Transformative Learning

The final week of Writing 37 is about reflecting on the transformative learning throughout the quarter.

The readings of various memoirs such as "The Lost Sister: An Elegy" by Joyce Carol Oates, "A Letter to My Mother That She Will Never Read" by Ocean Vuong, and "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" by Gloria Anzaldua not only helped me understand the conventions of a memoir as a sub-genre of creative non-fiction but also helped me learn how to analyze unfamiliar genres. It has made me understand how rhetorical choices of a genre play an integral role in conveying the message to the audience. I have also learned the techniques to approach new genres in writing. The readings have, therefore, helped me "situate a text within its generic context by identifying its key genre conventions, discourse communities, and purpose" according to the course objectives.

"The Lost Sister: An Elegy"

by Joyce Carol Oates

My annotations of "The Lost Sister : An Elegy" using metacognitive reading tools

I have learned how to deeply read the text using metacognitive reading to understand it thoroughly and engage with the text. Thoughtful annotations deepen our understanding of the text and act as a guideline for analysis. The metacognitive reading has made me approach the readings in a focused manner. When I look back at my journey of Writing 37, I will remember the metacognitive reading strategies such as previewing, making connections, identifying a problem, summarizing, and questioning.

However, I am still in the process of learning how to analyze the affordances of different modes in appropriate genre models. In the future, I am going to analyze how online magazines use visual and spatial modes to engage the audience in their publication to understand multimodal writing. I also think that I could better learn how to develop an effective thesis which is arguable and sophisticated. I plan to practice writing effective theses in future writing classes using the Sheridan Baker method.

Multimodal Composition

It feels nostalgic to write the final blog post as it has become a routine for 10 weeks!

I had some much to cherish from Writing 37 as it has made me appreciate non-fiction writing and taught me critical reading and writing skills that I will carry on to future writing classes.