Writing Proficiency
The skill of writing proficiently is one to treasure. It takes effort, discipline, creativity, and perseverance to communicate with words in an effective manner. Western Washington University as well as the Human Services program holds this skill as a priority. I’ve always enjoyed writing, however; through the program I was stretched and challenged to expand my style in new ways. The Human Services program technically only has one writing proficiency course, but the amount of writing expected through all the courses is significant.
In HSP 385, Applied Research Methods, the Human Services program’s writing proficiency course, we wrote more than one draft of the assigned literature review, had peer revisions, and professor revision (Student Guide to Capstone Portfolio, 2009). I actually learned quite a bit through that course. In the past, when I would construct a research paper, I would organize my thoughts by the various scholarly articles I used. Each article would be its own separate idea and I would string them together. When Professor Raine Dozier taught HSP 385, she helped us re-frame our idea of what research writing looks like. Rather than separate pieces linked together, she encouraged us to integrate our sources together. She said the research will tell a story when you synthesize the information holistically. Instead of linking sources, I was able to find specific points or topics, and weave the scholars’ research together.
After experiencing this new type of writing, I went from writing a research paper, for example, in HSP 302, Introduction to Human Services, that felt a bit disjointed, to a cohesive research piece in HSP 385, Applied Research Methods (HSP 302 Research Paper; HSP 385 Literature Review). My final literature review ended up strong because of the multiple revisions we did in the class. Two peers and our instructor edited the first draft we wrote. The feedback I received from my peers was helpful, but they made comments about smaller details. When I went to talk with Raine about her thoughts, I learned so much more. Her revision was shifting larger ideas in my paper; making more drastic changes than I had expected. I was used to writing creatively and crafted a sense of ambiguity with my ideas. In research, however, it is important to be clear and set the reader up for the big ideas that will be revealed in the paper. I was able to revise my introduction and even take out a portion of the paper that had ideas that didn’t fit my overall thesis.
There are multiple writing voices that one will use in academia and in the workplace. It was important for me to develop different voices through the program in order to have a broad base of communication skills. In the following discussion, I will show my writing proficiency through four different voices: academic, advocacy, creative, professional, and reflective voice.
My academic voice was molded as I moved through the program, as I explained previously. Research papers and reports are very important documents to use strong writing skills. I learned to integrate sources and create a logical, formal document that presents the information in a clear and accurate manner. I wrote my research paper for HSP 385, Applied Research Methods, about ways for homeless individuals with mental illness to integrate back into the community (HSP 385 Literature Review). In addition to that paper, in HSP 485, Program Planning and Evaluation, we had the opportunity to create our own program plans. I wrote my program about intergenerational connections between college students and homebound seniors (HSP 485 Program Plan). Both of these documents contain scholarly evidence and APA writing conventions.
The advocacy voice was one I had to grow and develop, as this kind of writing was previously unfamiliar to me. I would say that my first research paper for HSP 455, Diversity and Social Justice Dynamics, was in the direction of advocating for people with disabilities. However, I was presenting information more than persuasively calling the reader to action (HSP 455 Research Paper). My research voice was advocating and presenting data that encouraging that population, but I was able to expand that voice as I took HSP 404, Human Services Professionals and Community Systems. Through that course, I was able to actually lobby for a bill in Olympia. We wrote out speeches to share with our State Senators and Representatives. I was able to advocate for people in a lower socio-economic bracket who are greatly affected by the lack of a state income tax. The system of economic oppression is prevalent, and I felt strongly about educating our representatives about this issue (HSP 404 Lobbying Speech).
From a very different perspective, there is a creative voice of writing. It’s important to be able to think and write in a way that’s unique and looks at situations from a fresh interpretation. Often, a creative work will spur emotion in the audience (Student Guide to Capstone Portfolio, 2009). In the first quarter of Core, Professor Jane Verner encouraged us to write in a creative manner and describe what we thought Core would look like. I was very excited about this challenge and used a metaphor of a rainforest to describe the various layers and dynamics about the Core system (HSP 301 On Core). I carried this metaphor through the whole first year of Core and as we presented our Legacy Projects in HSP 305, Human Services Professionals and Small Group Systems, I went back to the rainforest idea and weaved all of my learning over the year into one presentation (HSP 305 Legacy Script, HSP 305 Legacy References).
