Pre-Course reflection
While looking at the WPA Outcomes and Habits of Mind, I find some of them familiar,
while others I have not seen before. When it comes to writing, I have learned how to find and
locate credible sources to use as supporting evidence for my work. For example, under critical
thinking, reading and composing in the WPA Outcomes section, I believe I have a good amount
of experience analyzing other pieces of work to use in my own. I gained most of this experience
through school and previous English classes, as gaining support that is sufficient, accurate,
unbiased, etc was vital in my search for strengthening evidence. An example of when gaining
accurate and reliable information was important was last year when I did a presentation in my
Communications class on food sustainability and waste. I had to present a visual powerpoint
which I used to accompany my speech. I also needed a persuasive composition which contained
the details of my research. In the bulk of information I presented, I knew I needed credible
sources from which I could gain facts and statistics that would shock my audience. Some of the
sources I cited were very established and reputable organizations such as The Natural Resource
Defense Council, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and The New
York Times. I knew that these sources were backed up by hard fact and evidence that couldn’t be
questioned, and were therefore perfect candidates to cite in my speech. Being able to search for,
analyze, and choose a credible source is a skill I have learned over the years through my
academics. I have practiced and perfected my search process and pride myself on that
knowledge.
As explained above, I find myself most comfortable and experienced with the Critical
Thinking, Reading, and Composing Outcome. I believe I have a wide array of skills in this area
that I have practiced and shaped over the years. I am able to handle reading a large array of texts
and gathering useful information from such which I then integrate into my work. Locating and
evaluating these texts is also a strong suite of mine through years of practice. A few things in this
section I think I need to focus on this semester would be using the composing and reading for
communicating in various rhetorical contexts. I believe I could use some expansion when it
comes to the contexts I use. Another aspect I need work in is using strategies such as critique
and design/redesign to compose texts integrating my ideas with my sources. I’d like to learn how
to functionally critique a source while also using it to my advantage. When it comes to rhetorical
knowledge, I definitely need to learn how to compose in different genres and understanding how
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each impacts my audience. I have not written in too many genres; mostly only research based or
persuasive writings for school. I have taken a few creative writing courses however, where I
learned about composing poetry and created my own pieces through many different forms of the
subject. The knowledge I possess when it comes to the capacities of different environments and
varying rhetorical situations is vast. I believe I have a strong ability to understand each form of
media and composition and have fun weaving the variations together into a piece of my own. On
the other hand, I’d like to learn a bit more about some of the newer technologies that I can use to
capture and expand my audience.
The Processes Outcome is one which I believe I need to focus on the most. I do not like
creating multiple drafts when it comes to writing. Logically, I know it makes sense and that
doing so can and will strengthen my work, make me further analyze and develop my voice, and
create a piece in which I am truly proud. However, I have no patience and I struggle with
slowing down and pacing myself. Instead, I love to go into my work full steam and charge
through until it is complete and I have my masterpiece. I will dedicate all my time and energy
into creating perfection off the bat, instead of breaking it down over the course of days and really
focusing on detail. I think this course will really help me with this aspect of my writing and help
me understand the importance of drafting. I will also focus on using the engagement Habit of
Mind to try to invest time into building up a strong piece. When it comes to knowledge of
conventions, I know I am a grammar nazi, which is thanks to a Mr. Davis I had in 8th grade. He
was a retired military general and our class consisted of reciting all pronouns in under a minute,
daily quizzes on the Shakespeare plays in alphabetical order, and extensive extra credit for
anyone who caught him ever make a mistake. I truly owe it to him for making me into the
punctuation princess I am:) I do need to brush up on formats and design features when it comes
to different type of texts.
A few Habits of Mind I feel I am strong and familiar with are curiosity, openness, and
creativity. I have always had a thirst for knowledge and expanding my perspective in any way
possible. Over the years, I have enjoyed using school assignments and presentations as a
creative outlet in which I can fully and openly aim to capture my audience with my ideas. While
many of my peers hated the idea of public speeches or persuasive essays, I loved the fact that I
had a platform in which to express myself and hopefully impact those around me. For example, I
always took advantage of any creative liberty I was given. In my sociology class last year, while
the rest of the class made presentations on the way people in the Middle East constructed their
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houses or the types of foods they ate, I chose to bring a highly important and problematic matter
to light. I spoke about the issues of widowed women in the Middle East and shocked the class
with information they had never heard before. I made them aware of the brutality and rising
deaths that single women faced in these countries and I even provided ideas and examples in
which we could help here in America. I opened the floor for discussion, by asking my peers if
they had any insight or perspective on the topic and called on classmates to give their opinion.
Needless to say, I received high marks for my work. But the best part was that I had people in
my class and even outside classes asking me questions and striking up conversation where there
was none before. Some of the habits I exhibited in this process were creativity, curiosity about
what I did not know, and the open way I chose to present my work.
A few Habits of Mind I am unfamiliar with/need to improve upon are; metacognition
and engagement. I like to believe I have a broad perspective when it comes to almost anything. I
try to keep an open mind and be reasonable when dealing with something unfamiliar to me.
However, there are always those instances that come along in which I am completely thrown off
guard by some of my own preconceived judgements or notions. I know that I need to always be
able to take a step back, and acknowledge the reality of a situation. This also relates to both
metacognition and engagement. As I briefly stated before, I have a hard time working my way up
to a final project when it comes to my writing. I much prefer to work hard and fast and see
results, however I know that I could probably produce better work if I broke it down in advance.
I could save myself the trouble of fixing and correcting mistakes that I could have easily avoided
had I slowed down in the beginning. Hopefully this class will force me to break down my work,
focus on one thing at a time and really engage myself in the process instead of the product. I
want to fully involve myself in taking things step by step and enjoying the journey.
Finally, as a writer I see myself as passionate and creative, but with a tendency to miss
some of the important defining factors along the way. I believe I have the voice to move and
change an audience, but I also know I need to really take the time to shape and mold my ideas
into a cohesive and organized portrayal before I present them. My goals for improving are to
focus on the Habits of Mind and work to take things a bit slower, steadier, and more carefully
chosen. I want to learn how to implement my abstract problem solving ideas in a way that opens
the door to further thought and discussion while also being effective and strong. I will do my
best to begin drafting, then analyzing that work and building from it rather than going from
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nothing to my final piece. I can’t wait to grow in this course and am looking forward to
improving as a writer.
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