Peer Feedback Form - Free Teacher's Resources

Some teachers feel skeptical about peer feedback: what if what they are saying is incorrect and I can't hear? Yes, let's face it: this is a possibility. Yet, sometimes the benefits of letting go of at least some classroom control far outweigh the minuses.

Peer feedback opportunities are great for language classrooms. First, sensitive students may get too stressed when their mistakes are corrected in front of the whole class. No matter how much the teacher may emphasize that this is a common mistake everyone makes, they still may feel being picked on. And stress is no friend of yours when it comes to learning a new skill!

Second, students internalize new knowledge better when they have to explore and search for the correct answer, rather than when it is just presented to them. We don't expect students to become teachers - so don't fear that the one who is providing feedback will actually correct incorrectly. Peer feedback is a microlearning opportunity for everyone involved: the one who is evaluating and the one who is being evaluated. The whole point is to make students notice different language structures and work together to discover if they need to be corrected or not.

Setting up peer feedback sessions increases student talk time and helps with student engagement. Instead of waiting for you to go over the list of mistakes that may not be even relevant for them, each student is practicing what's needed right there and right now.

Finally, it is a great way to incorporate some fluency practice into a grammar discussion (students need to explain why they think something is a mistake or to defend their variant) and have students exercise in different communication strategies.

So we suggest you leave your fear behind and put students in charge! It will pay off.

What's your opinion?

Attached you'll find a free peer feedback worksheet for a speaking activity (B1).

peer worksheet speaking B1.pdf

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