Whereas the Iowa model and Liz Lerman Critical Response Process are most typically done in the full-group setting including a professor’s presence throughout the entirety of the workshop, the peer workshop model offers a more intimate setting where a small group of peers collaboratively discuss each other’s written work. There are a variety of ways the peer workshop model can be played out, including having peers already having read each other’s work before or during class, creating general guiding questions for conversation or giving students free rein, and selecting groups for the students or having the students select the groups themselves. During peer workshop, the professor generally “floats” around the room to the different groups, listening in on the different discussions, answering questions as they arise, and providing support to groups who get stuck or are struggling with conversation.

Benefits

• For the writer: A more intimate space may empower the writer to take more ownership over their work and ask more engaged questions of their peers. Further, shyer or more self-conscious writers may feel more comfortable—or at least less uncomfortable—about sharing their work if they know only a handful of folks will read it as opposed to the entire class.
• For the peers discussing the work: A more intimate discussion can provide the chance for greater camaraderie amongst group members as well as the feeling that individual opinions matter more.
• For the professor: This model allows every student to be workshopped within a singular class session, regardless of class size, making this type of workshop easier to fit into a busy and/or restricted schedule.

Drawbacks

• For the writer: The writer will receive less overall feedback. Especially in smaller, predetermined groups, a single absence can throw off the group dynamic and hamper potential for robust discussion. 
• For the peers discussing the work: Peers may feel pressure to contribute more, inducing anxiety. Alternatively, the lack of direct facilitation or presence of the instructor may result in the group being off track and/or unmotivated to have a robust discussion. Additionally, peers in instructor-selected groups may be sensitive to the perceived reasons why their instructor may have placed them in the group in the first place (“Am I supposed to be the ‘smart one’ here?”; “Am I the ‘struggling student’ in this group?”) which can cause anxiety, frustration, or disappointment.
• For the professor: Not being seated and present during the entirety of every group’s workshop means there may be moments of confusion, of tension, and/or of problematic feedback that you are unable to respond to or redirect in the moment and may never even be aware of.