Revisions teach discipline (with student comments in quotes)

Ability to revise requires more discipline and not less

The thing about releasing you from the having to get perfect papers in the first time by specific deadlines is that it’s not a holiday for you. It’s actually more of a challenge because you have to self-regulate. That makes it easier for you to find the time appropriate for you to put in the effort that I want you to devote to writing, but that makes it more of a challenge of discipline. Research is a luxury in that very often it involves a lot of freedom to finish work at your own pace, but without discipline, that freedom can leave a lot of room for you to get lost in your own procrastination and distraction.

Students really felt that challenge:

"This semester, I failed to manage my time and deadline well and this results in the failure of handing homework and affect my grades a lot, so it definitely reminds me the importance of time management and the importance of planning ahead."

"I learned that I literally need to actively go back and kick myself for screwing up if I actually want to learn something."

“Stay on top of work. Do not get behind or it will bite you.”

"Get work done early, especially if there is the option to not have to do it later."

“Make sure to at least read a summary of the chapters or skim them before class, so that new terms make sense during the lecture/work.”

Again, reading ahead is just a part of the game. It makes you come to class as more discerning consumers of whatever I have to offer.

Ultimately, this exercise can teach you to prioritize your efforts.

"Prioritize: some classes you can push off till last minute, others not so much."

Some people struggled

"I've never just not turned in assignments before, but I ended up missing 2 homework assignments for this class. When it comes down to it, it's not the end of the world. I've always had to prioritize, but i am usually able to get everything done with varying levels of quality. I guess what I'm trying to say is I've learned I can't do everything, but it's okay."

"Because of some personal issues at the start of the semester, I left some of my work unfinished and failed to concentrate on the work. However, in order to catch up with the class, I changed my habits. For instance, I developed my regular morning routine, I started to work ahead, and I started to use time management techniques like pomodoro. Although it may be a bit late to change, I do think the developemt of these habits would be very useful for me in the following semesters in Grinnell."

Some people fell into a routine that they found really helped them:

"Because papers in this class can be revised for many times, I always do a little bit at a time and across several days. I feel like this is a nice way to do works because I can step back and look at what I have already done, and how to improve it."

Back to Research Methods or back to In the Classroom