Lesson Study Spring 2020

Research Question

How might we use peer critique to improve students' writing and give students ownership of their writing?

With co-designers Ruby Beltran and Daniel Garrison of High Tech High, I hosted this lesson study at Boyle Heights STEM Magnet High School, a public school within Los Angeles Unified. Our magnet school is located in East Los Angeles (seen above) and most of our 200 students hail from East or South-Central Los Angeles; all of our students qualify for free/reduced lunch.

In March 2020, our lesson study team began designing a lesson series to create a culture of peer critique in my 9th and 11th-grade English classrooms. Students had participated in peer critique before, but were skeptical of its effectiveness. We needed to create a lesson series to communicate the value of peer critique to our students.

Our 11th-grade students were writing dramatic scenes inspired by Romeo and Juliet. The 9th-graders were writing epic poetry inspired by The Odyssey. Each 11th and 9th grader wrote a dramatic scene or epic poem, respectively, to express what it is like to be a teenager in Los Angeles in 2020.

Throughout our lesson study, students wrote Draft 1, offered feedback, responded to feedback, and leveraged feedback to write Draft 2.

This is the Lesson we created to meet student needs.

Epic Poetry

9th-graders wrote epic poetry in the style of The Odyssey.

Dramatic Scenes

11th-graders wrote dramatic scenes in the style of Romeo and Juliet.

Peer Critique

Using a graphic organizer and rubric, students provided Kind, Specific and Helpful feedback to each other in writing or through an audio recording.

Response to Critique and Application

After receiving and reviewing peer feedback, each student articulated how she or he would implement the feedback to revise the product. Students then revised their writing and submitted their final drafts.

Our lesson study design was influenced by research related to the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP) framework.

Click here to see how research informed our lesson sequence.

Content Understanding Goal

11th grade students will be able to effectively use literary devices and dialogue to enhance a dramatic scene containing at least two characters. 9th grade students will be able to effectively use literary devices and a story arc to enhance an epic poem.

Equity Goal

Students will have the opportunity to implement peer-critique that builds multiple levels of support for practice and performance and allows them to represent their critique in a variety of ways.

Research Question & Our Theory of Action

Student Work

Below, see examples of critique and responses to critique created by our students.

Click Here To Access Student Work From Every Stage of the Lesson Sequence

Feedback

This 9th-grade student respectfully suggests to his peer that she further develop her epic poem's resolution. He justifies his suggestion by explaining that as a reader, he wants to know more about Nora before she dies; he suggests to the author that if readers better understand a story's characters, readers are more engaged.

Response to Feedback

This 11th-grade student articulates that the peer feedback she received inspired her to show her readers more of her protagonist's motivations. This student is also able to consciously justify her revision decision; if the reader can empathize with the characters, the reader will internalize the theme.

Response to Feedback

This 9th-grade student was able to articulate an edit to make to his epic poem in light of received peer feedback, although his justification for the edit is not ideal. The student refers only to the rubric's requirement rather than to how the quality of writing would be enriched given literary devices. Further, the student could be more specific by stating which literary devices he intends to add.

Response to Feedback

In contrast with the above 9th-grader, this 11th-grade student is able to both articulate the edit that she intends to make and justify her decision by explaining how the edit will enhance the experience of readers. She intends to add descriptive detail related to the 2020 pandemic so that readers gain a window into the scene's setting.

In the Debrief

After the completion of our lesson sequence, our team met remotely to review student work and share our insights. Our team arrived at two core noticings:

All of the students who participated in peer critique had drafts more closely aligned with our rubric after completing the peer critique process.
Several students provided vague feedback that did not point to specific areas of the peer's text. One student commented that she felt unqualified to offer constructive feedback to a peer.

In light of these noticings, our group projects that students' confidence in their own ability to offer constructive feedback will grow if students regularly engage in peer critique. If offering constructive feedback is developed into a habit, then students will likely feel qualified enough to offer more precise feedback.

Further, our group discussed the possibility of including non-examples, or examples of imprecise feedback, in the next lesson sequence. This will show students what to avoid when offering feedback and may reduce vague critiques.

Reflections

All students who completed the lesson sequence demonstrated writing competence growth, particularly in areas noted in student peer critique. Students tended to respond appreciatively to peer feedback and implement most suggestions given by peers. Importantly, all students who completed the lesson sequence were able to articulate why they made the particular revisions to their writing that they did. Students demonstrated ownership of their writing by articulating how they would revise their writing.

Considering the results of our lesson study, I am reminded of the value in peer critique and collaboration in a time when everyone is effectively quarantined. Technology affords us the opportunity to benefit from the insights of others no matter where those others live. It is heartening to see that students can benefit from each other's funds of knowledge, and enhance each other's skillsets, even while physically distant.

Going forward, I will implement our lesson study's peer feedback model as a routine for all major writing assignments in my class. If students develop a habit of engaging in thoughtful, honest peer critique, their analytical reading skills and self-concept as writers will develop. Our students must arrive at a point where they have the skills and confidence to pose a question, seek feedback or answers, scrutinize the useful from the nonsensical responses, and operationalize the newfound feedback. Peer critique is how we ensure our students thrive in a society and economy based on networks of collaboration.

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