Core 103/101

Self-evaluation

Our time is almost over . . .

The paper is due at your exam time. So is this final self-evaluation, which replaces the writer’s memo for your final paper.

After you have written and revised your final paper, and revised the one additional one you want to hand for a higher grade (if you choose), set them aside and reflect on them. Reflect also on the three papers you have written over the course of the semester, their purposes and audiences, subjects and styles. If you hand in a revised paper, you must, in your self-evaluation, discuss how it was revised (provide examples) and how these revisions are important to your growth as a writer.

In writing your self-evaluation, you could invoke your comparison (writing is like . . . ) that you made at the beginning of class. Do you view writing differently now? Whatever form it takes, keep the following considerations in mind:

Describe the work -- Because you will need to refer to several works or parts of a work, be careful to name each one in a consistent way. In describing an essay, give its title and review briefly its purpose and topic.

Justify your choices – Discuss the paper you are most proud of. When you justify what you see as your "best" work, you reveal what standards you have established for yourself about good work. These standards are fundamental to what you have learned.

Reflect on your learning -- Consider what you have learned in writing and revising a particular essay as well as what you have learned about the process of writing essays. Talk about specific moments (breakthroughs) or examples (quote parts of your paper) to illustrate some aspect of your writing and your growth as a writer. What advice do you have for yourself? For others learning to write? Please examine at least one piece of writing or writing situation in detail.

Also consider (consider means you don’t have to talk about each one but you can decide what’s important for you and your self-evaluation):

Audience. Who do you write for? What effect does the audience have on your writing?

Purpose. Why is it you write? How does having a clear sense of purpose help the writing?

Subject. What is it you usually write about, like to write about? How important is having a good topic?

Process. What do you go through when you write?

Peer Review. What kinds of feedback have you received?

Problems. What things have given you trouble; where have you made breakthroughs, progress?

Revision. What do you tend to do in revision? Provide examples of significant revisions you made.

Risk taking. Do you attempt to write about things that aren’t easy for you? Do you attempt to look at things from other points of view, and challenge assumptions you may hold?

Myths. What are some of the misconceptions you may have had about your writing or writing in general?

This should be about two pages in length, double-spaced.