Writing the first draft of the Technical definition
In unit 1.3, we were asked to write a technical definition of a complex term familiar to our field of study but may have yet to be known to those outside the discipline. The assignment was to write 3 different definitions for this term, parenthetical, sentence and expanded. We were told to give 4 different versions of an expanded definition. This is my first time writing a definition like this, so this was all very new and challenging. My complex term was “Classical Conditioning.” Having to write a non-technical definition for this term so that anyone would be able to understand it was the most challenging part because I had to use terms that people outside of psychology would understand. I learned many different definitions; in this case, I learned to write 3. The most exciting thing to me was the expanded definition. There are many kinds of expanded definitions. I used analysis of parts, operating principles, examples, and visuals. Analysis of parts lists all the other factors that are part of the definition. For classical conditioning, this was the unconditioned and conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned and conditioned response. Operating principles explain how the definition works. Examples and visuals are, as they are stated, examples of the definition and visuals. For visuals, I posted a diagram of how classical conditioning works. Analysis of parts and operating principles would be best to explain my definition because it is a theory used to show the process of creating a neural behaviour from a subject. I learned a lot about how to write definitions, and I was able to learn and focus on providing a non-technical definition for complex terms like classical conditioning.
Peer Review Process
For the peer review process, we read our team member’s definition drafts and gave and received constructive criticism. I was honoured to review Alethea Kramer’s work; she checked mine. By examining each other’s work, I could integrate aspects of her definition that worked well in this assignment into my own work. In Alethea’s definition of “panopticonism,” she used widespread phrases that made it easier for those unfamiliar with media studies to understand. Alethea commented on the jargon of my definition, and I was able to fix that and use her constructive feedback in my own work. Another critique that was given to me was to remove unnecessary words that appeared in my writing, which is something that I struggle with in my writing. This was helpful because I am usually unaware I am doing so, so my peer reminded me to fix this problem; I need to be more attentive. I also had to give Alethea feedback on her definition, which was a challenging task for me to do. One thing that I try to avoid is being mean to anyone. This peer review process taught me to be constructive and straightforward but also still in a professional and kind tone. I wanted Alethea to feel that I was not judging her and her work but only there to help her better her definition. The peer review process was precious to my writing and professional reviewing of others’ work.
Revision Process
After reading the peer review of my work, I went back and read over my work and corrected the mistakes in my writing. I was given constructive feedback that came from someone who was outside of my discipline. My team members were very professional and straightforward with their feedback, allowing me to better my definition. One of the significant problems in my writing was that I needed to be more technical and remove unnecessary words or phrases that weren’t supplemental to the definition. The peer review encouraged me to narrow down my writing and reminded me to be more precise and stop using excess words that may not add to my work. I also changed my tone to a less passive voice and narrowed down some imprecise language to make it more specific, like changing “it can be” to “it is.” This assignment has helped me improve my technical writing, and I am excited to see what else I can do in this course’s future.
Links to Assignments:
Revised Definition: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl30199c2022w2/2023/02/16/assignment-1-3-revised-definition-of-classical-conditioning/
Peer’s Review: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl30199c2022w2/2023/02/13/assignment-1-3-peer-review-for-carmans-definitions/
My Peer Review: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl30199c2022w2/2023/02/13/assignment-1-3-peer-review-of-aletheas-definition/