Tailor comments to the specific writing and thinking needs of the individual student. Her articles revision strategies of student and experienced writers, responding to student writing, and between the drafts are three of the most widely read and anthologized articles in the field. Sommers begins to quantify time spent commenting on student writing. For me, this statement by zinsser is one of those that instantly. In a short reflective essay, i address the content of theory and practice in nancy sommers revision strategies of student writers and experienced adult writers, in which i read and articulated the article in connection to the course text and class discussions. Braddock awardwinning nancy sommers has taught composition and run composition programs for more than three decades. Responding to student writing ctlt cal poly, san luis obispo. The ministry of responding is not just to the words, but to the person who wrote the words x. August 1, 2012 official summary written from one teacher to another, nancy sommers responding to student writers offers a model for thinking about response as a dialogue between students and teachers and for thinking about the benefits of responding to writers as well as.
A twotime braddock award winner, sommers is well known for her research and publications on student writing. Students can catch up to 60% of their own errors if they are taught to proofread. To me the most helpful response to student writing is immediate verbal help on the first drafts, actually sitting with a student and helping him put the words on paper freedman 56. Sommers definition of of a linear revision strategy is one that involves three steps, pre writing, writing, and rewriting 75. Nancy sommers responding to student writers emily carrs blogs. When we comment, we should focus on the students, not just the writing, and we should only try to teach one lesson. Responding to student writing and writers harvard graduate. In this strategy, the writers who usually follow these rules are considered student writers in sommers essay. Responding to student writers by nancy sommers pages. This study evaluates the improvement of the writing of 7th grade esl students in a process oriented writing classroom.
Nancy sommers responding to student writers the macmillan. Responding to student writers, 1st edition macmillan. For english 591 with carol nowotnyyoung, november 1, 2012. A brief instructor resource, nancy sommers responding to student writers offers a model for thinking about response as a dialogue between students and teachers and for thinking about the benefits of responding to writers as well as to their writing. Read responding to student writers, sommerss 20 book, for more expansive advice. While there is no magic formula for how to provide adequate and constructive feedback to all your students on all their writing, the following traits and strategies can be very effective in advancing student learning. Many veteran readers find the experience of responding to student writing to be one of constantly deciding not to comment on less important issues. Nancy sommers, formerly director of composition at the university of oklahoma, is now. A specialist on reading, evaluating, and responding to student writing, he was from dunmore, pennsylvania. What follows below is a summary of sommers s article. Responding to student writing the evergreen state college. She ends her essay with a call to encourage student writers to see writing as a discovery process, as a repeated process of seeing, and then seeing again. Most teachers estimate that it takes them at least 20 to 40 minutes to com.
Instructor comments on students writing is an important part of helping students become effective academic writers, and can provide the productive feedback a student writer needs to revise a particular assignment. Revision strategies of student writers and experienced adult writers nancy sommers although various aspects of the writing process have been studied extensively of late, research on revision has been notably absent. This quote speaks to the shift from responding to student writing to responding to student writers in sommers titles. There is no reason why you have to read all of your students. Lisa blankenship baruch college threading together the following elements. My head is abuzz with words, with bits and pieces of conversation. Sommers revision strategies of student writers and experienced adult writers summary sommers lecture called revision strategies of student writers and experienced adult writers starts with words of the author, the reason for this, i suspect, is that current models of writing process have directed attention away from revision 378. You might find yourself considering the types of advice you would offer if responding to the sample student paper in this essay. Sommers ends the article by stating that all writers should see their writing as with their own eyes. College composition and communication, v33 n2 p14856 may 1982. Responding to student writers edition 1 by nancy sommers. Revision strategies of student writers and experienced adult.
Responding to student writers by nancy sommers raidercats comp. Responding to student writing university of washington. Response may be part of a process approach to writing drafts, stages, revisions a final evaluation of student writing no intermediate feedback a way to justify a grade comprehensive or selective focused on certain. Her new book continues the work of her landmark essay on responding to student writing. Everything shifts when we transfer the focus of our comments from the paper to the student, from monologue to dialogue, and from teachercentered commands to teacher student partnerships. The focus of much of his work is on reading, evaluating, and respondmg to student writing. Sommers has been researching teacher response to writing for decades. The reason for this, i suspect, is that current models of the writing process have directed attention away from revision. Read her 2003 essay across the drafts, based on the harvard study of undergraduate writing. Responding to student writing harvard writing project. Document resume ed 421 014 fl 025 348 author joyce, deborah. Conscientious teaching requires marking all grammar and language errors.
