Reflective writing is a kind of writing in which you describe the process of working on an essay. This is a sort of cover letter for the essay in which you tell the reader what you intend the letter to do for its reader. It describes – the purpose of the letter – the effect or action wanted – who the reader is – how you came to the topic – preparations you did – changes along the way – decisions you will face.
Some topics for reflective writing are: Do reflective writing on the theory of writing; Do reflective writing on autoethnography. However, this is a kind of writing I have not written before. Through reflective writing, a student can be able to envision what he wants to write about. It helps him state the purpose of the essay and how he will go about writing the essay. These inevitably will help him explore more, making him a better writer. For instance, doing reflective writing on ethnography will make the writer explain how he intends to do his research, who he intends to interview, how he intends to get the field notes. Thinking about how he will do these things will make him make decisions – make changes – create avenues on how to do them. These thoughts, processes, and action will make him learn the ropes and also get better writing them. LETTER TO THE READER Dear Reader, This essay is reflective writing on “The Theory of Writing”. I talk about the meaning of the act of writing – my evolution as a writer in ENG 101 course – my identity as a writer which involves my struggles, accomplishments, and abilities as a reader, writer, and critical thinker. I also talk about my writings, outcomes, and habits of mind. In conclusion, I include how my growth and writing will affect my future academic, professional and personal projects. But my real purpose in the essay is to show how my writing has significantly improved through ENG 101 course by the applications of WPA outcomes and use of habits of mind. And also, how these developments will model any future writing I will do. My readers will be peers and staff in ENG 101 course. Through this writing I expect the readers to tangibly see that my writing has incredibly improved through ENG 101 course. My main strategy is to show growth and applications of the WPA outcomes in previous writing practices and journals written throughout the course. These strategies would be used to highlight my growth – identity – application of WPA outcomes and habits of mind – and also influences the evolution in writing will have in future projects. I chose to write on this topic because it was a requirement to be submitted in the course as Writer’s Journals 20 which stated that I should write on a project I am working on now. Firstly, I will go through my e-portfolio which contains writing practices and journals to see where I have implemented WPA outcomes and habits of mind. I will note them, then in the course of writing about points I will talk about, I will make references to them. While inserting these citations in-text, I will make changes to the font type and color to make it more evident. I think it is the best thing to do because leaving all the texts in the same font type and color may prevent the citations from standing out. I will also make sure that the multimodal elements I will put are reflective of the body of the writing. This will help make the writing more engaging. I will start the writing by first explaining what I understand by the act of writing. The essay will be at least 1700 words. In writing the letter, I will include comments and peer reviews of my previous work because it was obtained through the writing process, collaboration. This process is evidence of implementation of WPA outcomes. These comments helped me see where my writing projects were deficient, and I used the feedback as a revision tool to make my final drafts better. The essay will also show evidence of proof-reading and paragraph structure. This helped me make my writing error-free and easy to follow for the reader. The points I intend to talk about, I will make sure that they are started in a new paragraph. Thanks, (Signature) Analysis of the letter The essay captured everything the letter said it would do. Firstly, it started with an explanation of the act of writing. It also talked about my evolution as a writer in ENG 101 course – my identity as a writer which involves my struggles, accomplishments, and abilities as a reader, writer, and critical thinker. It showed visible growth in my writing using WPA outcomes and habits of mind. The concluding part of the letter showed how this growth will help my academic, professional and personal projects in the future. References were also made to my previous writings. It was visibly seen in in-text citations. These citations were written in a different font type and color as promised by the reflective letter. The letter was also well structured in paragraphs, with a new topic in a new paragraph. Peer review comment as evidence of collaboration was captured in the main essay. The theory of writing essay was at least 1700 words.
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Composing Writing project #2 was an incredibly fascinating experience because this was the first time I wrote about another community and in a not so few numbers of words. As much as it wasn’t an easy activity, it was a very lovely exercise.
