Core Value I. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.
In this course I learned that writing is more than creating one draft and being done with it, as I am used to. In this course, I found myself constantly revising my work to the point where the original was almost completely different than the final draft. The piece that most displays this value is my Causal Argument. I originally wrote my causal argument about standardized tests causing minority students to be at a disadvantage. However, Professor Hodges left feedback that brought up points that I had not originally considered. One of the points that I had not considered was where I initially contradicted myself. I had stated that minority students were not prepared fully for standardized tests but then later stated that teachers in minority schools teach to much to the test. Even though when I posted it I thought my essay was good, having someone else read it allowed me to rethink my logic. I reworked the entire argument to make a stronger and more clear piece and by the end almost every aspect of it had changed.
Core Value II. My work demonstrates that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities.
While preparing for my research paper, it was important to read many different texts from a range of sources in order to get a full grasp on my topic. While analyzing different sources it was clear to see that, although some were more similar than others, all the sources in one way or another contained similar ideas and worked off of each other. Therefore, in my work it was important to show all of the ideas that I had learned and highlight the differences between different sources. The work that most shows Core Value II is my Definition Argument. In that piece, where I attempt to define “test equity,” I cited three sources to make my case. All three pieces shared similar ideas about the fundamentals of standardized testing but all came to unique conclusions. Therefore, I used the conclusions that each of the sources used in order to create a conversation about test equity.
Core Value III. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.
Throughout this course, I have learned that every work has a purpose and intended audience. In my Visual Rewrite, I displayed this core value by analyzing the purpose of the 30 second ad “How Much Would You Like to Lose?” The purpose of the assignment was to show that every aspect of the ad was placed there for a particular purpose. In this ad, even the man and woman’s clothes were placed for a purpose. First, the man and women were dressed elegantly which indicate that they were on a date. Later, the man’s clothing began to change into raggedy garments. Then, the couple’s body language change where the woman began to shift away from the man as if she was no longer interested in him and the man begun to display looks of shame. For this ad, the intended audience was those who drink and it showed the audience the dangers of buzzed driving. Without thoroughly analyzing the piece, I would not have been able to fully understand the purpose of the ad. I was able to incorporate this concept into my other pieces during the semester.
Core Value IV: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.
In my work, it has been important to evaluate many pieces from a variety of different sources. The assignment that most reflects Core Value IV is my Bibliography where I cited the twelve sources I used in my Research Paper. I clearly did not have enough research or experience to write an entire research paper on standardized testing so I had to find sources to support my ideas to persuade my audience. Some of my sources were research studies, such as Kenneth Wodtke’s “Exploratory Observational Study of Standardized Group Testing in Kindergarten,” which allowed me to use real-life observations to relate to my general thesis. Other sources were surveys or statistics, such as NAEP’s data on the achievement gap, which I was able to incorporate to further persuade my readers. I naturally incorporated all of the sources from my bibliography to create solid evidence to support my argument about standardized testing.
Core Value V. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation.
In my research paper, I expressed the complex and controversial debate that surrounds standardized testing in American public schools. As with anything controversial, it was important to express my ideas as fairly as possible. It was also important to acknowledge opinions that differ from mine and refute them respectfully and fairly. In my Rebuttal Rewrite, I was able to accomplish that. The source that I chose to refute, Latasha Gandy’s “Don’t Believe the Hype, Standardized Testing is Good for Children, Families, and Schools,” the author conveyed a set of beliefs that were completely different than the ones that I was conveying in my research paper. She believed that standardized testing was the most important tool in fighting educational justice in America. Although I did not agree with her argument, it was still important to acknowledge her points and clearly state the basis of her argument. By showing my readers this point, I was able to respectfully refute her argument by using the sources I had gathered in order to support my own points.
Rowan Counterintuitive 