The Psychology of Writing
Writing is given the least importance when all your performance in the examinations depends upon what you write.
Students' future is decided by not their knowledge, intelligence, aptitudes, talents, social maturity, involvement, personality, goals, desires, satisfactory conduct, etc., but simply by their answers to a set of predetermined questions.
Even though this is a well-known fact, it is surprising to
find that students make very little effort to learn how to write.
It is even more shocking to know that teachers do not care
to teach the nuances of writing at any stage of the student's life, despite it
being part of the curriculum.
You might study for the whole year, sit through lectures
over and again, read and reread the textbooks umpteen times, refer to bulky
books, and copy lengthy notes, but what counts is what you write during the three
hours.
Is it not imperative that you should master the art of
writing in exams?
Writing Ability
Do not expect that writing will come to you naturally.
Writing is a skill similar to any other proficiency.
There are good swimmers and bad swimmers; good drivers and
bad drivers; good musicians and bad musicians; good surgeons and bad surgeons;
and likewise good writers and bad writers.
The goodness comes from the efficiency with which they go
about engaging in the task.
A good swimmer makes little effort, drinks very little
water, moves faster, beats the limbs smoothly, and rarely goes to the extent of
drowning. In the same light, a good writer writes legibly, makes few mistakes,
moves the pen faster, puts little effort, thinks logically, and rarely goes to
the extent of giving a blank paper.
Find out for yourself if you have these qualities. If not,
try harder and smarter and develop them.
Learning Skills
Whether we learn motor skills like swimming or we learn
cognitive skills like writing, we need lots and lots of practice.
The dictum "practice makes one perfect" holds very
much whenever it comes to learning skills. All skills are learned through trial
and error. You cannot read twenty books on swimming and jump into the water.
You may drown but the books you carry may reach the surface.
What you need is systematic training. You should keep trying
to remember and simultaneously keep minimizing the errors in every trial until
you make no or negligible errors.
Writing can become a skill only when you keep doing it over
and again and not just during exams.
Purpose of Exams
The rationale for conducting an examination is to measure
your knowledge, understanding, and judgment.
New-type questions and questions that require one or two-sentence answers try to test your knowledge of the concepts.
Questions requiring brief answers test your understanding of
the concepts or topics.
Those questions that expect you to write an essay are
testing your judgment of how you apply your knowledge and understanding of the
topics.
Your preparation for the exams should follow the same
pattern, too.
Make a list of all the concepts used in a subject.
Try to write a brief explanation of these terms.
Finally, combine relevant terms, ideas, and explanations
under a topic and write your essay thinking of the pros and cons.
To know more about what kind of questions you should prepare for, go through this article, Pass any exam equipped with these Questions
Your Misgivings
Answer the following questions and you will know where your
fault lies.
1.
Do you have a sound knowledge of grammar and
composition?
2.
Do you give importance to spelling whenever you
come across a new word?
3.
Do you have a reading ability?
4.
Are you a good communicator?
5.
Can you organize your thoughts and ideas
automatically?
6.
Have you ever practiced analytical thinking?
7.
Did you participate in last year's essay
competition?
8.
Have you made any attempt to find out why you
got fewer marks on the last test?
9.
Do you put your ideas in writing?
10. Do
you have a habit of writing letters?
11. Is
it possible for you to share your experiences in writing?
12. Have
you written down the important points after reading a paragraph from the
textbook?
13. Have you prepared your essay for each chapter in your textbook?
Teachers' Failure
Your teachers should have told you about the purpose of the
examination.
Once you know what you are being tested for, it becomes easy
for you to prepare.
The rationale behind introducing periodical tests and exams
throughout the year is to provide you with feedback.
It is not sufficient if your teacher gives your 60%. Quantitative
feedback helps only in the tabulation. You should have been provided qualitative
feedback as to why and how you lost the 40%. Such feedback helps you in
reducing your mistakes.
Otherwise, you have greater chances of repeating the same
mistakes and thereby you maintain your score every term constantly.
If your teacher did not give you such feedback, then the
fault lies in you, too. You should have demanded to know. It is your right to
know why you were given the marks you obtained.
When students are ignorant or afraid of exercising their
rights, the teachers conveniently tend to forget their duties.
Your teachers should have encouraged you to make your notes
and essays. The teacher who insists that you repeat the same sentences from the
textbook or her notes is not a teacher at all.
Parents' Ignorance
Parents are often highly ignorant of the total teaching-learning
process. They sometimes force you to read aloud or suggest you read a passage
several times.
They do not know that this leads to no or very little
learning.
Keep a tab on what else your parents do to you, which they
should never have.
·
Wake you up early in the morning to study
·
Frown upon you when you are writing
·
Forcing you to go to bed early
·
Sending you to tuition
·
Not allowing you to play
·
Stopping you from watching your favorite TV
programs
·
Sending your friends away when they come in
search of you
·
Obstructing you from attending functions and
parties
·
Discouraging you from co-curricular and
extracurricular activities
·
And on top of all telling you over and again
that you should study, study, and study.