After writing Writing Project #1, I assumed Writing Project #2 would follow the same metrics and methodology. But I was totally surprised when I discovered that Writing Project #2 was going to need me to interview people and take field notes while observing the community I was going to write about. To further stress the discomfort, it was going to require me to write from the perspective of another community. What makes them what – their rituals – their beliefs – and also values. I think this was so because Writing Project #2 being an ethnographic study requires you to use a certain kind of methodology to do your research and writing. Whereas, Writing Project #1 (Autoethnography) was to write about yourself, values, belief, and rituals. Hence, you don’t need consultations to do such. To illustrate, in an ethnographic study, you need to observe, take notes and also interview people in the subject community. While autoethnography needs you to reflect and write about something you do or are used to. In composing Writing Project #2, it was initially frustrating to figure out a pattern or trait being exhibited by the community. Though it was a community I was used too, patterns of events became a norm that I couldn’t figure out what would be captivating to the reader. Also writing to make the composition compelling and not boring for the reader was a challenging venture. Hence, rhetorical constructs and choice of words are very necessary. The assignment itself was also challenging because it needed me to be present in the environment and observe events. Also setting up interviews wasn’t so easy because people have busy schedules. But at last, we had to squeeze in a few. Having successfully written two major projects, I have come to the realization that the first series of drafts and the revision seems to be the most important writing process to me. This is because trying to write the first draft is not so easy especially in a subject you have little knowledge about. For instance, while composing Writing Project #2 and after writing the first draft, I noticed that it was scantily worded and probably insufficient to convince the reader. Hence, I had to do further research and interviews. These generated more items used to enrich the draft. Also, while revising, I re-edited, formatted and also corrected some grammar. Without this exercise, I wouldn’t have been able to see through and fine-tune the composition. If I was asked to teach someone writing now, I would teach them how to revise, proof and format a work. This is because irrespective of how strong your rough drafts maybe, when you view it again through peer feedback and a second eye, you will find a way to make the composition better. Hence, these extra exercises further prune the work thereby making it sufficient and acceptable to the audience. In addition, I will also teach the person how to proofread, so as to uncover errors or awkward sounding and positioned words. For instance, I will teach them how to take some time to read out loud and also backward. This will help unchain the flow of words and identify those that need correction. The WPA Outcomes (under “Processes”) and this course seem to value reflection and reflective writing because it helps correct, equip and re-evaluate a composition, making it acceptable for the audience. The process of reflection is an essential and integral part of writing. Because without it, writing will at best be flawed and insufficient in purpose or at worst amount to nothing. Proofing and formatting are very important for a writer because through these processes writings are corrected for errors, restructured for perfect styling and adjusted to the perfect format for such writing. Through these writing processes a reader can comprehensively understand the thought and mind of the author without being intermittently obstructed by grammatical errors or style issues.
However, there will arise a conflict of interest if the reader and writer think of proofing, formatting and producing of a final piece of writing differently. This is due to the fact that proofing may not have been adequately done from the perspective of the reader. For instance, a native English speaker may still find out wrong or awkward sounding words in the middle of a composition even after a non-native English speaker has proofed it. The kind of styling and grammatical construction may also seem off from the readers perspective. In addition, if the writer doesn’t employ the process of revision to gather outside perspectives from peers or re-evaluate his draft through a new pair of lenses, it may inevitable lead to a work that insufficiently expresses his opinion or poorly constructed. These deficiencies will definitely draw a disapproval from the reader. These loopholes will cause a dent to the ethos of the writer, leading to disregard and disapproval. These fallouts if consistently ignored can be suicidal to the writer’s career. But on the flip side, when the writer’s work is consistent and encompassing, he gets more recommendation and more approvals. This can also translate into better revenues. 2/12/2019 0 Comments wj#17: revisionOn the topic of revision, I believe that my peers and I are actually saying the same thing, but expressed in different semantics. Inline with their inferences and mine, revision is the act of going back to an already drafted work to review it through a new set of eyes or after getting feedback from people. This process is inevitable because this act enables you to uncover items or include ones that were not there initially. For instance, after writing the first draft of an article, it would seem like a finished work. But while revising, you will notice that there are some things that need to be added, re-structured, left alone or probably deleted.
