Sylabus Essay

The first few years of college student’s lives are not necessarily the most enjoyable time, having to take the basic core classes. Unless someone is planning on getting their degree in something that involves the basic core classes like; Math, Psychology, any Humanities, or English. English has not been my strong suit and I know that I still have work that needs to be done to make me a better writer, but I believe that I was able to meet and achieve the goals and requirements of this Composition two class.

It is still so surreal to reflect back on my first semester as an incoming college student in the ENC1101 course, analyzing at my progression as a reader and writer in literacy. Since the first day of class I set in stone my goals for this class: receive a 4.0 GPA, develop my connecting theories skills in writing, and become more aware of objectives for each Unit throughout the course. All of these goals became achievements that not only make others proud but most importantly give me self pride. In order to earn the grades and achieve these goals, I went after every opportunity that I was given as an incoming college student, such as office hours and extra credit. By taking this course I have gained confidence with the utilization of literacy, and made an addition to my group of impactful literacy sponsors. Once students are finished with high school they assume that there is nothing else to learn beyond the stereotypical five paragraph essay, but they are so wrong. I was able to obtain so much knowledge about numerous course concepts from Writing about Writing, articles, and my professor. These concepts will carry on with me throughout a bright future of writing courses, job interviews, and any other skills that require literacy. The four outcomes listed below will help illuminate how I improved as a writer, by being a driven college student and going out of the way to earn my achievements in this course. In the first outcome I improved comprehending scholar texts,

Throughout this course, I was able to assess and evaluate my weaknesses and strengths in writing. This class has truly brought out my ability to write, a skill I did not believe I had. I now know what it takes to become a college-level writer. Also, at the beginning of the course I did not particularly enjoy writing. Now, however, I have a greater respect for

While attending writing class, I learned about the 4 steps in writing, bases for revising, organizing, and connecting specific information, and I also learned about the different types of essays such as descriptive, narrative, process, cause and effect and argumentative essay. I have been a student at Milwaukee Area Technical College for 1 semester, and over the course of my enrollment I have grown and learned more that I knew prior to attending this writing course. Participating in this writing class has taught me so much more than stuff about literature and language, it has taught me another way of expressing myself. I have learned here how to write and express myself, how to think for myself, and how to find the answers to the things that I don 't know. Most importantly I have learned how important technique, outlines and organization are. My goal in this paper is to inform writers about how my writing skills have improved.

In the article “Best Practices in Teaching Writing”, Charles Whitaker outlines eight points on helping students succeed as writers. The first

At the start of this course, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had a goal for myself to improve and learn skills that would make writing less daunting for me. I have learned so many things about my writing that I didn’t think much about before. Another goal I had was to break the cookie-cutter mold that was set upon me throughout high school. During the process of revision, I discovered many things about myself as a writer and techniques that have been effective for me in the writing process.

This course was comprised of many learning activities; each was designed to help me achieve the course learning outcomes. I have taken two college English classes in the past; however, it has been several years since my last college class. I have some experience in writing and this class definitely helped me get back into writing. I often have trouble brainstorming and capturing the subject I need to write about. This class definitely helped me overcome the challenges I faced in writing and being able to effectively express my ideas in a clear and concise manner. Not to mention, it definitely helped build my writing foundation through a step by step approach to each assignment. Therefore, this class bolstered my writing and communication skills.

Over the past four months, I have made great strides as a writer. The area where I have seen the most growth is in my use of the writing process. Prior to my enrollment in this course, I would sit down and write all my papers in one sitting. This class has taught me how to lay out a plan for my papers. I have learned how to effectively brainstorm/research, draft, and revise my writings before I complete them. Also I have learned to not just stop there, instead I am now going back and reflecting on my work after I complete it. This allows me to identify where I prospered and also where my downfalls may have been. With this information, I am able to apply this to future writings of mine; lessons that will stay with me forever.

