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Learning to Write, Writing to Learn April 26, 2018 | Volume 13 | Issue 16 Table of Contents
Guided Self-Correction: A Positive, Focused Feedback System That Improves Writing
Selina Ivy and Jim LeBuffe
The feedback that struggling students get from writing teachers, while well meaning, is often overwhelming, tries to cover too much at once, and deflates egos. Many suggestions are given to students, but few seem to work. There is too much information coming at students too quickly. Some teachers (and students!) must be thinking, "Isn't there a better way?"
The Solution: Guided Self-Correction
There is a better way, a system that we have been using with students in 5th grade through high school called "guided self-correction." In guided self-correction, the teacher begins by identifying the most basic and common writing errors students make. Starting with just one problem—for example, the misuse of capital letters—the teacher follows this instructional sequence:
The Code Grows
After a few assignments where just one code is used, the teacher introduces the next code, which is often "S-V" for subject–verb agreement. As with capital letters, several short grammar lessons are given over several days; then, when the teacher feels that the class understands subject–verb agreement, the second code is added to the self-guided correction chart posted in the classroom. Students are now working to improve two areas where they often make mistakes.
Most teachers follow a similar order of writing mistakes to address. Here is what a "Guided Self-Correction Code" chart might look like in a 7th grade classroom after two months of work coaching students toward more grammatical writing:
Figure 1: Sample Guided Self-Correction Code Chart (after two months)
C
Capital Letter
S-V
Subject-verb agreement
P
Punctuation
SP
Spelling
After four months, the chart in the same classroom might have grown to reflect six items that the class is addressing. It would look like this:
Figure 2: Sample Guided Self-Correction Code Chart (after four months)
Poss
Use of Possessive
Frag
Sentence Fragment
The beauty of guided self-correction is that the chart does not have to be exactly the same from year to year; it can be changed to meet students' needs.
What Student Work Looks Like
Below are two examples of what student work looks like when a teacher uses guided self-correction codes. This type of writing feedback is usually a positive experience for students because they are making writing progress in an engaged and effective fashion without harsh criticism.
Notice the codes in the left margin of the first-draft paper on the left. This is focused feedback. The right side shows a student-corrected copy.
Notice how the teacher has set up student writing notebooks with a first draft that gets coded on the left side. Then students rewrite the paper on the right side as they find and fix coded writing errors.
Why Guided Self-Correction Works
Students who struggle with writing, including English language learners and those with special needs, may dramatically improve their writing skills using the guided self-correction method. Why is this?
Not only do students think about the corrections needed in their own writing, but they also improve their skills at spotting corrections that are needed in other writing passages. Our 7th graders are tested by the state on their ability to find and correct mistakes in written passages. As our students learn guided self-correction, we have seen them use their new coding skills as they edit test passages. Teachers using this strategy have remarked, "My students are learning to proofread!"
Suggestions to Adopters and Lessons Learned
Here are some suggestions and a sample abbreviation chart you can use to start successfully using guided self-correction to improve student writing.
Appendix: Commonly Used Correction Codes
T
Tense
NS
Start a New Sentence
RO
Run-on Sentence
NP
New Paragraph Needed
References
Kaye, P. (2011). Writing correction code. Teaching English/British Council/BBC. London: British Council. Available: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/writing-correction-code
Kiczkowiak, M. (2014, April 10). Correcting writing: 8 practical ideas. Teflreflections [blog]. Available: https://teflreflections.wordpress.com/2014/04/10/correcting-writing-8-practical-ideas/
Maxom, M. (2012). Marking students' written work with correction codes: TEFL for Dummies Cheat Sheet. In G. Dudeney & N. Hockly, Learning English as a foreign language for dummies. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley &Sons.
Yugandhar, K. (2014, Aug.). Practicing correction codes to improve English writing skills. International Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature (IJSELL), 2(8), 7-12.
Selina Ivy is an experienced English language arts teacher and is currently a reading interventionist at Clute Intermediate School, in Clute, Tex., in the Brazosport Independent School District. Jim LeBuffe is an instructor in educational leadership at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Tex. He has been a teacher, supervisor, principal, director, assistant superintendent, and superintendent. He has written for numerous professional publications.
ASCD Express, Vol. 13, No. 16. Copyright 2018 by ASCD. All rights reserved. Visit www.ascd.org/ascdexpress.
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