Understand the assessment. When using a peer assessment, ask questions if you aren't sure what your classmate meant by a certain suggestion or if can't read your peer's handwriting. When using self-assessment, try to understand why you responded to a certain area of your paper the way you did. For instance, if you described your conclusion as the weakest part of your paper, try to understand why --was it the wording, the organization or the idea you expressed?
Focus your assessments on higher order concerns, or parts of the paper that have to do with content, rhetorical effectiveness and organization. From these assessments, isolate the three issues or areas of your paper that require the most attention. These should be the three to five biggest barriers to your paper achieving its purpose with its audience.
Write a revision plan. Complete a practical, step-by-step guide for how you will turn the assessment comments you decided to focus on in step two into a method for revising your paper. For example, if you were told your conclusion was weak because it did not include a call to action, your revision plan might include incorporating a quote from an influential person, explaining how the public can make a difference in the cause you are writing about and using strong language to suggest your audience make that difference.
Complete your revision plan by revising your paper with an open notebook next to you. As you revise, record challenges and questions in your notebook so that you can reflect on them later or bring them back to your peers for more guided self and peer assessment.