Evaluating and Reviewing
Responding to an Image
In what respects does this photograph of a giant-pumpkin weigh-in capture the essence of such competitions? What overall impression does the image convey? What details contribute to this impression? How does the photograph direct the viewer’s eye? In what ways does this image suggest, represent, or comment on a particular set of criteria and process of evaluation?
Evaluating means judging. You do it when you decide what candidate to vote for, pick which camera to buy, or recommend a new restaurant to your friends. All of us pass judgments — often snap judgments — as we move through a day’s routine. A friend asks, “How was that movie you saw last night?” and you reply, “Terrific — don’t miss it” or maybe “Pretty good, but it had too much blood and gore for me.”
But to write an evaluation calls for you to think more critically. As a writer you first decide on criteria, or standards for judging, and then come up with evidence to back up your judgment. Your evaluation zeroes in on a definite subject that you inspect carefully in order to reach a considered opinion. The subject might be a film, a book, or a performance that you review. Or it might be a sports team, a product, or a body of research that you evaluate. The possibilities are endless.
Why Evaluating and Reviewing Matter
In a College Course
- You evaluate theories and methods in the fields you study, including long-standing controversies such as the dispute about teaching methods raging in education for the deaf.
- You evaluate instructors, courses, and sometimes campus facilities and services to participate in the process of monitoring and improving your college.
In the Workplace
- You evaluate people, projects, goals, and results, just as your potential was evaluated as a job applicant and your performance is evaluated as an employee.
In Your Community
- You evaluate video games for yourself or your children and review films, music, shows, and restaurants as you decide how to spend your money and time.
What have you evaluated within the last few weeks? How have evaluations and reviews been useful for you? How have you incorporated evaluations and reviews into your writing?