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 teacher delivers several short (5–15 minutes) grammar lessons on the problem area. It is much better to have several short grammar lessons than fewer long lessons.
- When the students understand the correct use of capital letters, the first "Correction Code" is introduced. Students are told that mistakes with capital letters will be noted by a "C" in the margin of the paper on the line where the mistake is.
- A "Guided Self-Correction Code Chart" is posted in the classroom, identifying the areas in writing that the class is responsible for; the first code on the chart will be "C" for capital letter.
- The teacher, when correcting student writing, then starts giving feedback by putting a "C" in the margin of the paper every time there is a mistake in how a capital letter is used or not used. The teacher codes no other errors. If two errors of the same type occur on the same line, two Cs are coded.
- The teacher returns the paper to the student, who must find the capital letter mistakes and fix them.
- The student finds and fixes the mistake(s), then returns the paper to the teacher.
- If the student has found and fixed the errors correctly, the assignment is complete and progress is being shown!
- If the student is unable to find and fix the mistake(s), the teacher has a short discussion with the student, explaining the error. The use of capital letters may need to be explained again during this conference.
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)
Guided Self-Correction: A Positive, Focused Feedback System That Improves Writing-table1
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)
Guided Self-Correction: A Positive, Focused Feedback System That Improves Writing-table2
C | Capital Letter |
|---|---|
| S-V | Subject-verb agreement |
| P | Punctuation |
| SP | Spelling |
| 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.
Figure
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.
Figure
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?
- The system is logical. We begin with the most common mistakes. Students work primarily on areas that have been taught and given a correction code.
- The system features effective feedback. Feedback is focused and addresses areas that have been taught.
- The system is cumulative. Guided self-correction starts with just one problem, then adds a second, third, fourth, and more. Students and teachers are not overwhelmed by trying to correct many mistakes at once.
- The system is positive. The days of many teacher marks, slashings, red ink, and comments throughout student writings are finished. Students find and fix mistakes in a calm, businesslike manner. As students write, we often have quiet conversations with them about their writing. When asked, "How do you like using this self-correction strategy?" one of our 6th grade students, Amaya, looked up, smiled, and said, "I like it because it makes me find my mistakes. It teaches me to have a better eye for editing." This is a common reaction of students using this strategy.
- Guided self-correction forces students to think. In order to find mistakes, students are forced to think about the rules of writing. These rules become internalized as students repeatedly examine, identify, and fix the same kinds of mistakes.
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.
- Accountability. Collect and keep uncorrected writing samples with a date on them at least four times a year. Remarkable progress may be evident to students, parents, and administrators as the uncorrected writing samples are examined. When a writing sample from February looks much better than a sample from September, pride abounds in students, teachers, parents, and principals.
- Frequent Writing. Frequent writing is vitally important for developing good skills in all students, but even more so for struggling students. "Frequent" means at least two coded and student-corrected writing assignments a week.
- Writing Assignments. Writing assignments do not have to be a one- or two-page essay; the assignment can be a paragraph about something the student has learned, discussed, seen, heard, or read that day. Caring and thoughtful teachers will identify many topics that their students like to write about!
- Low or High Tech. We use paper and pen or pencil for guided self-correction writing assignments in our classes. Paper-and-pencil writing is cheap, and supplies are dependable. However, writing on digital platforms can also be coded for revision.
- Teacher Faith and Restraint. Teachers must have the discipline to code only the mistakes that are included in the posted guided self-correction code chart. The system, which features positive, frequent, and specific feedback, really does work. Many of our "uneager" writers improve as they learn the coding. The long-ingrained teacher practice of highlighting a multitude of student mistakes ceases as the progress students are making in writing becomes apparent to teachers.
- Grading. Guided self-correction makes grading much easier. Rather than trying to decipher progress when keeping in mind the hundreds of rules of written English, teachers teach and then grade primarily on progress in identified, coded areas.
- Student Folders. Students should keep copies of their corrected papers in file folders that do not leave the classroom and frequently pair up or get into small groups to read their papers to each other. This approach sends a clear message that student writing is valued by the teacher; before long, students will be proudly reading their written work to each other.
- Homework. Students can find and fix coded errors as a homework assignment.
- Interdisciplinary and Suitable for Multiple Grades. Student progress is stronger if more teachers on the same campus use this approach to writing feedback.
- When to Drop Guided Self-Correction. When a student consistently has three or fewer mistakes on a one-page, hand-written assignment, the guided self-correction system can be phased out.
Appendix: Commonly Used Correction Codes
Guided Self-Correction: A Positive, Focused Feedback System That Improves Writing-table
C | Capital Letter |
|---|---|
| S-V | Subject-verb agreement |
| P | Punctuation |
| SP | Spelling |
| Poss | Use of Possessive |
| Frag | Sentence Fragment |
| T | Tense |
| NS | Start a New Sentence |
| RO | Run-on Sentence |
| NP | New Paragraph Needed |