For the writing definitions assignment, I had chosen the term “heuristics”. Initially, I thought this assignment would not be difficult as I have learned this term before. However, as I was reading the textbook and my peers’ definitions, I realized that there are many types of definitions. I learned that when defining a term, there are various ways of presenting it, such as the parenthetical definition. It was a very effective way to communicate the meaning of a word and embed it into context. The parenthetical definition worked well with my word as there is a short synonym to it. I learned various expansion strategies that I did not know could be used to define terms. Specifically, I found that the compare and contrast and the negation strategies were very helpful to differentiate it from similar terms.
After reading Lisa’s definition, I felt that her work was very well done and had emphasized on being concise. It was very insightful to see how she was able to fit most of her expansion strategies in one sentence and embrace all key elements. I also noticed that at the end of her introduction, she had written out the expansion strategies she plans to use. This was very helpful for readers as I would have an idea of what to expect when reading her post. From peer reviewing her work, I was able to use it as an anchor
After reading Lisa’s suggestions, I have added a clearer visual that matches my explanation and examples of how heuristics are used. When I re-read my own definition, I understood Lisa’s confusion because the diagram does not show how it relates to my term. So I ensured that I created a better link from my explanation to my diagram. Often times during the process of writing, it is easy to neglect the connection between sentences and diagram because it is clear to me at that moment. Hence, I have learned the importance of re-reading and to attempt to understand the material from an outsider’s perspective. Re-reading gives us another chance to view our body of writing as a whole and not just grammar or spelling mistakes that are easily highlighted by our laptops. Furthermore, I attempted to keep my language as concise as possible while not losing key aspects. I understood this was an area of improvement for myself and this editing process provided an opportunity to practice such skill.
Each process of this assignment had allowed me to recognize different skills. I enjoyed viewing my teammates’ work as it provided me with a comparison to see improvements in my own work. Furthermore, it was great that we were given a chance to edit our work as I was able to pick up on areas for improvement that I would not have noticed when i was writing my assignment for the first time.
Word document of the revised definition: 301 Cheryl Chao Definitions Assignment
Lisa’s peer review: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-99a-2019wa/2019/09/25/peer-review-of-definition-heuristics/