"I've always found revision so hard because you have to change what you originally wanted to say. When I revise, I tend to either skip the entire process or just make minor errors or adjustments. It is clear to me now that revising really means 'examining for mismatches between intended meaning and actual meaning' (Philippakos, 2017, p. 13). It's so much more than making those small final adjustments."
~Makayla Pierpont, Blog Entry #7
I have to say, my fellow blogger and dear friend Makayla is not alone with her thoughts on the revision component of the writing process. Like Makayla, I also find revision challenging, particularly when I am revising pieces without having a clear understanding of the evaluation criteria. In the end, I typically just make minor adjustments rather than looking at meaning and the piece holistically.
Makayla's Blog Entry #7 (click the link and check it out!) inspired me to revisit Philippakos' (2017) article about feedback and revision. I know this is an area of weakness for myself, and I imagine that my future students would need explicit instruction on feedback and revision as well. As Philippakos (2017) suggests, I will first help students understand that revision is a process during which writers evaluate their work, identify areas that need improvement, and make larger changes to improve the meaning of their piece (p. 13). I will help students take on the perspective of their readers, because the readers must be able to make sense of the piece. I think this is my biggest challenge as a writer because when I read my piece - it obviously makes sense to me because I wrote it!
This leads me to the importance of feedback from people other than myself. Peers and teachers can offer a different lens when reading my pieces. I find that when I am at a roadblock, others can give me some really great ideas! As a future teacher, I also know that student must be taught how to give feedback to one another. Philippakos (2017) recommends that teachers work to develop a "community of writers" so students trust one another's feedback and consider making those changes to their pieces (p. 14).
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| Philippakos (2017): Sample Rubric for Peer Review |
Finally, my biggest takeaway from reviewing this article (thank you again, Makayla!) is that revision is easier when the guidelines and criteria for evaluation are clear (Philippakos, 2017, p. 15). Rubrics are especially useful when attempting to improve a draft of a piece. This led me to revisit the assignment criteria for our Genre Pieces assignment. I am having a really hard time with my pieces as I am just not quite sure where to go next or how to develop my ideas more fully. Looking at the assignment criteria, I was reminded that we will be graded on our purpose, audience, and voice as well as our demonstration of the characteristics of the particular genre. When I read that, I wondered, "Where can I find clear descriptions of essential characteristics of each genre?" My brain went "ding, ding, ding - Tompkins!" As I revise my pieces and even as I continue to draft, I will refer to relevant chapters in Tompkins that match each of my genres for my three pieces.
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| An Excerpt from the Genre Pieces Project Grading Criteria |
As I consider teaching writing in the future, my main takeaways from Philippakos' (2017) article are: (1) explicitly teach what exactly revision is, (2) teach students how to provide valuable feedback to one another, and (3) provide clear grading criteria. Thank you once more to Makayla for encouraging me to revisit Philippakos' (2017) article and also reminding me to revisit Tompkins' (2012) chapters for grading checklists! Don't forget to go check out my amazing colleague Makayla's blog to learn more about reading and writing!
References
Philippakos, Z.A. (2017). Giving feedback: Preparing students for peer review and self-evaluation. The Reading Teacher, 71(1), 13-22. DOI: 10.1102/trtr.1568
Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Teaching writing: Balancing process and product (6th ed.). Pearson.
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