Learning and teaching to write
I took a political science course in University, and the professor had a novel way of grading papers, and teaching writing. She set a deadline, but allowed us to submit papers early, and as many times as we wanted. She would read and give feedback on each submission, but grade only the last one.
She tracked changes on word, made annotations, and sent back heavily marked up early submissions. For the first time, I saw the ways in which my writing lacked - she told me to be more specific, underlined vague pronouns, split up runny sentences, pointed out places where my logic broke down. With each draft I saw my message rise above the detritus of my unedited writing, my meaning becoming clearer even to me.
The final draft of my paper had a clear thesis, paragraphs that supported it, and a clear conclusion. A specific and clear piece of writing that worked as a whole.
I don’t remember what grade I got, but remember clearly how I felt - excited, exhilarated, empowered.
I wondered why every professor doesn’t let you do this.
Many years later, I found myself trying to teach a 5 paragraph essay to 13 year olds. I instituted a similar policy - I would correct any number of attempts, but you had to keep going until the essay was structured, and logical, and clean. Until it flowed.
I remember one girl in particular, a diligent student used to doing well on tests. She must have given me 20 drafts before I finally accepted one. I remember her mounting frustration, and eventual anger at my refusal to sign off on her essay. I also remember the huge smile on her face when she got it, a reflection of my own from years ago.
Notes -
The way she taught writing in some way approximates design thinking - you put together your best guess, test it, and iterate till you have something good.
She was perhaps my favourite professor in University :) Though I had a microeconomics professor I adored too.
This is one of my favourite lectures about writing :)
I also took a writing course at Vancouver Community College, and loved my teacher there as well :)