One of the first things that popped out to me in this article was the notion that "the possibility of revision distinguishes the written text from speech." It illustrates the idea that the written word has the potential to be so powerful. In fact, it also underpins the reason why writing can be such a joy--that we can delight in word choice to get at the precise meaning we desire.
Sommers goes on to lament about the lack of understanding that many students have regarding the transactional nature of writing. Most simply look at surface changes--syntax, capitalization, spelling--but never get to the point when they look at words in terms of changing meaning. As I reflected about her point, I wondered how much life experience informs our writing and therefore our ability to manipulate words to create meaning. I also thought about how much a student's own development and readiness impacts their ability to revise beyond the surface level. Though experience and development do play a part in revision, I believe that teachers should strive to nudge students to the next level in terms of their thinking about creating meaning.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I agree that we have to stop separating creative thinking from revision.
I want to spend a lot of time talking about the distinction between the written and the spoken word. I think I can get more students excited about writing by reminding them that they can revise the written word until it is just the way that they wanted it. They only have to share a written piece when they are ready.
I love your term nudge and agree that is what we need to do. Watching that clip of Lucy Calkins gave me inspiration to try to do just that. Christy
Post a Comment