Monthly Archives: April 2019

Self-Assessment for English 301

The first blog post I published mentioned how I would hope to improve on the conciseness and clarity of my writing, in preparation for graduate school, and future endeavours. Reflecting upon the assignments I have completed, I witness true value in the giving and receiving peer reviews, and the opportunity to revise my work. Although the rigour of my other courses have prevented me from making immediate changes to my work upon receiving the feedback, editing my assignments after some time actually situates me in the role of a reader, offering new perspectives on how the writing was or was not effective. For instance, my peers were quick to point my tendency to over-use words, and would offer helpful rephrasing tips. However, there were certain assignments, such as the my progress report, where I became a little ‘stubborn’, and frustrated because I did not know how to condense my writing while effectively communicating my ideas. In retrospect, allowing more time before re-editing the assignment would have been helpful, or I could have asked those around me to read my assignment, but such difficulties contributed to vast improvements in my writing.

I am also appreciative of the instructor’s feedback, as the comments reinforced my efforts and dedication, allowing me to see that I am gradually improving. Near the end, with assignments such as the email memorandum to Evan Crisp, I had noticed a significant difference in the length of my assignments, in comparison to the beginning of the term. The You-Attitude and mitigation of imperatives professionally conveyed my ideas, and the writing process became more enjoyable, I was finally beginning to see a positive change in my writing techniques.

I strived to utilize the same writing style for larger assignments, such as my application package and the formal report, but eventually became overly concerned about the conciseness of each sentence. I would spend over 75 minutes on one paragraph, obsessing over the sentence structure and re-writing it so many times, that it began to sound awkward. After many editing phases, I have come to the conclusion that quality is much more valuable than quantity, which is an insight I will carry along with me as I embark my fourth year of my kinesiology degree, and my ultimate goal of pursuing research in human movement. I am passionate about the physiological and sociological aspects of the human body, but regardless of the masters and PhD program I pursue, the You-Attitude, conciseness, and an active, professional tone in my writing are new skills that I will communicate in applications, emails and letters.

 

 

Web-Folio Reflection

The web folio illustrates the milestones I have experienced throughout English 301, showcasing my growth within the course, with new platforms to showcase my profile online, such as in LinkedIn. Having always preferred simplicity in my designs, my web folio strives to offer information in the most straightforward manner, which has also been one of my main goals throughout English 301. Although I admit to very basic social media design skills, I aimed to generate a site that represents a skill I have learned in this class, which is the clarity of information delivery.

Catering to the audience of potential employers for graduate school, gave my web folio an intentional path as I was creating it. Each page displays my strengths and skills, such as in my resume and best works, but the entire site illustrates a trajectory the improvements I have made throughout the term, and my dedication to each assignment. I was skeptical my abilities to create a user-friendly and organized site, and had to do a lot of preliminary reading on ways to create an engaging platform. Even though the site is not exactly how I had imagined in to be, due to the rigour of finals, the process of creating the site was very rewarding.

Main components of my web folio are the reflection posts embedded within the “Blogs” page. Each reflection captures the difficulties I had undergone through various assignments, but also demonstrates my learning and problem-solving skills. Reviewing previous reflections, I am grateful for all each milestone, or issue I ran into while writing, for it has contributed to my knowledge in technical writing.