While students are working on their rewrites, the teacher circulates among them. The teacher should allow students to help each other and should step in to offer help only when it is clear they need an explanation or assistance. An entire class period should be spent the first time or two that students rewrite a composition. It will take them time to get used to the symbols in the correction code and to get used to correcting and rewriting their compositions on their own. Later on, the teacher may wish to allow 10 minutes at the end of class to hand back originals and have students look over them and ask questions about errors the teacher has marked.
Students can then complete their rewrites as homework.
Summary Self-correction and rewriting of student compositions provides students with an opportunity to learn from their mistakes. It instills in them feelings of self-sufficiency and success and allows them to take a more active role in their own learning. While initially students may be reluctant to spend time rewriting a composition they might prefer to simply put away in a book and forget about, they come to see the benefits gained from rewriting and improving their written work. NEXT . .