One challenge for many students (and people, in general) when it comes to writing is that the very act can involve a certain level of fear.
It can be fear of being criticized for making a mistake. It can be fear based on past negative comments. For many college students, the fear can be related to worry about not measuring up. We want our writing to be "perfect" and are reluctant to finish an essay or post. BTW: perfectionism is a primary source of procrastination.
Think of all the times you put something off until the very last possible moment but then, somehow, managed to complete the task or assignment or challenge.
It's not just writing that causes fear. There's an old saying that the two things people fear the most are death and speaking in public -- just imagine how much most of us would prefer NOT giving a eulogy, then.
Easy for me to say, I supposed, but the truth is that a lot of fears grow out of not being exposed to the activity or the people or the ideas or the technology.
I found this in a recent blog post by Scott Young: Exposure therapy works to reduce an irrational fear by exposing you to the object of your fear combined with safety. Research suggests that up to 70 percent of people may be helped.
One reason I like lots of shorter pieces of writing for our online writing course is that fewer "high stakes" assessments can produce a bit more safety (after all, not doing well on one assignment won't wreck your overall grade) plus more chances to experience writing situations.
No comments:
Post a Comment