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Technology and Differentiated Instruction June 5, 2014 | Volume 9 | Issue 18 Table of Contents
Technology Strengthens a Simple Writing Revision Strategy
John McCarthy
One of the best ways to improve students’ writing skills is through self-revision and reflection. Yet getting students to self-revise and reflect can be a monumental challenge. For students, revision is something that is at best a ponderous process when a first draft seems sufficient and at worst a process that seems like magic that they do not understand how to replicate. Although revision structures can be successful, many teachers, especially those who do not teach English, view implementation as time-consuming. They may also believe that they lack the skills to teach protocols that enable students to reflect on and revise their writing.
With the one-foot voice strategy, any teacher can help students revise their writing. This simple strategy can be differentiated to meet individual needs. It easily becomes part of students’ writing repertoire and a mainstay for quality work.
The One-Foot Voice Strategy
Often if we can get students to read their writing aloud, they can more easily identify what to improve based on the skill chosen by the teacher; once students become adept, they can choose the focus, such as depth of details, sentence fluency, and word choice. The one-foot voice strategy follows three concrete steps:
Once the process is completed, the student-author has specific check-marked passages to review and discuss possible revisions with peers or teacher coaches. Students can use talking stems when discussing the focus skills:
This process keeps the feedback constructive and supportive.
Technology Amplifies the Strategy
The challenge with one-foot voice for some students is that even when reading their writing aloud, they struggle to read for understanding and look for the targeted skill at the same time. The skill of reading or the weakness in writing may consume their concentration. In this instance, students have a better chance to revise for quality when they or a peer read the draft aloud and record it. The recording is played back so that the student or peer group can listen while following the text and placing check marks on passages.
Free Recording Tools
There are a variety of free tools for PC, Mac, and the various smartphone operating systems. Some examples include:
IOS: Voice Memos or QuickVoice Recorder by nFinity, Inc.
Android: Easy Voice Recorder or Smart Voice Recorder by Smartmob Development
PC: Sound Recorder or Audacity
Mac: eXtra Voice Recorder or Audacity
John McCarthy is a former teacher and current education consultant with expertise in project-based learning and differentiation. Follow him on Twitter @jmccarthyeds or visit his blog at http://openingpaths.org/blog/.
ASCD Express, Vol. 9, No. 18. Copyright 2014 by ASCD. All rights reserved. Visit www.ascd.org/ascdexpress.
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