In the past 10 weeks we’ve covered a lot of ground regarding not only writing, but also research techniques all under the overarching theme of service learning. As you reflect on this quarter, in what area do you think you’ve improved the most? Was there a particular assignment that challenged you to enhance your writing or research methods?
In exploring different types of writing styles, we’ve also analyzed and observed many different opinions about the homeless and homelessness. How, if at all, has this class changed your thoughts about the homeless? If you’re view points did change, why do you think this is? Do you think centering a writing class on a social issue is an effective way to teach writing?
A big part of this class was the service learning aspect. We read article that both supported and negated the effects of service learning. Even a piece of our grade in this class was based upon our own volunteer work. After 10 weeks of experience with a service learning program, what do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of a class like this? Would you participate in a service learning course again? Why or Why not?
-Emily
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Through out this course, I think the area of my writing that has received the majority of attention and benefited the most has to be the ‘nuts and bolts’ area of writing. I've learned how to cite in several different formats, how to include these citations and texts, and more importantly, where to find this information when I need it again. But style has also seen an improvement; also I think I use a better sense of voice. I also believe that I can now back up my findings with the three different areas of analysis more clearly and with more validity.
In regards to my thoughts of homeless, I think that I really have seen another side of the aspect and I understand now how all my previous ways of thinking about this issue was flawed. I believe I have a better idea of what we can do to improve the situation and how we can better focus on the real problems at hand.
I think that a writing class based around a social issue is a fantastic way to teach writing. It no longer becomes something that can't be observed by an individual. It is no longer a vague concept which can only be referred to from second hand sources. This is fantastic. it encourages participation, and in many cases requires it. I would definitely participate in another service learning course again. I seem to have gained so much from this class. I feel I have a really grown as a writer.
I think that is class has improved my research writing and it has improved my techniques for doing research for research-type papers. In addition, I am now very familiar with the different resources and databases that Penrose offers and I am able to use them quickly and efficiently. I think the one assignment that challenged me to enhance my writing methods the most was the Contrasting Qualitative Rhetorics Essay, because it encouraged me to extremely detailed and clear with my writing.
In addition to an improved change in my writing this class has provided me with a change in my opinions and attitudes about homelessness. I now understand that homelessness has many causes and most often a person is homeless due to unfortunate circumstances beyond their control and not because they are lazy or drug-addicts. Also, I now view homeless people as people first and homeless second. I understand that they are really no different from me, because I have shared a brief relationship with a homeless boy who really wasn’t all that different from me. I think as a result of this class I will be less uncomfortable the next time I see a homeless person on the street and more willing to offer them help. In addition, I have a new appreciation for the patience that people who are homeless have to have with the systems that are in place to help them, because the systems themselves are flawed and they take a great deal of determination to put up with. This class has changed my attitudes and feelings towards homelessness for the better.
It is my belief that centering a writing class on particular social issue is an effective was to teach writing. Through this class and this one social issue alone I have learned 3 different types of research writing, so who knows that other writing classes centered on different social issues may teach me or other students. Centering a writing class on one particular social issue gives the class a focus and puts the writing into perspective so that the students aren’t just writing about some prompt or made-up situation, but instead they are writing about real life problems.
The area I improved in the most would be researching and incorporating it into my writing. In the past, when I would have to use more than one source, I would only take a sentence or two from each source, but throughout this course I learned how to find good sources that would add value to my paper. I also learned that the research shouldn't be the basis on my paper, but support to my argument. There was one assignment in particular that challenged my researching methods: Ragged Dick paper. I spent hours trying to find sources to support the topic I was writing on. I feel that it was more difficult because we weren't writing about general topics but more specific areas and it's hard to find specific research to meet our guidelines.
My thoughts about homeless has changed over the course of this class. I had a very stereotypical view of what a homeless person was. I thought that every homeless person was at fault for their situations and that is not the case. I think my points changed because of contact with the homeless (like Professor Knecht's research study). I did do service work in the past with homeless, but it didn't involve a lot of contact with them and Project Homeless Connect really changed my perspective. I think that centering a writing class on a social issue is an effective way to teach writing because I think it adds more feeling and emotion to what is being written. A social issue is something that many people have different opinions on and whether they are for or against it, they are able to express it in their writing.
