Course Reflection
When I first started this course, I had two goals. My first goal was to just pass my first college class, and my second goal was to further my writing and communicating skills. These are the main things I believe helped me reach my second goal.
At first, we learned that in order to build a strong sentence, it must not be too long, but it also can't be too short. The analogy of a garden path was used to illustrate this. Much like a trail through a garden, if a sentence is too short, you don't get enough, but if it is too long, you become bored an uninterested.
Then we worked on writing a strong thesis statement. You never want to start your thesis with a question, it must contain your opinion, and it needs to contain a summary of your main points.
We also discussed the importance of paragraphs in this class. Paragraphs separate individual ideas, allowing you to introduce new topics, while keeping your paper organized.
Learning to write a strong introduction also greatly helped me. An effective intro contains a strong attention-getter that hooks the reader, a brief introduction of your main points, and your thesis statement.
In addition, we learned how to construct a strong conclusion as well. The conclusion should not just restate your thesis, but also add to the reason of writing the paper, and give the reader closure on the topic.
Learning about the awareness of my audience improved my writing skills, as it was a concept that had not yet been introduced to me. I had also never realized the importance of ensuring your paper is appropriate for your targeted audience.
Another skill that was improved by this course, was my ability to give and receive feedback. I learned how to give more constructive criticism, and how to apply other people's feedback to my own papers.
The art of narrowing a topic down is also a vital skill that I gained. As an indecisive person by nature, being able to create a more specific topic improves my writing abilities.
Lastly, the Toulmin Method largely increased the quality of my argumentative writing. The Toulmin Method is based on three main parts: the warrant, the claim, and the grounds. The warrant is the reason for your argument, the claim is what your actual argument is, and the grounds is the evidence and data to back your argument. All three are essential for a strong argument.
All of these skills, and more, that were taught in this class have helped me further my writing abilities, and prepare me for more in-depth classes.
At first, we learned that in order to build a strong sentence, it must not be too long, but it also can't be too short. The analogy of a garden path was used to illustrate this. Much like a trail through a garden, if a sentence is too short, you don't get enough, but if it is too long, you become bored an uninterested.
Then we worked on writing a strong thesis statement. You never want to start your thesis with a question, it must contain your opinion, and it needs to contain a summary of your main points.
We also discussed the importance of paragraphs in this class. Paragraphs separate individual ideas, allowing you to introduce new topics, while keeping your paper organized.
Learning to write a strong introduction also greatly helped me. An effective intro contains a strong attention-getter that hooks the reader, a brief introduction of your main points, and your thesis statement.
In addition, we learned how to construct a strong conclusion as well. The conclusion should not just restate your thesis, but also add to the reason of writing the paper, and give the reader closure on the topic.
Learning about the awareness of my audience improved my writing skills, as it was a concept that had not yet been introduced to me. I had also never realized the importance of ensuring your paper is appropriate for your targeted audience.
Another skill that was improved by this course, was my ability to give and receive feedback. I learned how to give more constructive criticism, and how to apply other people's feedback to my own papers.
The art of narrowing a topic down is also a vital skill that I gained. As an indecisive person by nature, being able to create a more specific topic improves my writing abilities.
Lastly, the Toulmin Method largely increased the quality of my argumentative writing. The Toulmin Method is based on three main parts: the warrant, the claim, and the grounds. The warrant is the reason for your argument, the claim is what your actual argument is, and the grounds is the evidence and data to back your argument. All three are essential for a strong argument.
All of these skills, and more, that were taught in this class have helped me further my writing abilities, and prepare me for more in-depth classes.
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