The professional voice of writing will be used often in the field of Human Services. Whether writing case notes, court reports, or legal documents, this kind of voice is prevalent in the workplace (Student Guide to Capstone Portfolio, 2009). I was able to practice the professional voice in multiple ways through the major. In HSP 315, Human Development and Human Services, I had the opportunity of writing case notes for a fictional family. We acted as if we were this family’s case manager and made recommendations for services after assessing the family’s strengths and needs (HSP 315 Case Study 2). Also, one extensive example of professional writing that I was able to participate in was an Organizational Assessment of a local nonprofit that we did in HSP 435, Human Services and Management. We actually created a document that my partner and I gave to Cascade Christian Services, the organization we analyzed, which they were very grateful for. The program director even told us she would give us recommendations because of the quality of work we created for their organization (HSP 435 Organizational Assessment). Further, I had the opportunity to write a grant for my last internship at the Whatcom Council on Aging. They received $14,000 from the Norcliffe Foundation as a result! I was able to put my professional writing skills to an actual use for an organization.
The last voice I was able to develop through the program was reflective. I had many avenues to reflect through internships and the greater scope of learning I gained. It is important to reflect and integrate previous concepts with new knowledge to gain a different perspective on self-awareness (Student Guide to Capstone Portfolio, 2009). Through the first year of Core, we had synthesis papers each quarter to reflect and integrate our learning. I had the opportunity to weave the CSHSE standards with the novels we read and other vignettes we experienced in class (HSP 303 Discoveries Paper). In addition to the Core papers we wrote, I also was able to do a significant amount of reflecting in my internships. After each quarter of internship, we wrote a reflection paper that integrated our experiences with the theory and knowledge gained from our courses (HSP 341 Summative Observation and Reflection Paper).
Overall, through the Human Services program, I was able to gain writing proficiency as a skill through various types of writing, including: academic, advocacy, creative, professional, and reflective. These skills will continue to develop as I move into the field and hone my skills in a different way.
Reference
Kincaid, S. (2009). Student guide to capstone portfolio process. Available from:
www.wce.wwu.edu/Depts/HS/Forms/
The skill of writing proficiently is one to treasure. It takes effort, discipline, creativity, and perseverance to communicate with words in an effective manner. Western Washington University as well as the Human Services program holds this skill as a priority. I’ve always enjoyed writing, however; through the program I was stretched and challenged to expand my style in new ways. The Human Services program technically only has one writing proficiency course, but the amount of writing expected through all the courses is significant.
In HSP 385, Applied Research Methods, the Human Services program’s writing proficiency course, we wrote more than one draft of the assigned literature review, had peer revisions, and professor revision (Student Guide to Capstone Portfolio, 2009). I actually learned quite a bit through that course. In the past, when I would construct a research paper, I would organize my thoughts by the various scholarly articles I used. Each article would be its own separate idea and I would string them together. When Professor Raine Dozier taught HSP 385, she helped us re-frame our idea of what research writing looks like. Rather than separate pieces linked together, she encouraged us to integrate our sources together. She said the research will tell a story when you synthesize the information holistically. Instead of linking sources, I was able to find specific points or topics, and weave the scholars’ research together.
After experiencing this new type of writing, I went from writing a research paper, for example, in HSP 302, Introduction to Human Services, that felt a bit disjointed, to a cohesive research piece in HSP 385, Applied Research Methods (HSP 302 Research Paper; HSP 385 Literature Review). My final literature review ended up strong because of the multiple revisions we did in the class. Two peers and our instructor edited the first draft we wrote. The feedback I received from my peers was helpful, but they made comments about smaller details. When I went to talk with Raine about her thoughts, I learned so much more. Her revision was shifting larger ideas in my paper; making more drastic changes than I had expected. I was used to writing creatively and crafted a sense of ambiguity with my ideas. In research, however, it is important to be clear and set the reader up for the big ideas that will be revealed in the paper. I was able to revise my introduction and even take out a portion of the paper that had ideas that didn’t fit my overall thesis.
There are multiple writing voices that one will use in academia and in the workplace. It was important for me to develop different voices through the program in order to have a broad base of communication skills. In the following discussion, I will show my writing proficiency through four different voices: academic, advocacy, creative, professional, and reflective voice.
