User:Silima.nanda59

== ==EFFECTIVE PEER GROUP RESPONSE== =='''

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Definition':

Peer Group Response can be defined as"the use of learners as sources of information, and interactants for eadh other in such a way that learners assume roles and responsibilities normally taken by a formally trained teacher, tutor,or editor in commenting on and critiquing each other's drafts in both written and oral formats in the process of writing "(Luand Hansen2002:1).

Peer Group response has other names like 'peer editing' or 'peer review'. Peer group response helps in generating a rich source of information in matters of

• Content
• Enhances inter cultural communicaton
• Provides the learners a strong sense of group unity
• Develops values of caring and sharing among students.

The efficacy of peer group response depends upon two factors: Teacher planning and students training. There are certain guiding principles for making peer group response effective. Usually peer group response is introduced during the revision stage when students have already developed their written texts. But ideally it should be developed across all stages of the writing process.Through a brainstorming session the teacher can encourage students to generate the salient topics /points and guide them to discuss these with the peer groups in light of their relevance, importance, difficulty level, merits, and availability of other resouces connected with he main topics.If the outlining may be done by the teacher, then the students may give their responses readind and responding to the outlines and thus this would generate a series of responses among the peer group resulting in better interactivity and increased negotiations on the topic. Create a comfortable environment for students to establish peer trust.-

• This can be done by ice-breaker activities like interviewing a student and introducing him to the restb of the class. Students can there upon in pair or group activities in order to encourage peer support. This also helps to develop an ennvironment whereby the learners feel comfortable to engage in negotiation of meaning,rhetorical expressions, linguistic content and knowledge.

Select the mode of peer response.

• With the facility and access to computers and technology, teachers have more options for all the modes of peer response:1)ORALLY READ THE PAPER AND THEN ORALLY GIVE SUGGESTIONS2) read the paper and write comments and give it back to the writer3)write comments and then orally discuss the comments with the writer4)computer-mediated -read papers on-line and generate synchronous and asynchronous discussions among the peers.If teachers and students have access to computers in or outside the class and asoftware program such as microsoft word, then learners can comment on their peers'responses drafts via an exchange of computer discs, and therefore via an asynchronous mode ofCMC rather than a traditional pen and paper format. If the software and technical support are available, teachers can also have students engage in a synchronous discussion of their peers'papers rather than an oral format. Trying new modes of such interaction will increse the interst levels and motivation among the peers.

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