Revision

In Writing Essentials, Regie Routman devotes part of chapter 7 to revision. She encourages teachers to revise their writing in front of their students so that they can see and hear what goes on in a writer's mind during the revision process. I have seen this done in my 4th grade main placement. My MT always demonstrates a rough draft of the writing assignment. She can't help but make some changes as she rereads while creating the rough draft - like Routman states, "writing is not a sequential process" (p. 159). My MT demonstrates her revision process once her rough draft is complete during another day's lesson. As she revises, she explains her thinking and her rationale behind her thinking.

After reading Routman this quarter, I strongly believe in the power of demonstration and the Optimal Learning Model. My MT has seen major improvements in her students' writing since September and I wonder if it is partly due to the fact that she demonstrates all of her writing and thinking. I have also come to value the importance of seeing oneself as a writer. If I want my students to see themselves as writers, then they need to see me, seeing myself as a writer. Model, model, model.