The Critical Peer Review as a Transactional Process: Peer Editing Personal Narratives in the Secondary English Classroom.

At the center of this essay is what happens when Louise Rosenblatt's transactional model of reading is applied to writing workshops and peer evaluations of personal essays in the English classroom. Following the tradition of the Critical Friends Group (CFG) model, I call the readings of peer essays critical peer reviews because students act as contributors who offer encouraging support and candid criticisms as they critically examine peers' artifacts. Critical peer reviews are built on a community of participants engaged in structured reflection, effective feedback, and constructive revisions; additionally, they rotate and serve as writer/reader, observer/participant, and artist/critic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]