How to Avoid Writing Anxiety in Adult Education
Avoiding Common Fears of Writing Expectations in College Education
Nov 30, 2008
Writing is an essential skill in adult continuing education programs. The importance placed on the ability to write is emphasized by the need to typically complete a writing placement test prior to enrolling in college courses. These tests identify those who need additional writing instruction to ensure they successfully achieve their continuing education goals.
Although writing anxiety can cause concern, there are several strategies for avoiding this anxiety. Even though life experiences and prior education form the core of writing skills and abilities, everyone can improve his writing skills through practice. Just like all other accomplishments in life, practice improves your chances for success by allowing you to logically express your thoughts.
Daily Writing Strategy
Writing daily will improve writing skills and confidence for those with writing anxiety. Writing about any topic everyday is the key to success. Write about things you see, such as: a new car you see and want to own; how to complete a specific task; a sunset or sunrise; the effects of a windy day on trees; describe people you see; and other observations.
Practice writing an article for a newspaper; write a letter to the editor of a newspaper; write a family newsletter; write a short story; or write a news report for your favorite sports team. Writing about these and any other topics of interest will improve writing skills by improving your ability to express ideas in written form.
Online Technology Writing Strategies
Starting a blog is one way to improve your writing skills. Blogs can be developed around a specific theme or a collection of ideas which follow a common theme. Regardless of the theme of a blog, the important focus is to practice writing skills. Free blogs are available from many sources, such as WordPress.
Writing a daily entry in a blog follows the strategy of writing every day. Practice makes perfect and may awaken an inner desire to share your ideas, views, and opinions with others through a blog format. Blogs also provide the ability to receive feedback from others who read your blog entries, which may lead to development of relationships with others who share the same ideas or interests.
Join FaceBook, MySpace, or other online social networks to communicate with others in written format. Communicating with friends and others through online social networks is an excellent way to improve your writing skills.
Another type of social network is the micro blog called Twitter, which requires the communicating of ideas to others in 140 spaces or less. The advantage is of this strategy is developing writing skills focused on being clear and concise, which is needed in college writing. Typically when a college professor states 500 words or less in a writing assignment – they will mark down for going over 500 words.
Feedback Strategies
Feedback strategies include finding people who write well and ask them to critique your written work. Another strategy is to ask friends, spouses, or relatives to provide honest feedback. Their feedback may point to unsubstantiated arguments or too critical writing, along with passive writing or grammatical errors.
Additional strategies include reading written drafts out loud. Obvious grammatical mistakes become apparent, such as run-on sentences and noun-verb disagreements. Also try reading the draft backwards, misspelled words and other mistakes can be found using this feedback strategy.
Summary
Along with daily writing practice, read! Reading provides the opportunity to see how others write and view correct writing examples. Daily writing, feedback from others who provide honest critiques, and reading are all strategies for improving skills to avoid writing anxiety in adult continuing education.
Along with avoiding writing anxiety in continuing education, visit Math Anxiety and Continuing Education and 10 Tips for Adults Who are Going Back to School for additional strategies for succeeding in adult education.
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