Welcome to the third in a series of articles providing tips for educators. In this article we focus on our second tip, “Read, review, and revise your work.” Often, once educators obtain their degrees and are working in their professions they forget what they learned about writing when they were students. As students, they were taught that the first draft they write is almost never perfect. Multiple drafts are par for the course when it comes to producing high quality written documents. In my doctoral program, for example, the fact that multiple drafts were part of academic writing was drilled into students. In fact, in early classes, students were required to submit a draft, get feedback from professors and then read, review, and revise before turning in additional drafts. Students were taught not to be frustrated, but instead to look at this way of doing things as practice for what it would be like in the future when students submitted articles to academic journals. Educators would be well served to remember these early lessons.
Explore the Meaning
Let’s take a moment explore the meaning of “read, review, revise.” First we will break down each tip, then share its relevance to teaching, and finally connect it to broader pedagogical frameworks.
Read It
It is important to read your work. When you do, look at as a stranger would. Read in order to understand clearly and fully what was written. Pay attention to what your words actually say. Sometimes, when we read what we wrote, we see that what we meant to say is not always what we wrote. When you read, go beyond simply understanding what was written. When reading, it is important to read with intention. Push yourself to understand tone, context, and what assumptions are at the foundation of the paper. This type of careful reading may be intense and time consuming, but it is worth it.
Review it
Once you have read the document you created. It is time to review it. Reviewing a paper can be thought of as a critical pause. It is during this step that you are able to see how what you have written aligns with your goals, values, and if it has the intended impact. The review step may involve several steps. Review your paper through several lenses. Look for technical accuracy, clarity in the narrative, and how the paper will be viewed by the audience. When you are going through the review process, do not be afraid to invite peer feedback.
Revise It
After you have read and reviewed your paper, it is time to revise. You revise a paper think of it not as merely a time for correction, think of it as an opportunity for transformation. In your writing practice, normalize multiple rounds of revision. Look forward to revision as a chance for your writing to grow and evolve. Your paper has a story to tell. You had a mission in mind when you started to write your paper. As you make revisions, keep the story and mission in mind. Make revisions that make the story stronger and adhere to the mission.
Classroom Applications
When an educator knows how to read, review and revise their own work, they will be able to do that for others in their classrooms and other professional settings. Instead of looking at student writing assignments as merely showing off what the student has learned. Educators can look at each student writing assignment as a way to help students become better writers as part of developing life-long skills. Educators should also find ways to give credit for good writing, adherence to the assignment, and how well the student communicates their message, even if the answer given is not the correct one. Is it possible to give the student partial credit for writing well even if the ultimate answer is incorrect. This is similar to what is done with math problems when students are given partial credit for using the correct formula even when the final answer is incorrect.
Conclusion
It is important for educators to read, review, and revise their papers. They must understand that these steps are an important part of the writing process. They are important because they make papers better. It is through this process that an educator makes a paper a valuable and worth reading document. When an educator is able to read, review, and revise her own paper, she is better able to look at the work of others with appreciation, and a mind toward appreciating that work.
Further Reading
20 Tips for Educators: A Powerful and Informative Series
Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women by Maya Angelou
The Complete Poetry by Maya Angelou
Unleash the Fire Within: Maya Angelou’s Lifegiving Wisdom for Educators
About the Author
Dr. Janeane Davis is Founder and Principal Consultant at Janeane Davis and Associates: Educational Consultants. Most of her writing begins at a well-lit desk where strategy meets storytelling and systems take shape around real lives. Her consulting work centers families, scholars, and institutions committed to equity—and she writes to bring clarity to complex questions, especially those often left unasked.
Desk light on. Pages open. Always listening.–