My academic voice was molded as I moved through the program, as I explained previously. Research papers and reports are very important documents to use strong writing skills. I learned to integrate sources and create a logical, formal document that presents the information in a clear and accurate manner. I wrote my research paper for HSP 385, Applied Research Methods, about ways for homeless individuals with mental illness to integrate back into the community (HSP 385 Literature Review). In addition to that paper, in HSP 485, Program Planning and Evaluation, we had the opportunity to create our own program plans. I wrote my program about intergenerational connections between college students and homebound seniors (HSP 485 Program Plan). Both of these documents contain scholarly evidence and APA writing conventions.
The advocacy voice was one I had to grow and develop, as this kind of writing was previously unfamiliar to me. I would say that my first research paper for HSP 455, Diversity and Social Justice Dynamics, was in the direction of advocating for people with disabilities. However, I was presenting information more than persuasively calling the reader to action (HSP 455 Research Paper). My research voice was advocating and presenting data that encouraging that population, but I was able to expand that voice as I took HSP 404, Human Services Professionals and Community Systems. Through that course, I was able to actually lobby for a bill in Olympia. We wrote out speeches to share with our State Senators and Representatives. I was able to advocate for people in a lower socio-economic bracket who are greatly affected by the lack of a state income tax. The system of economic oppression is prevalent, and I felt strongly about educating our representatives about this issue (HSP 404 Lobbying Speech).
From a very different perspective, there is a creative voice of writing. It’s important to be able to think and write in a way that’s unique and looks at situations from a fresh interpretation. Often, a creative work will spur emotion in the audience (Student Guide to Capstone Portfolio, 2009). In the first quarter of Core, Professor Jane Verner encouraged us to write in a creative manner and describe what we thought Core would look like. I was very excited about this challenge and used a metaphor of a rainforest to describe the various layers and dynamics about the Core system (HSP 301 On Core). I carried this metaphor through the whole first year of Core and as we presented our Legacy Projects in HSP 305, Human Services Professionals and Small Group Systems, I went back to the rainforest idea and weaved all of my learning over the year into one presentation (HSP 305 Legacy Script, HSP 305 Legacy References).
The professional voice of writing will be used often in the field of Human Services. Whether writing case notes, court reports, or legal documents, this kind of voice is prevalent in the workplace (Student Guide to Capstone Portfolio, 2009). I was able to practice the professional voice in multiple ways through the major. In HSP 315, Human Development and Human Services, I had the opportunity of writing case notes for a fictional family. We acted as if we were this family’s case manager and made recommendations for services after assessing the family’s strengths and needs (HSP 315 Case Study 2). Also, one extensive example of professional writing that I was able to participate in was an Organizational Assessment of a local nonprofit that we did in HSP 435, Human Services and Management. We actually created a document that my partner and I gave to Cascade Christian Services, the organization we analyzed, which they were very grateful for. The program director even told us she would give us recommendations because of the quality of work we created for their organization (HSP 435 Organizational Assessment). Further, I had the opportunity to write a grant for my last internship at the Whatcom Council on Aging. They received $14,000 from the Norcliffe Foundation as a result! I was able to put my professional writing skills to an actual use for an organization.
The last voice I was able to develop through the program was reflective. I had many avenues to reflect through internships and the greater scope of learning I gained. It is important to reflect and integrate previous concepts with new knowledge to gain a different perspective on self-awareness (Student Guide to Capstone Portfolio, 2009). Through the first year of Core, we had synthesis papers each quarter to reflect and integrate our learning. I had the opportunity to weave the CSHSE standards with the novels we read and other vignettes we experienced in class (HSP 303 Discoveries Paper). In addition to the Core papers we wrote, I also was able to do a significant amount of reflecting in my internships. After each quarter of internship, we wrote a reflection paper that integrated our experiences with the theory and knowledge gained from our courses (HSP 341 Summative Observation and Reflection Paper).
Overall, through the Human Services program, I was able to gain writing proficiency as a skill through various types of writing, including: academic, advocacy, creative, professional, and reflective. These skills will continue to develop as I move into the field and hone my skills in a different way.
Reference
Kincaid, S. (2009). Student guide to capstone portfolio process. Available from:
www.wce.wwu.edu/Depts/HS/Forms/