There is no use having a grouse against them because they do
not know what they are doing. No doubt their intentions are good but they
rarely understand the turmoil you are undergoing.
Finishing Touch
Now that it is all over and the exams have almost come, do
not waste your time brooding over the past.
Clip the edges and give your year's work a finishing
touch.
Just pick up sheets of paper and write what you know about a
topic, without referring to the textbook or your notes.
Once you finish writing, check the textbook and find out
what you have missed.
Read the textbook, close it, take a fresh paper, and rewrite
what you have understood.
Follow this method until you get all the facts correct.
Then move on to the next topic.
This is the only solution because skill learning has no
shortcuts.
Nothing else works except practice.
Try and keep trying until you make no errors.
In addition, keep the following aspects in mind while you
are writing.
1.
Organize your thoughts before you start writing.
2.
Prepare a small outline of what you intend to
write.
3.
Ensure that your handwriting is legible.
4.
Sit relaxed with the back straight.
5.
If you are writing an essay or a long answer,
then introduce the topic briefly.
6.
Expand the outline with small sentences. Do not
beat around the bush. Make your point and move on to the next.
7.
After you finish writing, summarize and conclude
your essay.
8.
Underline all the important words and keywords
in your essay.
9.
Reread and make sure that there are no spelling,
grammar, or composition errors.
Follow the same steps even during exams. Your time is
limited and hence do not waste time by thinking, scratching what you have written,
worrying about what to write, and so on.
If your practice had been thorough, then your answer flows
automatically on the paper when you write your exams.
So let us be smart and learn to beat the system in its own
game.
All the best to you!
Mantra for Writing
The
lesser the number of mistakes you make during writing
The
greater the amount of time you are left with for writing
Comparing Skills
A
good swimmer makes little effort, drinks very little water, moves faster, beats
the limbs smoothly, and rarely goes to the extent of drowning.
A
good writer writes legibly, makes few mistakes, moves the pen faster, puts
little effort, thinks logically, and rarely goes to the extent of giving a
blank paper.
Tips to Develop Writing Skills
1. You
cannot practice writing only during exams. It is similar to a football player
practicing during a match.
2. You
should keep trying. Remember the dictum 'try, try again')
3. Minimize
errors in every trial (remember to 'learn from your earlier mistakes’)
4. Until
you make no or negligible errors (remember 'perfection')
5. Writing
can become a skill only when you keep doing it over and again and not just
during exams.
6. Write
any concept or issue
7. Write
an alternate word or synonym of the concept
8. Try
to explain the concept in a sentence
9. Write
a paragraph about the concept
10. Try
to compare the concept with another concept from the same chapter
11. Try
to differentiate the concept from another concept from the same chapter
12. Describe
the advantages or disadvantages of using the concept
13. Write
an essay about the concept combining relevant terms, ideas, and explanations
under a topic
14. Write
your essay thinking of the pros and cons
15. Pick
up your knowledge of grammar and composition
16. Whenever
you come across a new word, give importance to the spelling
17. Try
to know the meaning of the word and also of the other synonymous words
18. Use
the word in a sentence
19. A
few minutes later, write the spelling from your memory
20. Try to use the word in a different context
21. Improve
your communication
22. Make
attempts to organize your thoughts and ideas automatically
23. Practice
analytical thinking
24. Participate
in an essay competition
25. Find
out why you got fewer marks on the last test
26. Start
writing your common experiences, special experiences, and unique experiences
27. Maintain
a diary and write every day
28. Make
a habit of writing letters
29. Write
down the important points after reading a paragraph from the textbook
30. Prepare
your essay for each chapter in your textbook
31. Your
teachers should have told you about the purpose of the examination
32. Once
you know what you are being tested for, it becomes easy for you to prepare
33. Try
to get qualitative feedback from your teachers
34. Make
improvements in every class test
35. Organize
your thoughts before you start writing
36. Prepare
a small outline of what you intend to write
37. Ensure
that your handwriting is legible
38. Sit
relaxed with the back straight
39. If
you are writing an essay or a long answer, then introduce the topic briefly
40. Expand
the outline with small sentences
41. Do
not beat around the bush
42. Make
your point and move on to the next
43. After
you finish writing, summarize and conclude your essay
44. Underline
all the important words and keywords in your essay
45. Reread
and make sure that there are no spelling, grammar, or composition errors
46. Follow
the same steps even during exams
47. Your
time is limited and hence do not waste time by thinking and scratching what you
have written
48. Do
not worry about what to write, whether your writing is okay, etc.
49. If
your practice had been thorough, then your answer flows automatically on the
paper during your exams
50. Most
of these tips apply to not only students but others who want to improve their
writing skills, too
What are 64 NAVA VIDYA or 64 New Skills?
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