Brian Herhold

Professor Connie Douglas

UWRT 1101-090
4 November 2014

Final Reflection
Since the beginning of the semester, I have reached a deeper understanding of
what it means to be a good writer. I have learned that the best writing is developed
through rigorous thoughts, critical thinking, active engagement, and reflecting on the
literacy process.
Writing rigorously has been one of my main focuses this semester. In my wiring, I
have really tried to show that I was analyzing and questioning ideas through multiple
angles. The development of rigorous writing can be seen by looking under the critical
thinking tab. In the daybook entry titled Rigor Reflection Definition, I have spent a lot of
time figuring out how I can make my writing more rigorous. Rigorous writing can also be
seen when looking at my This I Believe paper. I really tried to question what moved
me as a writer. I tried to think of something that really got to the inner core of my brain
and my heart. I decided that giving our time, talent and treasure to others so that we can
change someone elses life is the ultimate source of satisfaction. Through Rand Pausch, I
looked at life through a different lens. I realized that our life is what we make of it. We
have to ability to change another persons life or we have to ability to sit back and do
nothing. Through my countless hours of thinking, I realized that in order to reach a
deeper understanding of who we really are we have to impact the lives of those around

us. I realized that material possessions have no value and that our impact on another
person is really all that matters. When we leave this earth, our material possessions will
leave us, but our actions may impact others forever.
I have also tried to show rigorous thought within my daybook entries. I have
made deep connections between ideas that are not normally thought of. For example, in
the daybook entry Coaches Can Read Too: An Ethnographic Study of a Football
Coaching Discourse Community I began to think about all the planning and research
that goes into a football game. Coaches have to study the opponent teams defense and
offense. They have to know which players are faster and which ones are two steps of the
play before it is called out. Coaches have to know when to execute a specific play at a
given time depending on who is on the field. They also have to serve as a support system
for the team. They have to be the best role model because everyone looks up to them.
I have also focused a lot on thinking critically throughout my writing this
semester. I have learned that critical thinking is having the ability to think for ones self
reliably, responsibly and accurately. Thinking critically involves processing information
in the must skillful, accurate and rigorous matter possible. I really tried to show rigorous
thinking through my ethnography titled A Sport That Motivates You to be Yourself. In
this ethnography, I tried to think of a reason why skateboarders skate. I found out that
they do it for satisfaction, accomplishment, challenge and a feeling that leaves you in the
zone. I really tried to figure out why the skateboarders continually tried over and over
again despite constant failure. Through interviewing and further observation, I found out
that that they are intrinsically motivated to get their tricks down. They know that once
they complete the trick, they will be pleased with themselves and they will be able to

move on to more difficult tricks. There is also a sense of community and support that a
lot of people dont realize. The skateboarders always make each other feel welcome.
They dont judge you on how you skate and they dont laugh at you for falling.
I also really tried to show active engagement inside and outside of class. Since the
midterm reflection, I have participated in class more. I believe that I have allowed others
to reach a deeper understanding of various literacy topics. By participating, I have
improved other classmates process of critical thinking because they are making
connections that they would not make without me. Outside of class, I have acted as a
leader for the Zine project. I took the initiative to set up a template and to start working
on it before anyone else in my group. I also emailed each of my group members making
sure that they had all the correct components. I made sure that everyone had their
advertisements and the correct number of articles. I believe that without my input, the
presentation would have fallen apart and the structure of the Zine would be weak.
Under the RESEARCH SKILLS AND PROCESS tab, you can see how my peers
evaluated my major literary works. Based on their evaluations, I have learned that my
writing structure can be unsteady at times. To fix this, I stressed having a distinct theme
in my future papers. I also worked very hard to perfect the clarity of my sentences. I
realized that if paragraphs are choppy and disorganized, the audience will lose focus and
they will not get as much out of it. I believe that one of the most important parts of
writing is to appeal to the correct audience. I strived to make my writing influential so
that the reader steps back for a second and really thinks about what is being said. I want
the audience to feel moved and have satisfaction after reading my papers.

Under the WRITING SKILLS AND PROCESS tab, my major literary works are
present. In each reflection, I tried to show how I have improved as a literary writer. In
each reflection, I point out parts where I thought critically, developed rigorous writing
and appealed to the audience to make sure they get the most out of my writing.
Under the REFLECTION tab, I have made corrections to my major literacy
works. Based on the feedback I was given, I made the appropriate changes and tried to
show the development of my writing since it was last graded. Since I did well on all three
of the major literacy works, only simple grammatical changes were made.