Through out this project, I learned many things about editing, information on my topic and composing an argumentative paper. The most valuable thing that I learned was how to edit my paper in a more efficient and beneficial way. Looking at each sentence and deleting the unnecessary words really helped improve my paper. I feel that I become repetitive and extremely wordy at some points in my paper. I plan to use this technique of editing a sentence one at a time in my future papers. Another learning moment was when reading the other forums in the debate. I tend to be a closed minded thinker on controversial topics I’m passionate about. This paper really forced me to listen and take into account other perspectives and experiences on a particular topic. For example, my topic was based around whether or not standardized testing was a good measurement of our education system. I have always been against testing, but when researching the benefits of these tests for some individuals, I was more open minded. In opposition, some of the arguments proposed further pushed my perspective of the story and helped me expand my original stance on the debate. Lastly, I learned a lot about how to organize and compose an argumentative paper. In the past, I wrote argumentative papers that were scattered and unorganized. I was never aware that there was a certain structure to the paper. I used to think that every paragraph looked at both the positives and negatives of the situation. Therefore, I have never written a rebuttal paragraph. I found that learning the layout of the paper really helped me in developing my thoughts and ideas. Overall, this project was very full of numerous learning opportunities.
After completing the paper, I had several questions that remained unanswered. One question is how do I add more personality to my paper? I feel that I make good points supported by effective evidence, but it lacks in voice and personality. When referring back to the example paper on excelsior OWL, I admired the way his paper flowed and was filled with personality. While I feel I am improving on adding voice, I still would like some more tips on how to add voice effectively. In addition to this, I had a question in regards to the topic itself. As a future educator, I want nothing more than to know that my students will be successful in everything they do under my supervision. With this being said, I wonder what will become of standardized testing by the time I become a teacher. Will the government take away some test and add others? Will they get rid of testing all together? Will states continue to add more testing requirements in addition to those of the nation? I understand the point of view of the students because I personally experienced the tests first hand. I am very curious and optimistic about what will happen to my future students and if they will endure the test like me or if they will have new standards.
I think my opinion after completing this project is about how important argumentative writing will be in the future. As much as I hate to say it, we will need the knowledge of this particular writing style no matter what profession we chose. In the business world, one may need it with proposing new ideas and changes to major corporations. Educators will need it when fighting for something for their students whether its within their school or district. Lawyers and politicians will constantly be using argumentative writing for various ways of completing their jobs. In conclusion, argumentative writing techniques was a very important and valuable thing to learn for the future.