Second Order Thinking Vs. Draft Exploratory Writing

In the 2011 article “Helping Students Meet the Challenges of Academic Writing”, educators Linda Fernsten and Mary Reda offer innovative self-reflective writing exercises that post-secondary instructors can employ to help students improve writer self-image and academic writing. The authors’ rationale for reflective and practical writing strategies were developed from direct classroom experience, and are based on four (4) assumptions. Their claim that self-reflective writing can aid student writers in overcoming conflict (due to dominant culture, upbringing, former writing experiences, gender, and other marginalizing factors) to improve writer self-identity is plausible. However, their argument that cross-curriculum academic writing can be improved through self-directed, self-reflective writing requires further investigation.

Writing is an essential tool and has been noted as a precursor for great speaking by teachers at all grade levels. However, with writing being an important aspect throughout one’s academic career and beyond, it is one of the most tedious tasks to teach. It sounds like a cliché, but in order to get better at something, one has to keep completing the task and each time, accomplish something different while maintaining prior knowledge. There are various ways that enhance a student’s writing abilities and the focus of these research strategies will prove that encouraging students to write enhances writing.

When it comes to critical thinking, reading and writing are two factors that deal with the critical thinking process. A few key aspects of critical reading and writing are identifying the tone in ones writing, how to throughly read and annotate a text, and the revision process. In the essay, “The Maker’s Eye”, Donald Murray explains how the attitude of a writer, listening to what readers have to say and how to edit your own writing makes your work better when critically thinking in college. These aspects of critical thinking, reading and writing make will keep the reader interested and make the writing easier to translate when read.

One essential step or process in becoming a better writer to me is thinking and planning. These are similar to whereas I can use them to further my knowledge in the beginning stages of writing.

In any setting where there is a group of people collaborating on ideas, beginning by writing down thoughts before conversation would prompt more contribution which in turn would circulate more solutions to whatever problem they were trying to

I have always struggled to string together words to put on the page. After I joined debate in high school, I unlocked a great ability to speak fluently and powerfully. However, my writing could never quite catch up to how fast my mind and mouth can articulate my ideas. Through this class, I have worked much harder on being able to write just as much as I could say. Free-writes have proven very helpful in this aspect. Some days we would not have the time to discuss the free-write, hence, I worked hard to transcribe all the ideas I would want to share with the class on the page. Not only was I writing the ideas, but I tried to make sure the ideas were written cohesively and grammatically

First, is the preparation. It begins by generating as many ideas as possible. Secondly, there is drafting which is done in a rough draft by expanding ideas into complete sentences. Thirdly, revising the last stage clean up your written words and make it look

My writing process usually ignores the brainstorming phase and goes straight into the rough draft. I do this because I do better if I just get everything down quick instead of thinking about it. This directly contrasts the process described in the lecture but where my process is similar is in the proofreading and editing stage. Just like in the lecture I read over my rough draft and make changes where I see fit and usually get feedback from another person.

The creative writing process video was in fact very helpful. I do understand that writing is a very thought out

Nevertheless, from my perspective, especially for ESL students, freewriting may not be a totally good way to improve writing skills. If we don’t think about grammar, structure, and vocabulary for a long time in writing, probably we cannot write great things

In the author’s the first order thinking, here has one short quotation “We use it when we write fast without censoring and let the words lead us to associations and intuitions we had not foreseen.” I got an idea is during the writing, people could do the first step which is use sensation and write down a faster draft. The important thing is I could do my best in the first thing and always be honest. It seems like the free writing that we did in the class. Also the first order thinking has some negative effects, for example: we do not have to think a lot about what we write down. I distinctly understand the first older thinking is not perfect for our writing. So how about the second order thinking?

I totally agree with what the author is saying in the text. It takes time to get a good product out even though we think some people are deep and wonderful they still have the same struggles that we have when it comes to writing. I like this text because it is realistic it is giving an account of first drafts from common day people and shows how it is even for professional writers have problems with. This point is important because as people we sometimes feel we are not as good or capable of doing something not realizing that the people we look up to have the same problems we do. Another point that I agree with the author on is that you have to start somewhere. Many times as writers we don’t know where to start when it comes to writing. That being said we will just sit and think for ten twenty minutes when we could've just been information on the paper and then editing it later. In addition I liked that the author used examples from his professional experience when it came to writing food reviews. By him using details like how he went to the restaurant and sat down with friends and took notes of what was said. This was good to me because it helps me connect with him and the things that he does to write his reviews.

REAP is one of the simplest ways to facilitate higher order thinking through reading, writing and thinking. According to Oschmann (2015) REAP is a during and post-reading technique that is used to enhance students’ comprehension of a text. It is a writing-to-learn technique that allows for students to read and understand a text. This technique asks students to revisit the text numerous times as they go through the REAP process. Students are lead to internalize the content of the reading because they are asked to restate the main idea and key points in their own words. Students are also encouraged to make connections and find relationships within the text. Students are also directed to pose questions of their own. Its name is an acronym

Before I came to college, I felt my writing had to follow a certain pattern and be fixated around one way of thinking. What I was fortunate to learn was quite the opposite. Writing does not have to follow any certain pattern, but can rather be structured through many different possibilities. I was also told in high school that my papers either had to agree or disagree with the given topic, even if I believed otherwise. This formulated a very one-track way of thinking when it came to my papers. Now I know that I can let my mind explore new and exciting ideas. I can agree, disagree, compliment, criticize, and question the author however my heart desires, as long as I have the evidence to back myself up. Many authors in the book, Writing About Writing, explain their processes as well as the processes of others when it comes to writing. As a writer, I can draw on my own processes and relate them to the authors, as well as use their ideas and apply them to myself. Through reading, I have learned new methods of invention, planning and revising, and incubation when it comes to writing. All ways I can use to create more meaningful and creative work.

There are said to be six stages of critical thinking, the unreflective, challenged, beginning, practicing, advanced, and accomplished thinker. The unreflective thinker is unable to asses their thinking skills while in the second stage of challenged thinkers, they are becoming aware and figuring out problems. The beginning thinker is similar to concrete thinking, which contains no depth, it regards to the facts and thinking in the periphery. At the fourth stage, the practicing thinker is developing the knowledge for systematic practice, while the advanced thinker now has good habits and can actively analyze information. Lastly, the accomplished thinker can access their intuitiveness and take a position on things in everyday life(Edler, Paul).