Why does reflective writing help a student learn and develop as a better writer? How does it work?
The first writing or a draft is considered as an unfinished touch of writing like a precious stone that needs to be well processed to be a fine diamond for sale. A piece of writing is a process which comprises orderly steps. It depends on each writer that these steps are different or similar, long or short, simple or complex. Among of them, reflection on writing is the one that trains a student into a good writer. Each time reflecting writing, new ideas, thoughts, opinions that come up in mind enrich the essay and catch eyes of readers from the first sentence to the last one of a page-turner. Fresh corrections help improve the writing to a higher level of perfection that creates an initial impression on the reader at the first sight of primary sentences. Reflection also brings to a writer an endless inspiration as he explores the newness in the art of writing. It seems to me a circle: writing more, more reflection, more inspiration, leading writing more.
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# 19: Writing project #2 - Reflection
- What did you find most unexpected or surprising about the process of composing Writing Project #2 compared to your process of composing Writing Project #1? Why do you think this was unexpected or surprising? What I find surprising or unexpecting the writing project #2 are I am considered as "a camera" that records and transfer all detailed description to the intended audience. I put myself in their position that wants to learn about the one I convey. Their understanding depends on my camera. It means I should have a logical screenplay that bring them through a thread of a journey of the discovery. - What did you find most challenging, confusing, or frustrating about the process of composing Writing Project #2? How did the assignment itself contribute to these challenges, confusions, or frustrations? The difficulty in this process is how to provide information in step by step that, based on it, readers gain the complete knowledge of the issue. How the illustrators (photos) are inserted to increase the pleasure of reading and lead target readers to the focuses or culminations of the essay. - Now that you have worked on two major projects, what—for you—seems to be the most critical or important part of the writing process and why? Through two major projects, I acquire the ability of how to describe my identity in a setting and the cultural surrounding around me. - After you completed Writing Project #1, you were asked the following question: “If you were invited to teach someone else something about writing tomorrow, what would it be and why?” If you were to answer that question now, would your response be the same? Why or why not? I think observation is the one I want to focus. It is objective, unbias to let readers how they make a judgement with the information they obtain after reading the essay. - Why do you think the WPA Outcomes (under “Processes”) and this course seem to value reflection and reflective writing? After all, we continue to ask you to reflect on the writing you do. Do you think reflection is a task that is separate from writing, or do you think that reflection is an essential part of writing? Reflection and writing go in pairs. They supplement together to produce a sound writing. Writer's journal # 18: Proofing and formatting
Among the initial attractions to intended audience pays attention the writer that proofing and formatting. Two components give a compelling impression on readers and persuade them to read until the last page of the essay or go through the thread of a story. They also bring readers a feeling of confidence as they are reading a credited piece of work which is worth spending their time and will draw some lessons, experience, the knowledge they can apply to the reality of life. Proofing and formatting help the writer enhance understandable readability and an increasing pleasure of the reader. In return, they create at the heart of a reader an interest in the author. Sometimes the writing does not use the proofing or conventional formatting in quotes, for example, the use of colloquial quotes or he/she remains quotes full of flaw because he/she wants to turn readers' eyes on the speaker's educational setting. Revision is a process to reread, review what we have written. In the first writing or drafting, I put down on the page what comes up in my mind. Write what pops up without reflection on it. This is the way we have learned from the course. When completing the drafting, it's time to revision. Everyone of us has different ways to reread the draft. Some take a rest, going to cinema, taking a walk in a park. Others may forget this draft for a few days. Then they are back to the essay. I think it is a way we want to refresh our mind, recharge energy to our brain. Thanks to this process, we will have more new ideas, thoughts to add to our draft. Some may have someone revision. We have many approaches to revision to make the writing perfect. We heard many well-known authors who launch page turners to the public have to reread their spiritual products a dozen times. As for me, I think revision is an endless process. The more we review, the better our reading materials become. My interview focuses on a charity concert: Christmas concert The preliminary questionnaires include: 1) When, where is this event organised? 2) What is the purpose of this activity? 3) What is the target audience? 4) Could you give more information on the orchestra that will perform on that day? 5) What are difficulties in organising it? 6) How much money do you expect to collect? 7) What projects does the association fund? 8) What categories should the project meet to be funded? 9) What is minimum and maximum of funding for a project? 10) When does the next concert take place next year? The Annual Christmas Concert is organized by the International Women's Club to raise fund for children's projects. I arrange a meeting with the chairwoman of this club to interview her. After signing an interview consent form, I put questions to her. The Christmas concert is held on the 1st of December at the Conservatory of Music at 8 p.m. We organize this event to call for generous sponsorship, kind donations from high-profile businesses, high-rank officers, well-known celebrities, expats. Money raised from this annual event will fund the projects that help children. The orchestra includes international, local musicians along with sopranos and tenors that bring to the audience a night of Christmas. In fact, we want to organise it on Christmas eve as the ambience is more Christmas, but at the moment, many expats have to come back their homeland to enjoy greeting holidays with families, relatives, close friends. The funded projects must be in education, health care. We build small primary schools in a far remote region, build wooden bridges that help students go to school. We construct rural clinics as well to examine pregnant women, give them pieces of advice to nurture new-born babies. Each funded project is from US$1000 to US$3000. These projects are to improve children and women's life in the field of education and health care. Our annual concert takes place on the first day of December. On Sunday, September 11, 2016, I go to a charity run - Run for Children, to observe, take notes, and realize some interviews with participants. The run takes place in the suburban where the traffic is not heavy, particularly on Sunday, people don't go out in streets early. The gathering place is in the open space circled with big green trees that give cooling shades. The sun is shining with no clouds that signal a dry day. The run starts at 7 a.m. People of different ages, industries come to register this run. Those who want to run donate $5 to charity fund which goes directly to carry out projects for children.
