Keep Your Distance: A Process for Socially Distant Peer-Review Sessions
Location
Session 3 Presentations - COVID-19 & Higher Education
Proposal Track
Research Project
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
Like many of us when COVID-19 entered our classrooms, certain cherished activities became problematic. If we were teaching face-to-face, our classrooms were full of masked students sitting six feet apart, and many of our classes were scheduled in odd rooms. In my case, I was unsure about conducting in-person peer-review activities for my college first-year writing course. This course had an enrollment of 25 students, and we were scheduled in a room that held 125 students. We were required to socially distance and wear masks. There were more hand sanitizers than student papers in the room. However, I firmly believed in the magic that happens during in-person peer review. Students see examples of writing and talk immediately about their reactions as readers. They turn directly to their own work and create adjustments in the exact moment. Since I was having trouble replicating that magic in the online environment, I decided to create a socially distanced peer-review activity that would keep us safe all while encouraging the special teaching moments created by effective peer review. This session will show attendees how to conduct the socially distant peer review, as a bit of healthy space is still an important goal today.
Keywords
peer-review sessions, first-year writing, COVID
Professional Bio
Dr. Jennifer Gray is a professor of English at the College of Coastal Georgia in Brunswick, Georgia. She also directs the writing center on campus and is a Teacher Consultant for the National Writing Project.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Gray, Jennifer P., "Keep Your Distance: A Process for Socially Distant Peer-Review Sessions" (2021). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 45.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2021/2021/45
Keep Your Distance: A Process for Socially Distant Peer-Review Sessions
Session 3 Presentations - COVID-19 & Higher Education
Like many of us when COVID-19 entered our classrooms, certain cherished activities became problematic. If we were teaching face-to-face, our classrooms were full of masked students sitting six feet apart, and many of our classes were scheduled in odd rooms. In my case, I was unsure about conducting in-person peer-review activities for my college first-year writing course. This course had an enrollment of 25 students, and we were scheduled in a room that held 125 students. We were required to socially distance and wear masks. There were more hand sanitizers than student papers in the room. However, I firmly believed in the magic that happens during in-person peer review. Students see examples of writing and talk immediately about their reactions as readers. They turn directly to their own work and create adjustments in the exact moment. Since I was having trouble replicating that magic in the online environment, I decided to create a socially distanced peer-review activity that would keep us safe all while encouraging the special teaching moments created by effective peer review. This session will show attendees how to conduct the socially distant peer review, as a bit of healthy space is still an important goal today.
