PART 1: Reflection on Writing Process and Commitment One of the most important things I have learned from doing peer review on other classmates' essays and the feedback process is the importance of constructive criticism. I have not had many instances of non-constructive feedback in this class, to be fair, but I have also learned how to give it. I sometimes tend to find myself getting slightly aggravated at the occasional spelling or grammar error, but for the most part I have learned to temper my own high-strung nature and provide criticism that addresses the issue without placing a value judgment on them. When receiving criticism, I have also learned to make sure to take it positively, and not just throw my hands up and say to myself "I am a bad writer." Instead, I take these problems as opportunities to learn. In the online class discussions, I have learned quite a bit from talking to others as they go. One thing in particular I learned about writing was the value of detailed, thorough communication in my writing.
Often, I tend to not go into as much detail as I should, relying on generalizations to fuel my arguments - whether they are true or not, I still need to support them. To that end, I often find myself having to work more and more to track down sources, use statistics, and generally use stronger arguments to convey my points. This is something I learned through online discussions with other writers in the class discussion, and a trend I have noticed in my work. I now know to try to work on it as much as I can. I feel as though I have been very committed to class discussions and writing in this course. I was very fascinated by the nature of writing, and I always relish the opportunity to talk to other people who are going through the same process. This allows us to learn from each other and benefit the most from our own experiences. Whenever a new discussion would start, I would always be sure to keep up with new replies and topics, weighing in whenever I felt I had something to contribute. Because of this increased level of participation, I felt confident that I was benefiting from feedback in my own writing - in my essay on charter schools, I felt that class discussion helped to make my argument stronger, as I more clearly discerned that I needed to keep track of statistics and quotes in my work.
PART 2: Reflection on Quality of Final Writing Product One of the biggest problems I have had in the quality of my final writing product, in terms of course outcomes, has been with the ability to "adapt and control the voice and style of their writing to different purposes, audiences, and genres." I would say I am still having trouble finding my voice; I tend to repeat myself, and my sentences are not as dynamic or interesting as I would like them to be. I feel I am still struggling with this goal somewhat, though I have managed to make a little bit of progress; I often have trouble starting sentences with the same phrases over and over again, and I want to be able to flesh out the breadth of writing techniques I can use. I feel as though I have a similar voice for many different genres and purposes, and I would like to have the ability to adapt it and shift my voice just a bit more.
I think the learning goal that I have made the most progress with is "approach a writing assignment as a series of thinking tasks that includes comprehension, application, analysis and evaluation, among others." In terms of applying a thought process to writing, I have become much more aware of the need to segment work, as well as the process as a whole. In my first essay in particular, "The New Liberal Art," I learned how best to read sources as a means to write an essay; first I would absorb the information, organize it in my head, and then figure out how best it applied to my point. Reading Ungar's article in order to parse it to contribute to the discussion of liberal arts degrees was a really helpful exercise for me, and helped improve my ability to write with intent.
I think my best essay is definitely my second - "Intellectualism in Higher Education." I feel it is well organized, and I am able to sum up the thoughts of my sources well, contrasting them with my own opinion. The fact that I take it a bit at a time, first citing, then responding, makes it feel more dynamic. Meanwhile, I think my weakest essay is my first, "The New Liberal Art." Here, I still use pretty sloppy sentences ("According to me," "According to Ungar,"), and my ideas could be better organized.