In the gathering area, many food booths sell food, beverage to serve runners. The smell of food makes me juicy. The flavour of various kinds of coffee makes people stop for a coffee. Many well-known restaurants, hotels have food booths here sell their products and donate their profit to the fund. They also promote their brand, new products. At 7 a.m. sharp, people stand at the start line to be ready for a race and the chair of the run uses a mic to begin the run. Hundreds of people go forwards with high speed. I take advantage of organizers being free because all people are running. I interview one organizer about the run. I request him to sign a form to agree to the interview. He tells the run has been organised for years and raised considerable funds. This is a non-competition run. Three people who come first to the finish line receive a certificate. The race takes two hours. After the run, people come to the gathering area to drink free water. People feel hilarious as they spend a meaningful Sunday. I choose the bedroom of Ruyta 10, Tokyo, Japan to practise the observation and description. Ruyta puts the desk against the wall where the green curtain was hung to prevent the sunlight from the window every morning. He puts lots of notebooks, books, stationery on the desk which contains a shelf with many cells full of books. Next to it is located a small table to contain a game machine and TV. Some game tapes are put in some trays on the shelves of this table. Next to the small table, a wooden cabinet with eight shelves is used for his clothes. On the top of this cabinet, he put many game toys. Beside the cabinet is a wooden closet which is loaded with storybooks, a stuffed bear. He sleeps on a bed in front of the wooden closet. There is a mattress covered with a white cloth. He uses a blue, white strike blanket. There is a mat on the wooden floor with lots of game toys, game tapes. Writer's journal # 13: Practising ethnography
On weekends,I often go to a coffee to eat something and drink coffee. The store is in the downtown of the city where many office staff come to chat. Their ages are from 20 to 50. I come to the store early to choose a seat on the pavement to see people drive up and down the city. More people come to drink around 8 o'clock. They bring their families to have breakfast here. The atmosphere is full of voices, laughs. They wear casual clothes. Some are doing some research, others are reading the news and a lot are playing Pokemon. They discuss, talk about their stories, topics enthusiastically without knowing the world outside. Nobody cares nobody. Some foreigners go there to drink coffee, they speak English. The store is not large, creates a close atmosphere with a background of light music. Each group of clients establishes their own world, exchange thoughts about their families, share experiences about jobs, discuss the breaking news... Some teenagers come to have an interesting debate about their movie, musical idols. It seems to me people want to have a get-together, to share with the community after hard workdays. People can't live by themselves or for themselves.
We are the staff of the Consulate General of Canada and Consulate General of South Korea. We join to organise a Christmas concert at the Municipal Theater in the downtown of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to raise funds for annual charity activities. The theater includes 3 floors with a capacity of 600 seats. The concert will take place on Christmas eve at 8 p.m. I represent the staff of the Consulate General of Canada to join a steering board of the concert. Clients consist of high-rank governmental officials, high profile businesses, generous, corporate sponsors and individuals. They participate in this event not only to do charity but also to highlight their visibility. There is a VIP area which no staff can access but I do. At the doors, some staff checks visitors' tickets, take them to their seats. If they are VIP guests, I will bring them to their place. The music band includes international and local musicians. They perform Christmas carols which hold spectators spellbound for more than three hours. When I wrote a writing project # 1, my target audiences were peers and the faculty. I always put in my mind that what I conveyed to my target audience - peers and faculty, how I could interpret these ideas effectively and efficiently. I put myself in their position where I think they may not figure out what I wrote, a part of the custom. So I reread, revised, I made it understandable to them as we have different cultures. Writing project # 1 requires a writing of 1200 - 1500 words. Sometimes, I ran out of ideas to present. I took a break or a rest to refresh my mind, even a day staying away from writing. When I wrote back, I had more new, fresh ideas. I am interested in applying what I have learned to this writing. I think it is not challenging to me to write a WP # 2, as I get used to writing long. As for me, the critical point in this writing is how to make it understandable as we may have different social backgrounds. |
Loc Dang
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