SQR3: Revision Strategies of Student Writers and Experienced Adult Writers

Alyssa Vasquez

ENG 1301.28

Intructor:Trang Phan

9/12/10

SQR3:Revision Strategies of Student Writers and Experienced Adult Writers

Neubert, Gloria A., and Sally J McNelis. “Peer Response: Teaching Specific Revision Suggestions.” The English Journal, Vol. 79, No. 5 (Sep., 1990), pp. 52-56

Summary:
Revision Strategies are being used less by students because of the way that we are taught to use a certain writing process. The current models of the writing process have directed attention away from revision. When student writers write, we follow a model to compose an essay in stages, and in each stage we based it on a certain topic that elaborate or explain in detail the main topic. Since we use one form writing, we assure ourselves that the essay explain the topic in a good form without any mistakes, so we don’t revise. Mostly students don’t use the term revision or rewriting because the only changes they make on an essay is either changing a word or switching words around in a sentence. As for the experienced writers, revising and idea or topic is important to create a good quality essay. They often use structural expressions such as “finding a framework,” “a pattern,” or “a design” for their argument. Revision for the experienced writers is a way to put all their scattered thoughts and their structure argument in order, because when they write their first draft it’s just a mixture of thoughts forming an essay but not in order, so they use the revision strategies.

Question:
Why do we have to take revision into account when creating an essay, but sometimes we don’t?

Response:
Revising an essay is important because we are not perfect, so we are bound to make mistakes without quickly noticing them, or sometimes we don’t notice and think it sounds right. When someone revises your essay, it’s like getting a second opinion if your essay is well written, which is a big help to fix and revise your essay in a well manner. Student’s revision isn’t as elaborate as experienced writers, because students nowadays follow a certain method of writing that really doesn’t consider revising, but when they do revise it’s usually a deletion of a word or sentence that doesn’t make sense but as long as it goes with the topic, revision is not the word they use. Since students follow a model to compose an essay in stages, they make sure that it follows the model. The students understand the revision process as a rewording activity. Experienced writers revise to find the form or shape of their argument and try to use structural expressions to find framework for their argument. For experienced writers, revising is a way to fix or rewrite their essay to have a strong argument and enough details to support it. Revision strategies are important because it’s part of the process of discovering meaning altogether. Also it is important to use because when you write you are writing for a reader, so experienced writer revise because they need to consider creating an essay that is going to catch the reader attention and be able to understand it. The experienced writers see their revision process as a recursive process, a process with significant recurring activities with different levels of attention. Since students revise differently, they are not really helping themselves or anyone, because they just believe in trying to make the essay state the point of the topic, but there are a lot of things that need to be pointed out in an essay for a reader to be interested in. Revision strategies is basically to perfect your writing, to become a great writer, and make it an interesting essay for the reader to enjoy.