As you read his essay, consider which of his pieces of advice for responding to students writing you already follow and which are new to you. More than any other enterprise in the teaching of writing, responding to and commenting on student writing consumes the largest proportion of. Really responding article pdf 17 responding\u2014really. What are some possible approaches for responding to student writing. How do i ensure that students attend to and effectively learn from the feedback i provide or facilitate.
Week 3 nancy sommers revision strategies english 12. Low end 20 minutes per paper x 20 students x 8 papers per semester 53. Sommers responding to student writing summary and synthesis. As principal investigator of the harvard study of undergraduate writing, she tracked the college writing experiences of 400 students from the harvard class of 2001 to understand the complex role writing plays in undergraduate education. Responding to student writing roger graves director, writing across the curriculum university of alberta. It first begins saying that most teacher comment on their student papers although most students get confused with this. Responding to the student writing was written by nancy sommer. Responding to student writing can be a challenging task, however, particularly when. The text is about common mistakes the teachers make when commenting an essay of a student. Responding to student writing comments and grades on student writing arguably constitute the most serious, sustained teaching intervention you can make in a students writing career. For writing instructors, responding to student writing is a critical endeavor that is often fraught with frustration and uncertainty. Responding really responding to other students writing richard straub richard straub lives on the borders of tallahassee and teaches courses in writing, rhetoric, and literature at florida state university.
Nancy sommers harvard graduate school of education. Think of your comments as part of an ongoing dialogue with your students on their writing. Responding to student writing university of alberta. Seeing beyond hearing is the point to make revision a lot easier and effective. Nancy sommers studies the writing development of college students. Written from one teacher to another, nancy sommers responding to student writers offers a model for thinking about response as a dialogue between students and teachers and for thinking about the benefits of responding to writers as well as to their writing. Sommers is an internationally recognized leader in the field of writing studies and a prizewinning writer. Responding to final drafts for the first reading, give priority to understanding the paper, not grading it. Her articles revision strategies of student and experienced writers and responding to student writing are two of the most widely read and anthologized articles in the field of composition.
Responding really responding to other students writing. Read her 1982 essay responding to student writing, based on her study of teachers comments at new york university and the university of oklahoma. It is often more helpful to comment explicitly, substantively, and in detail about two or three important matters than it is to comment superficially about many issues. The researcher utilizes cooperative group activities, peer editing, selfediting, teacher student conferences, and emphasis on distinguishing global errors from local errors in responding to student writing. Uses writing workshops to draft and revise student work in class believes praise works better than censure depends upon students to take responsibility for their own learning metaphors for response source. Responding to student writing nancy sommers more than any other enterprise in the teaching of writing, responding to and commenting on student writing consumes the largest proportion of our time. A guide for graduate instructors of writing and literature. Although the article is more than a few years old now, it continues to offer a useful perspective on responding.
Linear revision strategy fails to include actual revisions. Responding to a students paper involves 1 reading it carefully while making marginal comments, 2 writing a final comment in which you sum. Discusses the findings of a study of teachers written. But the experi ence of tutoring students in the lab has forced us to reexamine our ways of reading and responding to student work. As writers we need and want thoughtful com mentary to. More than any other enterprise in the teaching of writing, responding to and commenting on. How do i provide feedback in ways that are motivating, specific, encouraging, and clear.
Most teachers estimate that it takes them at least 20 to 40 minutes to comment on an individual student paper, and those 20 to 40 minutes times 20. Responses to student writers also come from many sources from teachers, from classroom peers, and from writing center tutors. When students respond to feedback as an invitation to contribute something of their. Responding to student writing efficiently hamilton college. This handout and recommended texts are available on the firstyear writing website faculty resources workshops responding to and assessing student writing dr. In all academic disciplines college teachers respond to student writing with shortcutschecksheets, correction symbols, computer style chec kers, etc. Nov 24, 2014 english 3100 20thcentury composition theory and practice. Nancy sommers can help us do so more thoughtfully and skillfully. Responding to student writing nancy sommers college. Responding to student writing university of louisville. How often and in what ways you respond to student writing is determined by a number of factors time, assignment, format, length, personality, class size, paper load, etc. Revision strategies of student writers and experienced adult writers nancy sommers although various aspects of the writing process have been studied exten sively of late, research on revision has been notably absent.
Nancy sommers reading response my senior exit portfolio. Nancy sommers has done a great deal of research on what constitutes effective responses to student writing. Responding to student writing evergreen state college. Respondingreally responding to other students writing.
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