Jaleh Montazer
Mrs.Tenly
Independent Research
January 8th, 2016
Week 14 Reflection
This week marked the beginning of 2016 but also first week back from winter break. It was extremely difficult to come back to school especially after my trip to Rome. After spending 8 days in Italy it was not easy to come back and spend 5 days in Franklin High School.But whether is was easy or not we had to spend the week perfecting our Literature Reviews. The process of reading each others Literature Reviews was both rewarding and eye opening. It showed me how behind my writing skills are when compared to both Barret and Luke. Although my literature review fulfills the requirements it was nowhere near complete when we were peer editing each others paper. Both Barret and Luke showed me that my sentence structure is very plain and boring. They pointed out the fact that I use the same sentence structure throughout the whole paper which makes it boring to read. I want to make sure that if and when people read my Literature Review they are not bored and are actually intrigued by the information that they are reading. If I am going to spend my time researching and writing this paper I want to make sure people value the information I provide and the only way to ensure that this occurs is if I improve my writing style.
The process of reading Luke and Barret's Literature Reviews gave me insight to their topics. Of course I knew the basics of their research topics through in class discussions but I was not aware of the specific examples and research that supports their questions. Barret's comparison of the United States education system to education systems around the world was very interesting. From reading Barret's Literature Review I am aware of the many differences that are present among the United States education system to other systems around the world. Not only am I learning how to improve my writing from Barret but I am also learning about the complex realities present in our education system. When reading Barret's paper I was able to pick out grammar and word choice errors which is not something I am usually good at. My writing skills are not very extensive so it has been hard for me to pick out errors in other people's writing. My ability to pick out errors in Barret's Literature Review showed me that my writing skills are beginning to improve to the point where I can pick our errors in others papers. On the other hand Luke's writes with advanced sentence structure and little to no grammatical errors. Luke is the writer that I hope I can one day be myself. When I was reading Luke's paper it was initially hard to read because of his complex sentences but then I realized that his unique sentences make his content more interesting and keep the reader intrigued in his content. I never thought I would be intrigued reading about the neurological impact of concussions.
As Barret and Luke become experts on their specific topic I am also becoming an expert on their topic just not as fast. All three of our research topics are very different but they are all opening my eyes to many issues that are present throughout our nation today. I know they probably have no interest in maternal healthcare because not to many people do but I am interested in their topics and I am much more interested in their topics after reading their literature reviews. It is one thing to talk about our research but it is another thing to put it down in words in one complete paper. The process of compiling all of our research is a difficult one but both Luke and Barret put their research together in a way that makes me look forward to their final presentation. Being in a class with Barret and Luke is making me a better student and writer and I truly mean that.