I haven't had much experience teaching revision in a classroom setting, but I certainly am familiar with the process from the perspective of a student. My high school constantly had us participate in writing workshops where the importance of revision was stressed, and being the apathetic student that I was, I demonstrated the exact behavior that Harper's students did prior to learning how to properly reflect and revise. I simply changed a few sentences around, found synonyms for a number of words, and printed a clearer copy before submitting it as a draft. My high school never taught me how to properly revise a paper and as a result, I found this designated class time in high school to be a total waste.
When I first saw the title of Harper's piece, "The Writer's Toolbox: Five Tools for Active Revision Instruction", I immediately thought it would be a snooze. To this day, I am still skeptical about the revision process because for me, it has never been a useful step in the process of writing. Since I still don't really know how to properly revise, I figured her tips for instruction were going to be absolutely expendable. But during my reading, I was exposed to her students work as they began to utilize her five tools for revision (question, snapshots, thoughtshots, exploding a moment, and making a scene). Her five tips seemed to drastically improve her students writing and as I began to consider their place in the revision process, I could see how they could be extremely useful tools to teach young writers about composition.
I think this approach to teaching the process of revision would be especially effective in a middle school setting, which is the level that Harper teaches. Her steps are pretty engaging, and I believe that students at this age would really enjoy drawing out their ideas and collaborating with one another to further flesh out their individual memories. I also feel that this process is most appropriate at the middle school level because as students enter high school, I believe it would be beneficial to already have mastered the process of revision. If they receive instruction on how to effectively revise during middle school, then as they enter high school they will be able to produce much more detailed narratives.
Harper's article exposed me to five easy steps writers can take to better illustrate their stories. Thinking back to my own high school experience, I really wish that a teacher had taken the time to teach me that revision, when done properly, is a useful tool that often further develops and strengthens a student's written work.
I totally agree with you that using this sort of toolbox technique would be effective with middle schoolers. Clearly, it helps them think deeper about their writing and the details surrounding an event. It sounds like these skills would be transferable as well. I hope you teach your students these writing skills, and then I have them in high school. You will be doing me a favor! I was also put off by the title, it sounded a bit gimmicky at first, but likewise found it to be a useful read.
ReplyDeleteOh the time we wasted in high school. I watch the students at South roll their eyes and try so hard not to learn or listen, I wish I could make them see what a service a free education is, and especially that a good one with devoted teachers will be invaluable to their future. I was the same in high school, and now have to go back and relearn a lot of what I already should know. :)