What is a PQP? – PQP stands for Praise, Question, Polish. It is a revision strategy I teach my students to use when participating in peer-revision groups. I modified this strategy from a lesson Ben Nelms, dean of the University of Florida's College of Education and former editor of The English Journal, taught during a graduate class. It was originally taught as a way to teach new teachers how respond to student writing.
P - Praise - Students should always begin any revision session by pointing out the good qualities of another student's paper. It is extremely important that you model this strategy with students; otherwise, you will get comments like, "I liked it" or "It was good." Show students how to isolate specific aspects of a piece of writing such as, "I love the way you started your story with a flashback..." or "The description of your father was wonderful. I could see how mad he was at you."
Q - Question - Teach students how to ask what Barry Lane calls "focusing questions" or "W-questions." W-questions like Who, What, Where, When and Why pinpoint specific areas of revision. If students ask questions like "Was your dad mad?" the writer can answer, "Yes" and not do any revision. If a W-question is asked, "Why was your dad mad?" the writer must go back and include more description to answer that question.
P - Polish - This is perhaps the hardest of the three because most students don't know the difference between polishing or revising a piece of writing and editing it. Most students want to provide comments like, "Write neater" or "Check your spelling." I tell my students that editing a paper makes it easier to read, but it does not necessarily make the writing better. Polish comments are suggestions one student gives another. The writer does not have to follow that suggestion if he she does not feel it is needed. Good polish suggestions are suggestions such as adding more details, adding another character, developing the plot in more detail, using more figurative language, adding or deleting dialogue, removing cliques or the use of slang, reducing over used words, i.e. the "and then..." papers so many students write.
For more information on how to teach revision strategies, check out Barry Lane's books The Revisor's Tool Box and After THE END.
