Final Reflection

Introduction

English 101 has been a great learning experience for me and enabled much growth in my writing habits. This class included three writing projects; a rhetorical analysis essay, a recipe essay, and a profile essay on a community of our choice. English 101 has taught me how impactful peer feedback can be for my writing which in turn pushed me to grow as a writer. I have met my own writing goals this semester because I have learned new processes to organize my writing from start to finish, adapt my tone to not be biased, and work with others to improve my writing and their writing. 

Body

One example of how I have achieved my writing goals is learning unfamiliar processes to complete my writing from start to finish. For example, when we started to write our first rhetorical analysis essay in English 101, the class required me to break it down into several modules. This was different from how I usually did my process work because I always just started with research and then my rough draft. I discovered how helpful it is to break down the essay into more simplistic steps such as brainstorming, using an outline, and creating simple bullet points to solidify my ideas. By focusing on each module separately, I was able to stay up to date on all my due dates and also more organized. This process helped me see the importance of planning before jumping into writing. Therefore, my goal is to always use process work steps in my writing in other non-composition courses instead of starting with a rough draft. 

Another example where I had achieved my writing goals is adapting my tone to be non-biased in my essays along with using my classmates for feedback in my writing. Again in the rhetorical analysis essay, I initially struggled to keep my tone neutral while analyzing a controversial opinion piece written about cell phone usage in schools. However, through the feedback I received from two classmates, I practiced rephrasing some sentences to remove bias and making sure I was focusing on the author's rhetorical strategies. This was a great learning experience for me as I used these skulls in writing to profile essay. I had to write about the elementary school teacher community while showing respect for them and their experiences. These moments show me how important tone is in shaping credibility in my writing.

Lastly, I achieved the goal of working with others more efficiently to improve my writing and theirs. The different methods we used for peer feedback were very effective in knowing what to edit in my writing. For example, in the recipe essay, a peer suggested I add more sensory details to describe how the banana bread felt for all of my senses. Their suggestions transformed that section of my essay which made it more vivid for the reader to understand. I also felt helpful when offering feedback to my peers and seeing how my suggestions helped them improve their writing/ 

Conclusion

English 101 has been such a great learning experience for me to grow as a writer and achieve my goals. By learning to organize my writing, adjusting my tone to be non-biased, and collaborating with my classmates, I have gained countless skills that I know will be valuable for my future at school or outside of school. I have learned that there will always be room to improve in writing, I am proud of the progression I have made and I am grateful for this journey in this class. Moving forward, I plan to continue building my writing abilities and become more adaptable.