Lewis notes that, “The incoming freshman have very poor skills to begin with, and that sets a new set of goals for the instructors on the basic courses.” As Nevarez mentions, he believes dual credit courses are conditioning students to think that they are good writers, without knowing exactly how to become a good writer. Nevarez offers a solution to this problem by explaining that, “Dual-credit courses are conditioning students to think they are good writers, through contextual writing assignments and syntactical lesson plans. However, they do not teach them to think and write critically in any subject or area. Looking into dual-credit classes being offered at different schools, the instructional methods seem to rely on the basis that expertise in syntax is essential for college education. This ideology does not mirror the expectations of university instructors, as noted by Lewis. Their biggest concern is for students to be able to think and write critically. We need a shift from the traditional contextual writing curriculum in dual-credit courses, to a grounded theoretical and pragmatic writing curriculum. With this new implementation, the curriculum will have to be structured in a reading- and

6.What are two goals you have for yourself as a writer in this class for the upcoming year?

I have always been challenged by two of the main subjects in school. English and math have always been the most challenging for me. Taking English 110 multiple times now, has made it easier to adapt to the concepts. Completing the course of English 110 for my final time has given me a new mindset on English. I have developed as a writer over the course and was able to learn a few different strategies. The five student learning outcomes (SLO) are Rhetorical Situation and Genre, Writing as a Social Act, Writing as a Process, Grammar and Usage, and Reflection. These are the specific concepts I now better understand and have showed progress in this semester. I find myself more familiar with these concepts after taking this course .

Proficient writing is an essential skill in all aspects of academic and professional achievement. English 101, Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric, provided the framework to good writing, teaching me composition and rhetoric fundamentals, polishing up my grammar and style, and expressing a clear message. English 102, Composition, Rhetoric, and Research, continued to build on the skills I learned in English 101, focusing on the subject matter research process and employing various rhetorical and literary devices to better express a clear message to the reader. The course also improved my critical thinking capacity, allowing me to culturally evaluate my target audience, present logically flowing arguments using appropriate language and structure, and critically reviewing my writing projects for content and expression. Every writer inherently knows there’s always room to improve and I hold fast to this mindset in all academic, professional, and personal writing projects. English 102 has both challenged and inspired me to grow into a much better writer than before I began the class, providing the necessary skills to be not just a good writer, but a great writer.

The writing required in college courses may be different than anything you’ve encountered afore. English classes taken in middle school, and sometimes in the early years of high school, provide the fundamentals, but many students lose these skills over they commence college. In integration, for nontraditional students who haven’t studied English in a while, making the transition to academic editing can be arduous. Edifiers in all majors except students to enter their courses with high-level editing skills. A gap in adeptness level is often met with remedial English courses in the first semester of college. Utilize this guide to refresh your cognizance of rudimentary grammar rules, and to understand what you require to ken and apply in your college classes. A gap in skill level is often met with remedial English courses in the first semester of college. It's is for this reason that all students should become familiar with the three following types of writing assignments arguments research and expository.

Throughout the semester, the first year writing program gave students the privilege to become improved writers. Students received the opportunity to identify their strengths and weaknesses and come to a conclusion on what makes favorable writing. While writing the assigned essays this semester, I realized being able to read and write about something that is relatable is extremely critical. When an individual can relate to what they are reading, they will be more engaged compared to reading a piece that fails to connect to them. Although the first year writing program succeeded in building up better writers, there is always room for improvement. The program could consider new pieces of work and content that is recent that students can form an opinion on and relate to.

I believe I have achieved most of the course learning objectives as I pass this class with a c or higher. I undertook the writing process we learned in class and it has helped me become a better writer. Before I entered my freshman year of college I didn’t know how to write. But as I undertook the writing process I was taught in class I now know how to write. First when it came to writing my assignment papers for my class I grabbed a notebook and did prewriting . I brainstormed a list of ideas for my papers. I then had a plan on everything I was going to write about. I then sit down and write my first draft. I make sure my first paragraph is a strong