nici /writing /response 2

The ballance between challanges and percieved capabilities: i never really though of anyone as incapable of writing, even if it's a research paper. That students may suffer from self doubt is a new concept to me.

This should have been obvious since writing is a form of communication: Introverts and extroverts need to approach the process of writing in different ways.

Introverts are often not fond of freewriting or at least don't find it useful in terms of a larger paper

I'd never really though about all the different places writing blocks could come from. The psychological aspects add another layer to a process that is already complicated.

necessity of a variety of compositional styles

necessity of working through the block with a student, except I'd only considered exercises, never addressing the root of a problem

It seems like there are a greater number of ways suggested for extraverts to approach writing blocks than for introverts.

Allowing students to turn in something, no matter what, when a due date arrives worries me. Will this be seen as softness and taken advantage of? My experiences as a TA have lead me to believe that a general policy of strictness with exceptions when necessary results in more consistent progress in the students.

The advice on writing a letter seems outdates. I believe the impulse is to get students into a mode that is familiar to them but the majority of students today do not write letters, they write e-mails, instant messsages, and make phonecalls. Can this somehow be used to make them more comfortable.

How much hand holding is too much?

Are exercises for escaping writiers block good exercises to perform in the classroom or to assign as homework?

Using an automatic response system like ELIZA in order to work throung their block. I just tried that with ALICE, it'll be important to figure out a good program to use. Maybe ChatBear.

Having what they turn in on a due date be a hostage that they can ransom with another paper after the weekend.

Write in simple or bombastic styles, where the focus is on how it sounds and pushing the limits, just for a few minutes.