The investigation of peer response groups in a basic college writing class was one method of charting the development of students' writing skills over the span of a semester to see if collaborative learning was beneficial to the writing process. Response groups were tape-recorded and observed, and members were interviewed. By the fourth week of the semester it was clear that the students had begun to develop an awareness of the need to examine their compositions for considerations other than mere surface errors. They had begun to "re-see" their drafts as a result of comments made in response groups. As time went on, the participants interrupted themselves more frequently and seemed to be mentally planning revisions as they made self-directed comments about their papers--a skill often lacking in inexperienced writers. These basic writers began to develop the fluency needed to write "passionately," after practicing their critical skills on others. In the collaborative learning situation of the response group they had begun to do more of the kinds of things seasoned writers do--experiencing dissonance, doing more self-monitoring, and beginning to write and read critically. (Transparencies used in the presentation are included, and figures and references are appended.) (NKA)