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Sarah Riegel
Professor Jan Rieman
UWRT 1103
September 28, 2014
Midterm Reflection
This letter was a very personal way to consider how far I have come in this course and
where I would like to end up. I felt I was able to integrate the different required elements and
answers within my paper. After my peer editing session, I focused on structuring my sentences in
a clearer, more concise way to limit distractions for my audience. I enjoyed most the first portion
of my essay where I discussed how my ideas about writing have changed and expanded to
include discovery. Because of this, I think this part of my letter is most effective. If I had more
time and space to write, I would expand on how I am fulfilling the student commitments.
Dear Professor Rieman,
Throughout the first half of this semester, I have been struck by how much reading and
writing is involved in college, even courses that are not typically writing-based. For instance, in
my Calculus III course, though I am not writing papers in the conventional sense, writing is part
of the process through which I solve complicated problems. I use writing to think through every
step of the problem. Previously, my academic definition of writing focused on writing academic
essays and research papers, and did not overlap much with writing I did for enjoyment or social
purposes. My college experience has shown me that I had put writing in a very restricted,
confined box. My attempt to keep different forms of writing in separate spheres was a hindrance.
Through all of my courses this semester, I have better understood how writing is all about
thinking. I personally learn best in sequence, and writing allows my thoughts to flow in a logical

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order. Writing also helps me cultivate big-picture thinking by creating a more conducive
environment to making connections. This logical progression and connection-making in writing
becomes a process that frees my mind to make discoveries. For example, in my Writing to
Explore piece responding to Writers on Writing, I was able to deeply consider the effectiveness
of my own writing process through a logical progression of exploration from the outward
environment to the internal aspects that influence how I choose to write. I then moved into an
exploration of the writing processes of the three authors interviewed in the video. I was able to
make connections between some of their writing habits and my own process. This succession of
exploration and connection-making allowed me to make a final discovery at the end of my paper.
I found that we each have a [writing] process that works best for us because each of our
thought processes is unique. I realized that writing reflects the uniqueness of our thoughts and
thought processes, what we commonly refer to as creativity. The rhetorical movements we make,
our writing processes, and the finished products all demonstrate this.
I have also adjusted to the idea that successful writing necessitates awareness. I have
done far more reflective writing, which fosters self-awareness, in the last six weeks than in my
entire high school career. Beyond these purely reflective pieces, I have discovered that all
writing, from a Facebook status update to a lengthy research paper, requires an awareness of
purpose, rhetorical knowledge, and genre conventions. Though my physical writing process has
remained unchanged, my preparation for writing is now more purposeful and reflective. Kerry
Dirks Navigating Genres is what first encouraged me to consider conventions and rhetorical
knowledge. He recommends asking, What is the purpose? Who is the audience? How much
freedom do you have? How does the location affect the genre? Through various assignments,

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such as Framework for Success in Three Genres or Writing to Explore pieces, asking myself
these questions as the first step in my writing process is becoming second nature.
It will not surprise you that so far this semester my favorite writing has been of a
reflective nature. This is because I feel that I find more ways to improve my own writing and
critical literacy through this type of writing. The piece I am least proud of this semester is the
first reflective letter I wrote to my Honors Colloquium instructor. This is because I failed to
make connections between my own thoughts and Karl Paulnacks Welcome Address, which
was the purpose of our assignment. The piece I am most proud of was my first Writing to
Explore piece about the differences between typing and writing by hand. I feel that this was the
first piece for which I really considered rhetorical movements and interacted most with my own
writing. I started the piece with a picture of my handwriting, part of which is shown below. This
helped my audience start thinking about their own handwriting and typing. I provided hyperlinks
that let me make connections and lead my audience to make their own. For example, I wrote
handwriting would lend itself more to those with more active, visual, and sequential learning
styles than typing would. By incorporating my own handwriting and digital composition tools
into my writing, I was better able to explore the topic and relate to my audience.

My idea of research has also changed dramatically. I am most familiar with


argumentative research papers, which are often structured so that you must know your main
points before even starting research. Though I enjoy constructing a well-supported argument, I
dislike the research process. Through the Inquiry PowerPoint you created, I came to understand

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research more in terms of inquiry. You explained that inquiry is in opposition to the kind of
singularity of focus a research paper sometimes engenders. I cannot tell you how excited I was
to realize that inquiry is like a more explorative research project. It is not about proving a predecided point, but rather about interacting with different sources to discover new ideas.
This brings me to what I hope to learn more about this semester. I really want to work on
inquiry, which I know will be realized through the extended inquiry project. To be more specific,
I would like to better understand how to present my findings in a style other than an
argumentative paper. I hope we will be able to have some discussion about how the end product
of this project will look. I will be setting goals for myself that are more about reflection than
achievement in order to create my own expectations for presenting my findings. I will also be
spending time becoming comfortable with digital composing technologies since I know much of
this project will be demonstrated through my electronic portfolio. In addition, I would like to
work more on peer workshop techniques, both in developing constructive feedback for others
and in integrating useful comments into my own revision. I plan to work on this through
workshops in and out of this class, and perhaps asking peers to review my work even when not
required. I would like to read comments given by others on a fellow peers writing. I will start
setting aside more time to write comments and review them.
In light of my intentions to expand on my peer workshop techniques and skills, I would
also like to respond to some of the comments you have made regarding my writing. I really
appreciate the in-depth comments you make that let me know what works well and what I should
explore further. For the reading response I wrote concerning Kohns From Degrading to DeGrading, you explained that it was beneficial to recognize that I am motivated by grades.
However, there was a second part to my statement. I wrote that I am someone who is motivated

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by grades while still wanting to challenge myself. I wanted to show that I am in opposition to
Kohns idea that grades tend to reduce students preference for challenging tasks. Is there a
way that I could have better demonstrated this reason for disagreeing with Kohn in this regard?
Also, you commented on my fourth Writing to Explore assignment that it's important to know
our purpose for reading before we start. As I was considering this, I developed a question about
reading in general. Does reading require the same level of rhetorical, conventional, and
contextual awareness that writing does, and does this contribute to critical literacy?
I am really excited that our inquiry projects will be based on identity. I personally find
the majority of my own identity in my spiritual beliefs, and have spent a great deal of time
exploring this through studying the Bible. However, for this project, I am interested in how we
identify with places. I first became interested in this idea when we wrote in each others day
books about how we identify with place and then each read another persons writing aloud. After
exploring dialect maps and the article What Say You, I have become interested in how regional
dialect reflects this. Though raised in the South, I do not have a strong southern accent. However,
I have always been charmed and fascinated by them. I wonder, are the environments in which we
write, purposes and audiences we write for, conventions we use, and rhetorical movements we
make affected by place or dialect?
Moving forward, I think I need to intentionally develop openness and creativity. I tend to
compartmentalize what I learn, which can be helpful; however, I will need these habits of mind
to be able to make big picture connections in my extended inquiry project. By recognizing and
striving to maintain and cultivate the habits of mind, I am fulfilling the first area of student
commitment listed in the grading contract. I have fulfilled the remaining six by completing and
turning in assignments on time, attending and participating in class and group work, improving

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my peer workshopping skills, and exploring and being genuinely reflective in my Writing to
Explore assignments, reading responses, and reflective work. I truly appreciate that you have
facilitated learning and improvement in these areas in order to satisfy your instructor
commitment. I see this particularly in your willingness to always answer questions promptly and
fully. I look forward to our midterm conference, and am sure it will be beneficial.
Sincerely,
Sarah Riegel

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