All the talk about revision today was so exciting! It really opened my eyes to what the idea of revision is all about and all we can do. The write into the day opener by Katherine Bomer was so different than the revision I'm used to thinking about. I never thought of revision as being about hope. I never thought of revision as forgiveness. I always thought of revision as something tedious, superficial, almost unnecessary. Perhaps part of this was laziness and another part fear. I am a BIG procrastinator and in high school and in college I remember putting essays off until the last day and then just sitting down to spew out an outline and then a draft. To be honest, my first draft was often my final draft as well, with only minimal, surface-level changes. I think after writing something down, I also wanted some distance. I didn't want to see it again, much less have to manipulate it. I didn't want to have to dig into it and maybe get rid of the words that I'd just gotten down on paper.
But I like the idea that revision is a process, it's a chance. Her emphasis on revision running through our lives (we can change our identities, we can change our teaching) is thrilling. Reinvention isn't just for Madonna; we can all do it.
Mary Ellen's demo played into this idea so well when she presented how we can look at regular objects in different ways. The revision strategies were wonderful. So concrete! Stepping outside the writing piece and playing around with it can be fun! i never knew revision could be so creative. I liked what Nick said about how revision, even if we don't use it in the final project, helps us to think about our subject in a deeper, more meaningful way.
Yes, yes, and yes! I am totally with you on your thinking and past experiences with revision. There is something about the way that school writing gets framed that, like you said, the final draft is just the first draft with a few surface-level tweaks. When I write now, I feel like I write like a writer....I'm not completely sure how to best describe that, other than it's much more engaging and personal of a position then when I wrote for school. Then, it was just about turning it in, getting the assignment done. I'm wondering about reseeing school writing as something more significant, something an extension of ourselves. I've been working to make more space for these pieces that allow for real writing to happen in my classroom....time for open writing, collaboration in writing groups, publishing to an audience, and regular time to respond to writing, and I've noticed that while all of these pieces have been really important, there is also this other piece about developing a writers' identity, and the excitement that comes with it. Wondering about my role as a teacher in cultivating this, and being able to identify pieces of it when I see it. Sorry if I'm rambling....I think that reading your realizations got me thinking about the importance of making the space to reimagine writing as something other than the school based type. Awesome post, and I'm excited to keep thinking with you!
ReplyDeleteAre we sisters? Hating to revise? Procrastination? First draft=final draft? Yup. We must be related! Why is it so painful to revisit the text and just dive in? Why do we as well as our students, want to just put the writing in a recycling archive and never see it again before we have to revise it? I love the way Cindy Urbanski had us looking at our pieces with new eyes. Taking just one or two of her strategies could possibly make all of the difference with our students during their revision processes. I am hopeful for them and for us that we will dig deeply and get quality, productive writing from this amazing experience.
ReplyDeleteI've really been thinking about how we, as teachers, so often become frustrated with our students when we are making the same "mistakes" with them! Your thoughts and experiences with revision are very close to my own, and yet I always wanted my students to explore more than simply changing a few words and adding a sentence or two. I think we have to be conscious of our own struggles as writers in order to better understand where our students are coming from. Not only that but we also have to be transparent with them, to show them that we don't have all of the answers but that we are ready and willing to learn alongside of them. Maybe struggling with the revision process together is one way you can help to build the safe, sharing classroom environment you are hoping for!
ReplyDeleteI agree that Nick did present an interesting question when he said, "Is revision always better?" We usually assume that it will be better and feel forced to change our draft even if we preferred something that we originally had written. That's why I always try to save an early draft to compare to later drafts. That way I can compare and see if I have changed direction and lost focus or if I like the new direction that the piece is taking.
ReplyDeleteYou were doing a lot better than me, when I procrastinate there was no outline or draft. There was a final that went through an editing process...I think you're attitude towards producing something and then wanting to walk away is something I can really relate too, and I think it is something our students feel. I think this comes with a lack of confidence. I don't want to look at a text I've written again because I know there are so many problems with it. I think that revision is a powerful tool to realize that writing is the ideas we produce, not just the manipulation of words. Revision is about seeing the ideas beyond the text.
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