A Reflection on The Improvement in My Reading, Writing, and Learning

Through taking this class, I have significantly improved in my reading, writing, and learning! I have noticed these improvements several times as I have written assignments for other classes, as well as during general reading. I have focused on my strengths and aimed to fix my weaknesses. This growth and expansion is unique to this semester for me. I have never felt as confident about these skills until the completion of this course. These abilities will follow me into my future career, and I am appreciative of this opportunity. Prior to this course, I was not good at discovering hidden meanings and ideas in readings, and I also had many grammatical issues. Now, I have strengthened in both areas, thanks to the ideas and reflections presented throughout the entire semester (McWhorter, 2018).

Reading has always been a struggle for me. Not reading out loud, but finding the hidden themes in texts. However, this course required that we read and analyze articles such as the one by Fallow. This weakness made those writings somewhat difficult. I had to read and research a lot, but by doing so, I learned the proper mechanisms to complete such tasks (Graff & Birkenstein, 2018). Now, I feel confident about putting the puzzle pieces together. I can more easily pick out the hidden themes and issues that authors include in their writings. This is a great skill to master, and I am very fortunate to have had such assignments that focus on enabling me to strengthen these weaknesses. Reading is not just about speaking; it is also about finding ideas and making sense of the presented materials (Oshima & Hogue, 2018). Reading is very essential to the entire process, because once one is familiarized with proper reading techniques, they can also improve in other areas such as writing.

Through this class, my writing skills have also improved significantly. I have noticed these changes after my improvements in reading concluded. The two go together—once one improves, the other follows. Initially, I dreaded writing. It is very hard to write when English is not your first language. However, now I actually enjoy writing and use it as a way to express my thoughts and ideas (Hacker, 2019). Writing is one of the most important skills that any student can possess. If one is good at writing, they can change the world. I noticed, in my initial writings, I had many grammatical errors. However, these instances are fewer now, which I feel very proud to say. Grammar is very confusing; yet, through revisions and criticism, I learned where my common mistakes were primarily concentrated (Strunk & White, 2017). They mostly related to tense. I had a hard time deciphering which tense to use in sentences, but I have significantly improved in those instances.

I have employed an entirely new thought process through these improvements (Williams & Colomb, 2020). I have learned that sometimes criticism is needed. I have learned that we all have weaknesses and these should not bring us down. I have certainly gained a more proactive attitude towards improving in things that I have struggled with for a long time. Before this change, I used to have a negative thought process. Each time I faced something I struggled with, I would immediately dread it. Now, when I think negatively, I can immediately reflect on more positive aspects—like how much I have improved in all three of these skills.

In the future, I hope that I can write and read at an expert level. This can be accomplished through reading and writing daily. Practice does not make perfect, but it does lead to improvements (Bussmann & Jansen, 2018). Revisions and peer-based criticism are certainly needed in this process. This is how I realized the majority of my errors in both categories. In the future, I hope to carry over the many skills I have gained this semester, while also aiming for further enhancements.

Works Cited
Anderson, P. (2017). Technical Communication: A Reader-Centered Approach. Cengage Learning.
Bussmann, H., & Jansen, E. A. (2018). How to Write and Illustrate a Scientific Paper. Cambridge University Press.
Graff, G., & Birkenstein, C. (2018). They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. W. W. Norton & Company.
Hacker, D. (2019). A Writer's Reference. Bedford/St. Martin's.
Lunsford, A. A., & Ruszkiewicz, J. J. (2020). Everything's an Argument with Readings. Bedford/St. Martin's.
McWhorter, K. T. (2018). Reading and Writing About Contemporary Issues. Bedford/St. Martin's.
Oshima, A., & Hogue, A. (2018). Writing Academic English. Pearson Education.
Rosen, L. D., & Lim, A. F. (2018). Writing for the Information Age: Elements of Style for the 21st Century. Cengage Learning.
Strunk, W., Jr., & White, E. B. (2017). The Elements of Style. Penguin.
Williams, J. M., & Colomb, G. G. (2020). Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace. Pearson Education.