Re: editing skills

[hawthorn@badlands.nodak.edu (Joan Hawthorne)]

Carl -  

In addition to Pam's suggestions, you might recommend that the teacher
introduce his students to editing programs.  They aren't all that good, but
they do direct you to take a careful look at sections of your own writing --
and that's basically how we learn to self-edit.

But most of my suggestions for him would be less nuts and bolts.  In WAC
workshops, I tell faculty that many (not all) students can self-edit much
better (not perfectly) than they typically do.  In order to get that best
effort, students need to be helped to understand the difference that editing
can make to communication, as well as to the teacher.  They need to clearly
understand that there are better and worse editorial choices, even when
there isn't a clear-cut "right answer."  They need a writing context that
helps them understand the degree of polish that's appropriate, and that
builds in the time necessary to produce it.  Ultimately, maturity and
clearly felt need make the biggest difference, I think.  

But it's very important to pair all of that stuff with people who can help
them learn to identify and correct their own problems --
at-the-point-of-need service, which is exactly what the writing center
provides.  So what WC techniques could your teacher import?  Probably just
that we pay particular attention to individual student problems and patterns.  

Joan Hawthorne
Univ. of North Dakota