“Revision Strategies”

Nancy Sommers’ article on revision deals with an issue most writing teachers deal with. She divides writers into two camps: those who see writing as a product and those who view it as an ongoing process, with developing writers falling in the first camp.

For ESL learners, the act of revision is even harder. Because many are still learning how the language works, it is difficult—even impossible—for them to conceive of more than one or two ways to say something. This affects their word choice, sentence structure, and paragraph unity and cohesion. It severely limits their ability to say what they could probably say meaningfully—and perhaps eloquently—in their first languages.

I can see a few ways to deal with the issue of limited control of English: intensive and extensive reading, vocabulary development, and grammar play. I’m also growing interested in the idea of using tape-recording. Although a recording may expose imperfect syntax, it allows a student to form ideas and get them “out there” minus the judgment of having them down in black and white.

I’ve heard that some instructors allow students to write in their first language as a first step toward writing in English.

Does anyone have ideas on this topic?