Hence, the significance of revision cannot be overemphasized. While reviewing the writing via a new pair of lenses, inputting feedbacks from peers, removal or restructuring or rhetoric, the work is sharpened up and ready for print. For instance, a sufficiently revised work is nicely and rhetorically constructed, grammatically correct, conventionally right, and has passed through various writing processes. Hence, making it acceptable to the reader. To further add, revision is not necessarily returning to a piece of writing to change it, but rather to think about it more to ensure it properly fits. So, through this process, you can re-evaluate the writing, leave as it is or probably fine tune it. Hence, revision is not all about cutting off, but rather healing up and stitch up. 2/10/2019 0 Comments wj#16: interviewingThis interview was conducted on February 4, 2019. I meet with Ndubuka Chigozie a day after Sunday service to learn more about Bible study teaching on love and also get his views on some related questions.
Questions:
ANSWERS FROM Mr. CHIGOZIE
Response (Question 1) A Christian is someone in a true relationship with a living God and not just been involved in a series of church activities. It is when we wholeheartedly accept Him as our personal Lord and savior. So being born to a Christian family doesn’t really make you a Christian in God’s eyes. Some accept him as their personal Savior but never lord. How Do you mean never lord? I mean some don’t see him as the Alpha and Omega. They go against his authority and sometimes see him as an interruption to their own personal will. Take for instance, when Jesus beckoned on Mathew to follow him, he left all he was doing and followed Jesus. No questions, no argument. Response (Question 2) I am giving back to what God already gave me. God gave me life, strength, job, and other things. So am using these things to serve Him. It’s my way of giving back. Response (Question 3) The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God that gives breathe to the spoken word of God. He was the one that Jesus formally introduced to the apostles in the Acts of the Apostles Chapter in the bible. He brings about the complete manifestation of divine purpose in life and church. Response (Question 4) If there was no crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus, there wouldn’t have been Christianity. At best, Christianity would have been a mere movement that started and ended with the Jews in the bible. That story wouldn’t have sustained up till today. 2/10/2019 0 Comments wj#15: Fieldnotes practiceObservation of Objects and movement:
Chair, choir stand, guitars, piano, musical set, microphones & stands, loud speakers, amplifiers, Public address system. The altar area is decorated with beautiful backdrop, lectern, rugged; wall also had some patterns on them. People moved in a particular fashion only through central aisles and movement was at a particular time or event. What I hear: Praises and claps, worship songs, also keyboard playing at the background. What do I smell: fresh air What do you touch: shake people What do you taste: light meals after the service. Observation of People: People move to the service venue at the basement. The know it is a place of worship, so are courteous and friendly. The people are usually in a mode of worship. Either praying silently at one corner or participating in the events of the service. During intermittent prayers, there is a unanimous standing by all through the prayer session. There is also seating by all during the preaching and bible teachings. These standings, praying’s and seating’s are done in unanimous fashion. Also, during offerings, people left their seats came out towards the altar and dropped their donation(cash) inside the collection box. Then, returned to their seats. When the choir sang, they did so marvelously on the elevated area (Altar). Their songs drove some people into a frenzy of prayer. It led to several people praying in languages that was foreign to understand. It seemed like they were having a conversation with someone, somewhere and speaking in a dialect that couldn’t be fathomed. They were no longer speaking English. They looked different and talked differently. The scene could make someone new to this community marvel, leaving them stunned and amazed.. People also greeted each other warmly, that you could see that spark of love and sincerity in their eyes. The hugs and hand shakes were genuine and passionate. And they took time to ask few questions about each other’s week and family. It was like everyone in this space was connected with an invisible cord. Justin 8, New Jersey, USA
