Final Reflection

Rob Linton
Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1101-101
With the first semester of college complete, it is always a good idea to sit back and reflect
on how you did. Things to observe include look to continue the habits that caused you to do well,
and correcting those that made you lack in certain subjects. There are many things I would have
done differently in UWRT 1101, but there are also many things I am glad I did. In this reflection,
I will be suggesting new ideas to emphasize while teaching the course, and what readings I
would continue or discontinue and why. I will also discuss what I have learned about writing,
how I would get a group of writers together to have a small group conference, and the steps I
took to writing one of the major essays.
Sometimes, there is need for change when it comes to a sports team, or a job position.
The same applies to UWRT 1101. Some things I enjoyed about the course included the small
group conferences, the different videos we watched, and learning about the Swales six
characteristics. I thought the small conference groups were useful because we would get all of
this constructive criticism from everyone in the group, and it can only improve your writing. I
enjoyed all of the videos we watched because all of them had meaning, and it was never
pointless or busy work. The Swales Six Characteristics was important to me because it really
helped me learn what it means to elaborate and describe something. Maybe a new idea would be
to move toward more uncomfortable subjects for writers, such as drug abuse, or 9/11. These
issues are fun to discuss as a class. We did this in my sociology class and it was very fun to
debate. Also, the course could include more current event. Maybe go online to a news website
and look at current events and discuss them every week. This would be valuable and keep

students focused because it is occurring in their lifetime. Plus, some students do not have time to
keep up with current events because they are too focused on school, so it would be very
informative.
Reading and writing are cohesive. Without one, you cannot have the other. They are the
Ying and the Yang of literature. We read a lot of readings out of the course pack as well as a few
online. Some of these included excerpts on Malcom-X, Stephen Kings philosophies, and
Swales Six Characteristics. I would not necessarily discontinue any of these, however, I would
definitely add more current events to the course in order to keep students updated. Students know
about 9/11. They know about the 1960s and Malcom-X. With current events, it will keep the
course fresh and new.
From this course, I have learned a few things. The first thing I learned is that writing
does not always have to be factual. Writing can be as opinionated as you want, and it is, in a
way, very free. I also learned that it is important to plan something before just writing. You will
get the work done faster and it helps you get a sense of direction. The last thing I learned is that
you should always keep an open mind about a subject. If you are always telling people you are
right and they are wrong, how do you expect to learn anything and how do you expect to
improve your critical thinking skills?
The most important part about writing is getting together in small groups. Small groups
provide support for your writing, as well as a way for you to get your work out there. However,
some students are not too fond of these because they are shy and sometimes do not want to make
the effort. If I were to try to convince someone to join a small group conference with me, I would
tell them that it would be a fun, judgment free room, where we share our papers and ideas to get

better at writing, and I would make it seem as harmless as possible. It is important for all writers
to get critiqued in order to grow in writing.
One large part of writing is writing major papers. These papers had a real impact on our
grades this semester, and are basically our final. The main way I constructed my papers was
through the drafting system. You make several drafts of a paper and continue to make
improvements in order to make the paper better. No paper is perfect, but by using the draft
system, you can get pretty close. It also came down to effort for me. If I tried, I would get a
pretty good grade. With writing, you cant do everything at half effort, or you will get a half
grade.
I definitely know that writing is and will continue to be a big part of our society. With
this class, I have learned how to successfully write essays, how to edit papers and meet in small
groups, and how to manage time wisely because usually the end is right around the corner.
Overall, I have enjoyed the course and all of our discussions and I cannot wait for 1102.