What I have learned Reading and Writing
At the beginning of the semester, I remember for one of our beginning assignments we wrote a reflection on who we think we are as a writer and what predictions we have for this class. I wrote that I was not the strongest reader and writer because if I am being quite honest, English and reading comprehension was never a subject I was passionate about or good at. But as the semester went on, that perspective began to shift.
Through different assignments and discussions made me realize that reading and writing are not fixed skills but are processes. Some assignments that stuck with me were the peer reviews and feedback we have done during class. Before I would rush through the drafts and feel overwhelmed by feedback. Now that we have done these exercises before submitting the final draft it allowed me to realize that feedback for a class like this is not about criticism but more as guidance. I learned this by reading the comments my classmates left on my draft showed me exactly how my writing sounded to someone outside my own head, which is not something I can do on my own.
Revision art by Melanie Little
Accepting Imperfection in my writing
When I read the text “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lammot, I connected it to my own growth as a writer this semester because of her message. She made me realize that struggling with writing does not make me a bad writer. Her point that even successful authors begin with multiple imperfect drafts decreased my stress and frustration in the way I would approach my assignments for class. Instead of getting frustrated when my ideas did not come out perfectly the first time, I learned to see my first draft as my starting point of my writing process. Lamott helped me understand the importance of growth happening through patience, feedback, and reflection.
Connecting sources with my writing
This semester I learned how to analyze different texts by looking at their audience, genre, and rhetorical strategies. This helped a lot when I wrote my essay on the discourse community Not Your Grandma’s Camera Club. I utilized websites such as Google Scholar, which was something I never used before. This site allowed me to find secondary academic sources to support my main argument of my essay. Reflecting on this specific assignment I also learned the differences between what makes a primary and secondary source which helped me choose the right evidence for my writing. By now learning and knowing how to examine the text’s claim and purpose, I was able to utilize my sources in a more effective and comprehensible way.
Google Scholar guide by Paperpile NYGCC Logo on Instagram @Notyourgrandmascameraclub
What I have learned about myself as a Reader and Writer
This semester has allowed me to reflect on who I am as a reader and a writer. I learned that I am more capable of succeeding in these reading and writing assignments than I initially thought. I realized that the more I was participating in the classroom with our discussions and asking questions on how I can find ways to improve my learning in writing.
As a writer, I learned that I work best when I am under less stress. Meaning creating a messy first draft, receiving feedback, then revising. Writing is a process, which is why I found myself to have more successful papers when I took it in separate steps rather than procrastinating and rushing at the last minute.
As a reader, I learned the importance of analyzing the texts more thoroughly. When we would do group analysis within our table groups, it helped me create a deeper and greater understanding of the texts. By utilizing the thoughts of my other classmates it helped put things to a greater perspective. Overall, I have grown more confident in my ability to analyze text and express my ideas.
Reading and Writing by Ramapo College of New Jersey
My Strengths After this Class
After completing this class, I can now say my biggest strengths as a writer are my revision skills and critical thinking skills. I have gained these skills by the feedback of my professor where I was able to see my strengths in writing and aspects where I still need to work on. With more assignments and more revisions, towards the end of the semester I started realizing that I had a greater amount of positive feedback now than I did for previous assignments at the beginning of the semester.
My critical thinking skills also developed with our homework assignments on Canvas because many of these required evaluating and making connections between ideas. For example, one assignment where we analyzed the text “ ChatGPT May Be Eroding Critical Thinking Skills, According to a New MIT Study”, I practiced thinking independently on what the article is arguing about and evaluating the sources in order to form my own perspective of the article. This was very helpful because it also helped me carefully read and with source evaluation that will help with my writings.
How these Skills will help me in School and Life
The skills I have developed from this class such as analyzing texts, critical thinking, revising, and evaluating sources will help me in other classes and in my career. The practice from this class will allow me to navigate other projects and assignments more at ease because I have a greater understanding of navigating complex texts and how to revise my work. Beyond school, these skills become useful in everyday life. I am currently working towards having a career path in the medical field which requires a lot of critical thinking skills and abilities to write descriptive reports on assignments. Reading carefully and having descriptive analysis goes a long way in following medical assignments and being able to give a report to the doctor or nurse I encounter in the future. Being able to revise will allow me to take constructive criticism and build off of it rather than giving up and feeling hopeless. These skills will allow me to be more organized and think critically under pressure.
Medical Report Examples by Dinesh Krishnan
What I want to Improve
In the future, I hope to work on developing a more successful analysis in my papers by learning how to utilize my evidence more effectively. As a writer, I want to improve my organization and strengthen my ability to integrate sources and evidence more smoothly while also being able to maintain my own voice as a writer. This is important because it builds confidence to finish assignments and also know who I am not only as a writer but as an individual that can back up an idea with analysis. I will work on this by continuing to receive feedback and revising my work; as well as carefully reading texts and making connections prior to writing my draft in order to ensure my papers are well organized and descriptive.
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