Response 4

Writing as Process: Rewarding the Slipshod


The author, who is a writing teacher, talks about the errors that his students make and how they can repeat the same errors repeatedly. She thinks the practice of allowing students to revise their work and resubmit it for a better grade is not a system that helps the student to learn. Instead, students who revise their work should receive the grade that the paper deserves and not necessarily a higher grade. She suggests that teachers should not be worried about hampering self-expression or self-esteem by giving bad grades.


I agree with the author’s suggestion that students who revise their work should receive the grade that the paper deserves and not necessarily a higher grade. If the students make the errors again and again, it means the students do not learn from the mistake and do not value the revision. By giving the grade the students deserve, despite frustration for students at the first sight of the grades, it will stimulate and inspire students to take more account of the errors and the details of their writing. What’s more, they will remind themselves not to make the same errors next time. We should build confidence of students to encourage them to write, but sometimes the strictness of the teacher will make students value the importance of the revision and help them improve their writing.