Uncomfortable Feedback

Peer review was never my favorite class activity. I would often feel a little stressed, bored, and extremely out of place. Honestly, peer review makes me uncomfortable. I feel like I am not in the right position to give feedback to my peers because I am on their level. I do not want to hurt their feelings or give them the impression that I am mean. For me, I would rather focus and edit my own work instead of trying to edit or critic someone else’s. When I am in the position to give feedback, I feel more comfortable giving compliments and general comments. Reading the writings of “How to Provide Great Feedback When You’re Not in Charge”, "The Trouble with Amazing", and "The Difference Between Praise and Feedback"  has made me reconsider the benefits of giving feedback.

 

This article gave three suggestions on how to give feedback without sounding mean or bringing down the writer: appreciation, advice, evolution. These tips made me realize that not all peer review has to be critical. This is reassuring for me because I will now feel more comfortable giving feedback. In the article “The Trouble with Amazing” I learned how to give more constructive feedback that will benefit the writer. Simply saying “amazing” or “good job” is not giving the writer tips or advice to strengthen their writing. The article by Anya Kamenetz, “The Difference Between Praise and Feedback”, seconds the points in the previous articles. Providing detailed and positive feedback shows that you paid close attention to their writing. Simply giving faint praise does not allow the writer to grow. It would be like a coach simply telling you “good job” instead of criticizing your technique for you to improve.

 

Not all criticism has to be mean. I learned from these articles that peer review can be helpful for both the reader and the writer. By using these new techniques and rules I feel that I can give more constructive criticism and do so in a more confident way.