Perfecting the Writing Process
Revise and Shine
Greetings folks,
Let us start this week with a
question: have you ever reached the airport about to board a flight and forgot
your passport? What would you do? Cancel your flight or rush home to get it?
Teaching is a reciprocal process in
order for students to learn and grasp concepts taught to them. It must be done
through two channels: a learner and a teacher. This week, we went over the
writing process. One critical aspect of the writing process is that others can
vet your work, which allows the writer/s to make changes based on feedback
given. This week, I was intrigued that you may not detect errors when you write
and read your own piece of writing. As a result, this week, we had the
opportunity to play a detective role; everyone knows how I love murder and
mysteries.
I was able to put on my detective hat and
navigated through abandoned houses, heat weaves and boisterous market scenes as
they unravelled before my eyes. I was sitting with my partners, reading,
discussing and sharing ideas on how to fix our descriptive writing piece. As we
switched partners and swapped ideas, I realised how well I had put this writing
process into full practice. Since I will allow my students to sit with a
partner and share their writing pieces in small groups, I will put a good
writer with a below-average writer, and I can attest that when they are
finished, the writing pieces will be improved with minimal errors.
So, folks, by incorporating this
process, we as students/teachers should not fully put all the burden on our
shoulders. Let us allow others who are better writers to vet our pieces and
give feedback. Also, please give it a go when you return to the classroom.
Back to the question posed earlier,
what will you do if you are given the opportunity? Well, I will gladly take it;
since we are given a second chance to improve our pieces, should we not extend
the same thing to our dear students?
Absolutely, embracing feedback and collaboration is key! Working together both as students and teachers, enriches the learning experience. It is indeed a great idea to pair strong writers with those who may need more assistance. I especially love how you used your detective eyes, which is a creative way to emphasize the importance of careful scrutiny and revision. I will make sure to incorporate these ideas into my teaching approach. Thank you for the insightful perspective!
ReplyDeleteCordelia,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I would definitely rush home to get that passport or have someone bring it to me. Miss flight, nothinggg. Lol. I get the analogy though, and I couldn't agree more. It's so important to give our students the same grace we as learners desire. Very compelling argument.
I must say, your post effectively emphasizes the importance of peer review and collaboration in the writing process. Often overlooked, this is an important method we can use in our classroom as it highlights teamwork and there is much value in having others review and provide feedback on our work, ultimately leading to improved writing. I like your analogy of being a detective in the process of unravelling and enhancing descriptive writing. Collaborative learning and peer review can indeed be powerful tools for enhancing writing skills.
I look forward to using the pair method in my classroom. Good job.