Final Reflection: Learning Experiences

Final Reflection Name: Instructor: Institution: Date: Learning is often said to be an endless process. This is true, especially from a personal perspective. I have been learning throughout my life. I however, have major highlights of learning experiences, as they have changed me completely, for the better. Among the highlights of this is my four-month-long session in this class. I feel that there are a lot of concepts that I now have full mastery of, from the things I learnt during the semester. Learning a new language has always been quite tough for most students. This is because there are usually variations in pronunciations and even basic sentence structures compared to one’s native language. I feel this coursework has been a success, as not only have I been able to learn the new concepts, but also how to use language in various ways. I have learnt how to critically analyze texts and even conversations, so as to get the underlying message from either. Through the mastery of rhetorical analysis, which was one of the mainstay subtopics in this unit, I have enhanced my critical analysis skills. It has enabled me to easily and quickly analyze the basic arguments of authors of various literary works, be it magazines, newspapers, editorials or even blogs. In so doing, I can now ascertain an author’s main argument and even credibility of the work (Longaker & Walker, 2011). This is an important skill learnt from the session. It can help distinguish between facts and propaganda, especially in the current global environment where the former and the later seem to balance in terms of ease of access. I have also polished my argumentative skills, both formal and informal. Throughout the semester, the coursework has provided me with the chance to write and discuss various concepts, both in-class and on an individual basis. Most of these exercises focused on one's own opinion or perspective about the issue in question. Gradually, I managed to be in a position where I could offer my reasons and defend them with strong and sufficient evidence. As time went by, I realized that I had grown quite proficient when it came to argumentation and general debating. It came as a pleasant surprise, although I knew it would come through due to the hard work and hours of practice I had committed to it. The overall importance of perfecting my argumentation skills was that I was now proficient in three dimensions; academic debate, public decisi...