Self-Review Process: Making my paper better by asking the hard questions
Our English teacher has asked us to use a Self-Review Prompt
document to help make our writing better. It is a really good tool to use in
the revision step of our writing. It is only twelve questions long, but it
really forces you to analyze your paper before you turn it in. The questions
are directed towards you as if you stepped back and are critiquing one step of
the paper at a time. Probably not much unlike what a teacher does when they
grade. This tool could be used to improve your own writing, help critique
someone else’s writing, or to break down any writing as a learning opportunity.
Since I have no real revision process thus far in my writing
habits I really am trying to use this format. I will admit that about halfway
through the review I was feeling a little overwhelmed as the questions got
harder. This is because it is much harder for me to critique myself than it
would be for me to critique someone else. I ended up just pushing myself to
drive right through it and it wasn't so bad after all. A perfect analogy would
be like ripping off a Band-Aid. You know it is going to hurt, but the faster
you get through it the less it does hurt!
Hopefully my first efforts at using this tool pay off and by
the time I turn in the final draft it will be an “A”-paper!
Jason, I'm fascinated by your reflections on the self-review process. I'm glad you "pushed through," but I wonder if taking a break would have helped. I often tell students they can't focus on everything at once, and that's why we have a writing process. You address your thesis first, then its support, then organization, etc. So maybe some breaks during the review process might have helped with the overwhelmed feeling. And, of course, the more you revise like this, the easier it gets. Keep up the hard work!
ReplyDeleteJason,
ReplyDeleteThe self review process was definitely entertaining in your analogy. I do take breaks from time to time in my work, so what Mr. Sentell states is a great idea from time to time. Even if it is just to get a drink of water, or the mail. I find that going outdoors and getting a breath of fresh air truly helps me regroup and go back in to finish a project. Sometimes just "pushing through" the general outcome is that all your words seem to become one. I can't tell you how many times that in my writing all of a sudden the screen becomes one word. That is when I know it is time to take a step back. I have also been my own worse critic, but the tool that is being used now gives me a more organized approach to it. Please in the future, do not use the band aid analogy. I do not like the visualization as I know what your talking about. Just kidding. LOL. Ronnie
Jason,
ReplyDeleteI too feel the self review was a struggle for me as well. I have a hard time critique myself. I agree it's a lot easier to critique someone else rather than your own work. I feel a lot better about my work when some one else critiques my work.
Jason, I also was overwhelmed as the questions got harder! When I first started the review, I thought it would be pretty easy. When i scanned it and saw that it was rather short, again I thought: easy. One of the hardest questions for me was the one about how the title effected by view of the paper. You were correct when you said that even though it is only 12 questions long, it really forces you to analyze your paper.
ReplyDeleteJason, I believe taking breaks would help with feeling overwhelmed and let you regroup your thoughts, it definitely did in my case. I can definitely relate to your comments about becoming overwhelmed as the questions got harder. I was very confident and quite proud of my writing until I started the self review process. By about question four or five, my resolve had definitely dwindled and I had many doubts about my writing process and the final result of my paper. I am doing some very serious overhauling of my paper before my final submission and hopefully now it will be as you worded it an "A" paper as well.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete