Writing Proficiency
As a requirement of Western Washington University, students are required to take a writing proficiency course. In the Human Services program, writing proficiency is stressed as we are taught how to write in five different voices: scholarly, professional, reflective, advocacy, and creative. Throughout the program, we are required to write an extensive amount in order to ensure that we have proficient writing skills. Since entering the program, my writing skills have increased greatly, and that can be seen clearly when comparing papers from last year and this year. Over the last six quarters, I have been able to develop my writing voice in each of the categories listed previously.
Scholarly Voice
In a paper with a scholarly voice, it is necessary to keep in mind the audience you are speaking to. My Research Proposal Paper is a good example of my scholarly voice. In this assignment, I was researching other programs and academic papers in order to build the study that I wanted to do. In this case, my audience would be not only my professor, but any other scholars who might be interested in my study, so I needed to use a voice that made me sound knowledgeable, capable and credible. Another way I made this sound scholarly was to include evidence and sources that supported my writing, while making sure I followed the correct APA formatting (American Psychological Association 6th ed.)
Professional Voice
A professional voice is different than a scholarly voice in that it is not focused on research as much as experience and standards. A good example of a writing piece with a professional voice is my Case Study and Intervention Report from the Case Management and Interventions class. I wrote this paper as if I was really a case manager for a client, and I was writing the report for my files and the state. In this regard, I wanted the paper to be mostly experience based because it had to do with a real person that I was really working with.
Reflective Voice
Reflective voice is used for the writer to think back to a past experience and learn something from it in order to develop in a way that can make similar experiences more effective. In other words, the writer is reflecting so they can build from an experience. A place where I did this was in my Dyad Assessment from Human Service Professionals and Interpersonal Relationships (HSP 303). After working on a project over the course of the quarter, I wrote an assessment of how well my partner and I worked together and what we could have improved on. I made sure that through my writing, I was focusing on learning experiences, either during the course of the project, or sudden realizations I had while reflecting afterwards. I find this voice very useful, mostly for the writer, because instead of demonstrating your knowledge, your are teaching yourself by reflecting.
Advocacy Voice
In an advocacy voice, the writer is using their words to show support for a cause they believe in. This program has taught me a lot about advocacy, but I have also learned what it means to be an advocate through my internship experiences. During my first quarter of Senior Core (HSP 402), I made a prezi: The History of Housing for Developmentally Delayed Adults. Although the purpose of this assignment was to research and present the history of an issue, I also chose this opportunity to advocate for DD adults. I explained to my class the history, but I also explained how advocacy has formed, and in that I became an advocate.
Creative Voice
Creative voice is possibly my favorite of all the writing voices. In this style of writing, the author uses their original work to express their individual interpretation and knowledge. An example of where I demonstrated this style of writing was in Human Services Professionals and Personal Systems (HSP 401) when I wrote a standpoint paper. For this paper, I got to choose an issue I was either for or against and explain why. I chose to write about my support for marriage equality. Requiring no research, this paper was completely composed of my own ideas and beliefs. With the creative voice, the writer is given freedom on how to explain their topic, and through this, their personality is able to come through. My standpoint essay is a good example of that.
Scholarly Voice
In a paper with a scholarly voice, it is necessary to keep in mind the audience you are speaking to. My Research Proposal Paper is a good example of my scholarly voice. In this assignment, I was researching other programs and academic papers in order to build the study that I wanted to do. In this case, my audience would be not only my professor, but any other scholars who might be interested in my study, so I needed to use a voice that made me sound knowledgeable, capable and credible. Another way I made this sound scholarly was to include evidence and sources that supported my writing, while making sure I followed the correct APA formatting (American Psychological Association 6th ed.)
Professional Voice
A professional voice is different than a scholarly voice in that it is not focused on research as much as experience and standards. A good example of a writing piece with a professional voice is my Case Study and Intervention Report from the Case Management and Interventions class. I wrote this paper as if I was really a case manager for a client, and I was writing the report for my files and the state. In this regard, I wanted the paper to be mostly experience based because it had to do with a real person that I was really working with.
Reflective Voice
Reflective voice is used for the writer to think back to a past experience and learn something from it in order to develop in a way that can make similar experiences more effective. In other words, the writer is reflecting so they can build from an experience. A place where I did this was in my Dyad Assessment from Human Service Professionals and Interpersonal Relationships (HSP 303). After working on a project over the course of the quarter, I wrote an assessment of how well my partner and I worked together and what we could have improved on. I made sure that through my writing, I was focusing on learning experiences, either during the course of the project, or sudden realizations I had while reflecting afterwards. I find this voice very useful, mostly for the writer, because instead of demonstrating your knowledge, your are teaching yourself by reflecting.
Advocacy Voice
In an advocacy voice, the writer is using their words to show support for a cause they believe in. This program has taught me a lot about advocacy, but I have also learned what it means to be an advocate through my internship experiences. During my first quarter of Senior Core (HSP 402), I made a prezi: The History of Housing for Developmentally Delayed Adults. Although the purpose of this assignment was to research and present the history of an issue, I also chose this opportunity to advocate for DD adults. I explained to my class the history, but I also explained how advocacy has formed, and in that I became an advocate.
Creative Voice
Creative voice is possibly my favorite of all the writing voices. In this style of writing, the author uses their original work to express their individual interpretation and knowledge. An example of where I demonstrated this style of writing was in Human Services Professionals and Personal Systems (HSP 401) when I wrote a standpoint paper. For this paper, I got to choose an issue I was either for or against and explain why. I chose to write about my support for marriage equality. Requiring no research, this paper was completely composed of my own ideas and beliefs. With the creative voice, the writer is given freedom on how to explain their topic, and through this, their personality is able to come through. My standpoint essay is a good example of that.