Reflection on Open Letter Draft

In this blog post, I will reflect on what my peers commented and suggested regarding my course final draft by following the bullets points listed in Student's Guide on page 78-79. I will also be explaining what I have learned from the peer review process and about my own draft by answering the list of questions posed on pages 253-6.

I peer reviewed Sam's and Bre's drafts of their course finals. I included comments on their drafts regarding content, grammar, phrasing and more. Overall, their drafts were very well written and they seem to have a good grasp on this assignment!

John Watson. "Eraser Worship." 21 September 2009 via Flickr.
Attribution Non-Commercial 2.0 Generic License.

"Revision" Questions:

1. Did you demonstrate an ability to think about your writing and yourself as a writer?

Yes, I was able to think about my overall writing skills as I revised and wrote my first draft. I was able to think and reflect upon what kind of writer I am and have become, as I started this semester a "heavy reviser." During the revision process, I recognized some mistakes that I always tend to make while writing, including the excessive use of commas, extra words and a few run-on sentences. None of these things came as a shock to me, because I seem to revise these certain things a lot.

2. Did you provide analysis of your experiences, writing assignments, or concepts you have learned?

I was able to evaluate and reflect upon this semester and this specific course. I was able to add and further develop my ideas and thoughts regarding what I have learned, including how to manage my time and homework, how to plan and pre-write and how to appropriately approach and use a new genre. I also got to reflect upon what I learned within each specific project and what sorts of work was included in those assignments.

3. Did you provide concrete examples from your own writing (either quotes from your writing or rich descriptions of your writing process?)

Yes, I actually included both within my letter. I wanted to make sure that I had a few quotes from past blog posts and also paraphrase certain assignments and personal thoughts that could be useful with the purpose of this letter.

4. Did you explain why you made certain choices and whether those choices were effective?

Yes, I did. I was able to identify the choices that I have made and the progress that I have made, regarding my writing and time management skills. I was also able to identify the reasons why these choices were effective. For example, I realized over the course of this semester that I cannot leave work to be done the day it is due. This is because I get too stressed and overwhelmed, and I end up turning in a project or assignment that I am not proud or happy about.

--Jenny Bello