LEFT SIDE OF THE PICTURE: Justin’s picture where he is wearing full baseball attire; Justin’s jersey tucked into his pants; Justin looking straight-up at the camera; Justin’s right hand free while the left is clinched tight. Items worn: Black headgear with metal protector in front and white pads inside it; Baseball jersey and pants; Jersey color -blue and orange; Jersey number – 80; Jersey has number written on the jersey chest area; Jersey has other icons and print indexed on it on the chest area; icon on the jersey is situated towards the left shoulder and is a combination of three colors (Blue, white, red); print written on the jersey chest region is orange in color. Icon on jersey towards the right shoulder is orange in color. Jersey has an orange stripe around the armpit region and extends down to the sides of the jersey. Jersey shirt collar and shirt hand tips have orange borders. Justin’s blue pant also has icons and print indexed on it around the hip region. RIGHT SIDE OF THE PICTURE: BED: The bed is positioned in front of a mini cupboard to its foot and the room wall to its left. A bedsheet covers the bed. It has multiple colors which include – green, red, orange, light blue, dark blue, black and white. It also has sports items drawn on it. These include – basketball, baseball, football, cricket ball, basketball rim. The patterns on the bedsheet are in various box shapes, with these sports items inside the box patterns. Also, on top of the bed are five pillows of different sizes done in the shape of balls. Two were made in the shape of a basketball, two made in the shape of a baseball, and the last one made in the shape of a cricket ball. Among the five pillows, the cricket ball and one basketball pillow rested against the wall. While the other pillows were placed on the bed. One of the basketball shaped pillows is yellow in color, while the other one is orange in color. The baseball shaped pillows are brown and white striped in color, while the cricket ball-shaped pillow is brown with a small white colored cricket ball drawn on it. At the foot of the bed, close to the milk-colored mini cupboard is Justin’s headgear. It is black in color and also has the name of his club written on its forehead area. It also has white foamy pads and chin rest inside of it. The mini cupboard has three vertical partitioning. The first partition by the left close to the wall houses a basketball toy. The basketball toy has a basketball shaped body, a white limb and a mixture of a black and white stand. The middle partitioning is further partitioned horizontally equidistant to each other. To the left side on the upper horizontal partitioning is an orange saucer plate with a flat light greenish base. Next to the saucer is a not so visible pinkish-green toy. Then, the lower horizontal partition on the cupboard’s middle partitioning has a piggy bank. The piggy bank has a milk-colored body, but with a black and white leather ball-shaped back. Then finally, the last vertical partitioning on the cupboard contains a brownish baseball-like toy with a white limb and a black foot. Both the first and third vertical partitioning of the cupboard have a certain similar wooden architectural design on the top side of the partition. On top of the wooden cupboard stand a brownish baseball and four trophies Justin had won. Two of the trophies have a purple handle, while two have white footers for standing. Resting against the right side of the cupboard is Justin’s baseball gloves and bat. The glove is sitting on top of the bat which rests against the cupboard. The glove is brown in color, while the bad is ash in color. Next to the baseball bat and leaning against the wall is a human-shaped inflated balloon dressed in complete baseball attire. The balloon is wearing a blue headgear with rims, a blue baseball jersey, white pants and then a black shoe with light brown colored borders towards the ankle. The name on the balloon’s jersey is “Seahawks” and the jersey numbers are “00”. The balloon also has both hands raised to the air. The right hand is free while the left hand is holding a baseball. The wall of the room is orange and yellowish in color. It also has the same boxed designs on the bedsheet drawn horizontally on the walls of the room. Then above the horizontal design are drawn three different balls. By the left side of the bed above the horizontal pattern is drawn a big brownish basketball. Above the pattern which is directly opposite the milk-colored cupboard is draw a big black and white leather ball. Then finally above the pattern which sits above the balloon is drawn a big white cricket ball. Also next to the big white cricket ball is a slanted blue triangular design. The entire room is also covered with a dark bluish-green carpet. However, it doesn’t cover the back side of the balloon next to the wall. Hence, we can see the black electric cable wire which emanated from the back side of the balloon. 2/10/2019 0 Comments wj#13: practicing ethnographyThis journal practicing ethnography is going to x-ray a children’s mini-park in my community. The park is located at Concord Avenue directly opposite the Magnificent Concord hotel, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria.