I really liked that this class was a service learning class because it gave an opportunity for us to involved in outreach like Project Homeless Connect and for me the Denver Rescue Mission. I think strengths of a class like this being able to give back to the community and have learning experiences outside of the classroom. I feel that one weakness, that is really not a weakness of the class though, is being able to cordinate volunteering time outside of a set date, like Project Homeless Connect. I would participate in a service learning course again because honestly, I may not remember everything I learned throughout the course in 5 years, but I will remember what it was like to help someone else.
To be perfectly honest, I was not looking forward to having to take another writing class. I thought that I had already done my freshman writing sequence at my other school and I was unhappy that Denver would not accept it. After about two days in this class, I realized that not having the credits transfer was a blessing in disguise. This class has really helped me to understand the various types of research writing. I have done quite a bit of work with fact based research writing, but never really done too much fiction based research writing. In that way, I think the first essay was the hardest for me, but I think that I also learned the most from it.
In regards to the homeless, I think that contact with people different from ones’ self is always beneficial. My thoughts about the homeless have not changed, but I would say I have a much more compelling argument for why we should help them. I have always been sympathetic towards them, but now I really know many more facts about homelessness and I think that that will help me defend and help them in the future.
I think that centering this class on service learning was a great idea. It was very engaging for me as a student and challenged me as a writer. When we go out in the real world, if we are compiling a research document about a certain topic, say homelessness, it is important to be able to research it in as many ways possible. I thought this class, by focusing on a certain topic, really made me improve as a writer. It also gave a lot of people the experience of doing service work, which not everyone has done before. Doing service work has taught me so many important life lessons, so I am a firm believer that everyone should do service work at some point in their lives. By combining service work and writing together, made for a very engaging educational experience.
I think that this writing course has helped me improve my writing skills in many ways. I felt that I learned how to write in different formats pretty well and also be able to cite sources in my paper. The hardest part was looking through academic resources and through the database, looking for articles that would fit in with my subject.
While we explored different types of writing, I was also able to change my view about the homeless. I now understand that not all people are homeless due to drugs and alcohol or laziness, but sometimes it ends up being something outside of that, such as forces of nature, bad relationships, and maybe losing a job. I think that being in a writing class centered around a social issue like this is a great thing. It makes you become aware of what is going on outside, and also makes you participate and become engaged with the issue. I would definitely participate in a service learning course. I gained so much as a writer and as a person from this class, being able to relate writing to real life issues.
I have really enjoyed both the structure and the theme of the class. From what I've learned in the psychology class I've taken, I know that people learn best when they can relate the material back to themselves. By writing about ourselves and having to relate pieces of literature to our own experiences, we attain a deeper understanding of our world.
This class has done a lot to change my thoughts about the homeless. I feel like I was always sympathetic to their plight, but I was more than comfortable not doing anything to change it. Now, I feel like it is my duty--as a memeber of society, and also as someone well-educated in Denver's homeless problem--to help and to recruit help. I have volunteered much more than I used to, and I convinced my mom to join me once! I think combining action with reading and writing makes a student care more about the lessons they learn
With an issue as broad as homelessness, I found it very easy to apply it to multiple types of writing. Literarily, it is theme found in novels, short stories, and poems. Qualitatively, many studies (both formal and informal) have been done to understand homeless through the eyes of the homeless. Quantitatively, research into the numbers and demographics of the homeless is done all over America in order to improve the situation. I think, therefore, that a social issue is especially effective for a research and writing class. I would love to participate in a similar class (a service-learning class) in the future.
I think, that as strange as it seems, my opinion towards the homeless has not changed a whole lot. I admit, that now, I understand that many homeless people are victims of their situation, and are not homeless because of laziness or anything like that. However, I still seem to feel uncomfortable around the homeless. I wish that I could get rid of that unsettling feeling when a homeless person approaches, but I guess, even knowing that many are not mentally ill, it is difficult to know the intentions of all homeless people.
I liked that this class had a centered focus, because with each writing style, it gave us a definite direction. I also did like the service learning aspect of this class. I think that it did give me a broader insight into the lives of the homeless and I enjoyed it. In the future though, I am not sure I will take a class like this because it is very difficult, sometimes, to fit volunteer hours into my schedule. I did find it rewarding though, and I think that it is an experience that most students should have to gain a better understanding of their society.
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