A Brief Guide to Evaluating Your Own Writing

Youre probably used to having your writing evaluated by teachers. The odd abbreviations (AGR, REF, AWK!), the comments in the margins, the grade at the end of the paper--these are all methods used by instructors to identify what they see as the strengths and weaknesses of your work. Such evaluations can be quite helpful, but theyre no substitute for a thoughtful self-evaluation.* As the writer, you can evaluate the whole process of composing a paper, from coming up with a topic to revising and editing drafts. Your instructor, on the other hand, often can evaluate only the final product. A good self-evaluation is neither a defense nor an apology. Rather, its a way of becoming more aware of what you go through when you write and of what troubles (if any) that you regularly run into. Writing a brief self-evaluation each time you have completed a writing project should make you more aware of your strengths as a writer and help you see more clearly what skills you need to work on. Finally, if you decide to share your self-evaluations with a writing instructor or tutor, your comments can guide your teachers as well. By seeing where youre having problems, they may be able to offer more helpful advice when they come to evaluate your work. So after you finish your next composition, try writing a concise self-evaluation. The following four questions should help you get started, but feel free to add comments not covered by these questions. A Self-Evaluation Guide What part of writing this paper took the most time? Perhaps you had trouble finding a topic or expressing a particular idea. Maybe you agonized over a single word or phrase. Be as specific as you can when you answer this question. What is the most significant difference between your first draft and this final version? Explain if you changed your approach to the subject, if you reorganized the paper in any significant way, or if you added or deleted any important details. What do you think is the best part of your paper? Explain why a particular sentence, paragraph, or idea pleases you. What part of this paper could still be improved? Again, be specific. There may be a troublesome sentence in the paper or an idea that isnt expressed as clearly as you would like it to be. * Note to Instructors Just as students need to learn how to conduct peer reviews effectively, they need practice and training in carrying out self-evaluations if the process is to be worthwhile. Consider Betty Bambergs summary of a study conducted by Richard Beach. In a study specifically designed to investigate the effect of teacher comment and self-evaluation on revision, Beach [The Effects of Between-Draft Teacher Evaluation Versus Student Self-Evaluation on High School Students Revising of Rough Drafts in Research in the Teaching of English, 13 (2), 1979] compared students who used a self-evaluation guide to revise drafts, received teacher responses to drafts, or were told to revise on their own. After analyzing the amount and kind of revision that resulted with each of these instructional strategies, he found that students who received teacher evaluation showed a greater degree of change, higher fluency, and more support in their final drafts than students who used the self-evaluation forms. Moreover, students who used the self-evaluation guides engaged in no more revising than those who were asked to revise on their own without any assistance. Beach concluded the self-evaluation forms were ineffective because students had received little instruction in self-assessment and were not used to detaching themselves critically from their writing. As a result, he recommended that teachers provide evaluation during the writing of drafts (p. 119).(Betty Bamberg, Revision. Concepts in Composition: Theory and Practice in the Teaching of Writing, 2nd ed., ed. by Irene L. Clarke. Routledge, 2012) Most students need to conduct several self-evaluations at different stages of the writing process before theyre comfortable detaching themselves critically from their own writing. In any case, self-evaluations shouldnt be regarded as substitutes for thoughtful responses from teachers and peers.

Individual And Family Structured Therapy Models Essay

Within both individual and family structured therapy models, there exists pros and cons. Individual therapy, as mentioned before, is centered around a client–counselor interaction, where the counselor focuses his or her attention on the client’s needs. This provides a one–on–one interaction that encourages openness and security. During individual therapy, the client has the counselors undivided attention. This in return allows the counselor to focus specifically on the clients concerns. As we’ve explored already, individual therapy has proven to be an effective technique in reducing recidivism. One form of psychotherapy used by the criminal justice system is cognitive behavioral therapy. As mentioned previously, cognitive behavioral therapy assumes that most people can become conscious of their own thoughts and behaviors and therefore make a positive change. To make a positive change, its important to understand the theory behind behavior. Cognitive theory of motivation seeks to explain human behavior as a product of information that has been actively processed and interpreted. This perspective runs counter to rationalizing human behavior as automatic responses governed by innate drives, needs, and reactions. Proponents of cognitive motivation assert that people’s expectations guide their behavior. Motivation, is therefore rooted in two basic factors. The first involves available information. Initially, the individual will process a situation based on whatever input isShow MoreRelatedMultiple Therapeutic Models of a Family1285 Words   |  5 PagesMultiple Therapeutic Models of a Family Name Institutional Affiliation Date: Multiple Therapeutic Models of a Family The main components of structural therapy Structural therapy is a family treatment model founded on the frameworks of systems theory. 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Therapists help clients to overcome their difficulties by changing their thinking, behavior, and emotional responses. A System of Psychotherapy Cognitive therapy is a comprehensive system of psychotherapy, and treatment is based on an elaborated and empirically

Describe Techniques to Enhance Group Communication Free Essays

Describe Techniques to enhance group communication Effective group communication begins with knowledge and sensitivity. A good manager should know their group and be able to effectively analyze how they work or analyze information. The manager should be creative in addressing mixed groups with the foresight that everyone could and probably will react to the message differently. We will write a custom essay sample on Describe Techniques to Enhance Group Communication or any similar topic only for you Order Now Communication is the key factor in a group for portraying thoughts and messages. A manager should be creative in expressing these thoughts in such a way that everyone can take hold of it with their own personality and still come out with the same message. Groups will come to barriers created by individual evaluation of the meaning of a managers message. All ideas will be distorted due to each individual perception of an idea. As a group grows, so do the number of meanings that a message can carry. Each individual will input their own emotions, wants and needs into the message a manager is trying to carry forward. Timing is key in delivering an effective message. If morale is down, messages about lay-offs or cost cutting are not going to be accepted well. If a manager can try to approach a group that is on a high note, most studies show that any information will be accepted and allowed to sink in before reacting irrationally. In each group, everyone will have their own creative thoughts to express. The problem is that usually everyone has a different view to express about their meaning of the idea on the table. Each person should be allowed to convey their thoughts and a discussion may aid in hammering out everyone’s difference so that each member of the group can gain an understanding of how the other person came to their conclusion. Managers should allow for a brainstorming session so that everyone has an equal opportunity to share and explode upon ideas. This can also open creative doors in people that may normally not come forward. However, when they see a team working together, they may see a door of opportunity and jump in. We’ve already learned that one message can carry many meanings for groups of people. If the same group of people are allowed to stretch, share and explain their reasoning, it could bring the group closer while bringing them closer to a shared evaluation of the message being brought forward. How to cite Describe Techniques to Enhance Group Communication, Papers