The park is a fenced mapped out beautiful landscape with a lot of equipment inside of it. Right about approaching the park, you would see the advert and notice board standing close to the huge beautiful gate. The security men are also at the gate to allow the cars in and out of the park. You could hear children’s laughter and also see families making their way in and out of the park. Inside the park, you could see couples with their children. Most of the times the parents are standing by the side, while their kids are playing with the equipment available. Kids seen on this playground were between the ages of 2 -10 years. Teenagers were visible absent on the playground as the toys were specifically for smaller children. Both the kids and their parents wore beautiful Tee shirts and trousers with matching snickers. Since it was more of a physical playground. You could also hear the parents screaming out to their kids in English to be careful. While, the kids shortly respond in their tiny little voices, “yes mum” or “yes daddy”. Amazing kids playing equipment were in the park. The centrally placed slides kept making the kids laugh out loud as they slid down its panels. The much older kids kept trying to outmaneuver each other seated at different ends of the seesaws. While parents were vigilant as the younger kids used the merry-go-round spinning at a speed that was slightly faster than a dull day’s jogging exercise. Few kids were also playing inside the sandbox. You could see them using the sand to build little structures. Playhouses were also available, where kids could climb inside. There are no flags nor statues in the park but you could see a billboard advertising children games and a store close by selling children toys. In this park, only couples with kids are allowed besides staff. This is because the park is purely a children recreation center and not a business lounge. The visitors in this space also dress sporty because of the physical nature of the plays, so they need a cloth that allows free movement of their limbs. The park is mainly used for reactional activities for kid say between 2-10 years. Hence, older people may not have anything to do here and will probably feel uncomfortable. For instance, no teenager was seen in the park or singles hanging out and chilling with their computers. Also, since it is a children’s playground, kids will standout in this place and fit in well with the activities and equipment available. This space and all inside it are evidence that fun and recreational activities are an intricate part of my culture and community. Families seek out places and times to have fun with each other. Hence, this children’s mini-park is one of those places’ families go to have fun. 2/2/2019 0 Comments wj#11: reflectionI enjoyed composing Writing Project #1. It was a kind of writing I had never done before. Writing about a behavior/ritual I usually practice and how it significantly defines me. What was surprising to me as I composed the drafts was that my rough draft wasn’t sufficiently worded enough to tell my story in the best way that will be appealing to the reader. Hence, I needed to review, research more and re-edit my draft a lot of times. I think this was surprising because I didn’t have enough information to convey my argument. For instance, my topic needed a lot of research and authorities to back my assertions. Hence, my draft had to change every time to accommodate them. Hence, the preliminary drafts kept changing time and again. Through this exercise, I am now incredibly convinced that a writer has to navigate through a series of drafts to get his final draft. Hence, the first draft is not sufficient to convey his argument.
The overarching challenge I had was writing a lengthy composition. I have not written over 1000 words on a single article before. So, it was quite a struggle. But, after more research and brainstorming, I got over 1000 words. In order to overcome this kind of experience in the future, I need to start writing lengthy articles. This will help me have a smooth flow in the future. For instance, if I start practicing writing over 1000 words article every week, it will help me have more word choices to pick from and improve my cohesiveness. The most critical part of this writing process for me is in the rhetorical construct, and the ability to take the reader on a journey. Making them understand exactly what you are trying to convey. Prior to this writing process, I considered the audience who will read the article and taking cognizance of the fact that some items in the piece would be quite new to their ears. So, I made sure I explained these words to make understanding of the composition easier for the reader. For instance, “Okpara” is an Igbo word loosely translated as the Eldest son in a family. Hence, I explained this term to aid understanding. If I am invited to teach someone writing in the future, I will first start by teaching the WPA Outcomes For First Year Composition. This is because it will enlighten the student on the fact there are some factors to be considered before he/she can write and put out his final draft for the reader to consume. For instance, He has to have conventional knowledge to help him know what is appropriate or acceptable for a particular genre. The WPA Outcomes (under “Processes”) and this course seem to value reflection and reflective writing because it helps in reviewing, re-editing, fine-tuning and re-writing preliminary drafts with the sole aim of getting out a perfect – sufficient – and appropriate final draft. To illustrate further, these reflective exercises have helped me to re-read, re-edit and re-organize my Writing Project #1 final draft and ready for print. |
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