Second language writers need to develop the ability to revise their writing independently of third party advice; thus, it is important that teachers devise methods by which to promote habits of self-directed revision. This quasi-experimental study investigates three classroom activities designed to encourage students to independently revise essays prior to receiving teacher feedback. One class of second-year Japanese university students revised the first draft of an essay after completing the following activities: 1) an oral presentation of essays; 2) a grammar workshop; and 3) a 20-point checklist. A second class was designated as a control group and revised their essays with no additional input. Teacher feedback was provided on the second drafts in the same way to each group. It was found that the treatment group made almost three times as many revisions to their first drafts. This group's revisions were also more successful, with 80% having improved on the first drafts, compared to 66% of those made by the control group. However, on the teacher-reviewed second drafts, the majority of revisions derived from teacher feedback; less than 15% of revisions made by both groups were self-directed.