What's the idea?
Structured, whole-class feedback sessions where a group of students collectively critique a piece of work, offering suggestions and guidance to help its owner improve.
What does it mean?
In An Ethic of Excellence (2003), Ron Berger makes the case for accepting only the highest standards of ‘excellence’ in students’ work. One way to do this, he suggests, is frequent and repeated re-drafting of work, supported by regular class critiques. A class (or small group) examine a piece of work together before taking turns to offer kind, specific and helpful feedback that supports the owner of the work to improve on their next attempt. Although there are some challenges to Berger’s work, this technique gives students formative input, and a chance to learn from their peers.
What are the implications for teachers?
You can explicitly teach Berger’s three simple rules for effective class critique: Be kind. Critique should be positively framed and honest, making t
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