my creativity.鈥 In one of his final peer comments on a classmate鈥檚 meta-essay, Nick acknowledges the role positive peer feedback had played in their mutual development: 鈥淕reat point and I agree. We helped one another write about more personal feelings and dilemmas.鈥

Examples of Peer Response Praise

Let鈥檚 look at several other praise comments Nick writes on his classmates鈥 essays. For context, most of the papers students wrote in this class revolved around animals, or writing, and sometimes both:

  • Repeating the questions was an effective follow-up to your intro sentence
  • Nice allusion. Very creative way of describing your writings.
  • Notice how Nick refers to specific choices the writer had made. Here are some comments Nick writes on Carolyn鈥檚 essay about six cats she has owned throughout her life. Sometimes, Nick praises Carolyn for the choices she makes as a writer, and sometimes he praises her personally, but all of them are conversational:
  • Good details that add to each cat鈥檚 character
  • Interesting how everyone ended up getting their 鈥渙wn鈥 cat
  • The font change is a good touch [Carolyn had switched fonts for a passage that recreated a letter she would have written as a child to her cat who had passed away]
  • Recognizing how you鈥檝e changed over time and looking back on your younger self is such a human thing to do and extremely relatable. I think we鈥檝e all been there.
  • Great imagery and comical, picturing this level of organization from a child
  • LOL! Nice touch and some comic relief after the passing of Chester

Occasionally, Nick writes what Rick Straub and Ronald Lunsford refer to as combination comments, wherein a praise comment is joined with a question or tentative advice. For example, in response to Jordan鈥檚 essay about his dog Quinn, Nick writes:

  • Good descriptions [of Quinn]. Maybe could add more? Hair type, face, size?

On Rose鈥檚 essay, which analyzes the effects of a social media influencer who hoards animals (particularly rats and reptiles), Nick combines praise, analysis, and a rhetorical question:

  • Good point. It does certainly appear we care about some animals more than others. Would people care more if it was a room full of puppies, for example?

Notice how in responding to Rose鈥檚 argument, Nick has joined the conversation as a reader. The best peer feedback does not just inflate the writer鈥檚 ego but keeps the conversation about the writing, and about the topic, moving forward. The praise you receive can help you understand what goes on in your readers鈥 minds, and better shape your writing for an audience.

In his article 鈥淩esponding鈥擱eally Responding鈥擳o Other Students鈥 Writing,鈥 Straub encourages you to 鈥淐hallenge yourself to write as many praise comments as criticisms. When you praise, praise well. Sincerity and specificity are everything when it comes to a compliment鈥 (192). Nick includes a good deal of praise in his sets of feedback, and his comments are specific and sincere.

Final Advice and Thoughts

 You may try to write your peer response using different color pens鈥攆or example, green for praise, orange for combination comments, or green to praise stylistic techniques and blue to praise ideas. Also, give yourself enough space and time to write conversational praise. As an example, Andrea writes in the space next to Jordan鈥檚 title 鈥淭he Unwritten鈥: I really like your title鈥攊t fits well with the theme running through about things we must accept in life that are too complicated to be written in a rulebook. Since you only mention writing a couple times in the piece, it鈥檚 nice and subtle. In the left margin of Carolyn鈥檚 essay 鈥淎lone,鈥 Andrea writes, I like the repetition of the two phrases 鈥 but I am alone鈥 and 鈥渕y cat who is on my chest.鈥 Even though there are multiple metaphors in this piece, keeping the repetition going grounds the reader to where the narrator is and really creates the feeling of what it鈥檚 like when your body isn鈥檛 moving but your brain is going a million miles an hour. Andrea writes small and can fit this comment in the top margin, but you may want to write lengthier praise on the back of the page or in an endnote/letter to the author. Although it takes a bit more time to write such conversational praise, compared to 鈥淕ood title,鈥 or 鈥淚 like the repetition,鈥 Andrea鈥檚 comments say so much more to Jordan and Carolyn. They are examples of what Donald Daiker would describe as 鈥済enuine praise鈥 (112).

Being a peer responder is not just about being a good one or a bad one, it is, just as it is with your writing, about your investment in joining a real conversation with others. When combined with additional types of peer feedback that you will practice鈥攕uch as asking questions, giving advice for revision, critiquing an argument鈥檚 shortcomings, and/or making corrections鈥攑raising well and with sincerity will help your classmates improve their writing and enhance their desire to write with a specific audience in mind. Together, you will avoid 鈥渢he descent鈥 and develop as writers and readers, and maybe even enjoy the journey together.

Works Cited

Teacher Resources for "How to Write Meaningful Peer Response Praise" by Ron DePeter

Introduction for Teachers

Instructors could assign this essay in a first-year or upper-level writing course or workshop, during the early part of a semester when students are practicing peer feedback. The essay is in some sense an indirect sequel to Straub鈥檚 鈥淩esponse鈥擱eally Responding鈥擳o Other Students鈥 Writing,鈥 looking more in-depth at one specific mode of peer response. It is recommended that students have opportunities to practice writing feedback鈥 perhaps on one or more sample essays that the instructor has collected from previous students. Ideally, students should practice writing each mode of commentary (for example, 1鈥2 sessions writing praise, 1鈥2 sessions writing questions/advice, 1鈥2 sessions combining several modes) before diving into small group or whole class workshops. Ideally, the instructor can give some feedback or grades on the practice feedback, letting the students know how they are doing and how they might improve (e.g., write more comments, make comments more specific, etc.). After each peer feedback practice session, and in the 鈥渞eal鈥 workshops with classmates, students can reflect in their journal/class discussion on how they feel they are coming along as responders, as well as how they feel about the comments received. Such meta-writings are essential threads that facilitate the students鈥 growth as readers and responders.

Discussion Questions

  1. Do any of the attitudes about peer response that DePeter discusses in the beginning of his essay apply to you (e.g., not wanting to 鈥渏udge鈥 others or regarding a teacher鈥檚 feedback as more important than peers鈥)? Where do you imagine these attitudes come from?

  2. How do you think Nick (or any peer) would feel hearing the praise comments written in the Donald Murray style of 鈥淚 like the way you鈥︹? What effect would such praise have on the writer, com- pared to just seeing 鈥淕ood鈥 next to a passage?

  3. Do you feel there is a difference between what you feel is 鈥済ood writing,鈥 and that which teachers have identified as 鈥済ood?鈥 If so, what accounts for these different expectations? What is your definition of 鈥済ood writing?鈥

  4. Can you think of ways that Nick or Andrea鈥檚 peer response praise could be even sharper, or more helpful to an author?

  5. Discuss experiences you have had in other classes sharing peer response. Have they been a metaphorical 鈥淒escent,鈥 or enjoyable journeys? What made your peer response sessions in the past work, or not work?

 

This  was written by Ron DePeter and published as a chapter in Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, Volume 3, a peer-reviewed open textbook series for the writing classroom. This work is licensed under a .