Sunday, November 19, 2017
scholars, watch out for enemy #1 - ignorance
"It is my thesis that what schools do not teach may be as important as what they do teach. I argue this position because ignorance is not simply a neutral void; it has important effects on the kinds of options one is able to consider, the alternatives that one can examine, and the perspectives from which one can view a situation or problems. The absence of a set of considerations or perspectives or the inability to use certain processes for appraising a context biases the evidence one is able to take into account. A parochial perspective or simplistic analysis is the inevitable progeny of ignorance." - Elliot W. Eisner
Saturday, November 18, 2017
My best writing tip
At the moment where you are filled with excitement about a new idea or topic, stop.
I discovered this serendipitously. I have a weakness when I write. I tend to get into a state where I'm overwhelmed with emotions. I write a lot from emotions rather than thinking. When I am overwhelmed, I have to stop. My heart just cannot continue. What I learned from this is that, it makes me anticipate coming back to my writing, because I know there are things undone and fun to write about when I resume in the future.
I saw this in this book called The Writer's Way by Jack Rawlins and Stephen Metzger (7th edition):
"9. Quit when you're hot, persist when you're not. Ernest Hemingway is said to have always quit writing when he knew exactly what was going to happen next, not when he ran out of things to say. That way, he was always excited about going to work the next day instead of dreading it. Hemingway understood that every time you stop writing, whether it's for five minutes or five months, you run the risk of finding out you're blocked when you come back. Get around the problem by quitting when you're hot. Take a break on a winning note, not a losing one. Stop writing when things are going well, when you feel strong and know where you're going next. When you're at a loss, don't let yourself quit; stick with it until the block dissolves, words come, and you've triumphed momentarily.
The principle behind this is basic behavior modification. If you quit when you're stuck, you're in fact rewarding your failure: you're learning that if you get stuck you get the reward of getting to eat, to stretch, to escape. If you stick it out, wait until the words come, and then quit, you reward success. At first it seems contrary to logic: why stop when the words are flowing? The answer is only apparent when you try it: if you quit when you feel good about writing, you feel good all during the break and come back to the computer feeling strong. If you quit when you're stuck, your break is filled with dread and worry, and the return to the computer feels like the climb to the scaffold.
The longer the break, the more important it is to quit knowing what you'll do next. When I break for five minutes, I want to know what sentence I'm going to write when I come back, when I break for the day, I typically finish with a sketchy paragraph summary of where the discussion is going in the next few passages - a map of tomorrow's journey." (pp. 58-9)
I discovered this serendipitously. I have a weakness when I write. I tend to get into a state where I'm overwhelmed with emotions. I write a lot from emotions rather than thinking. When I am overwhelmed, I have to stop. My heart just cannot continue. What I learned from this is that, it makes me anticipate coming back to my writing, because I know there are things undone and fun to write about when I resume in the future.
I saw this in this book called The Writer's Way by Jack Rawlins and Stephen Metzger (7th edition):
"9. Quit when you're hot, persist when you're not. Ernest Hemingway is said to have always quit writing when he knew exactly what was going to happen next, not when he ran out of things to say. That way, he was always excited about going to work the next day instead of dreading it. Hemingway understood that every time you stop writing, whether it's for five minutes or five months, you run the risk of finding out you're blocked when you come back. Get around the problem by quitting when you're hot. Take a break on a winning note, not a losing one. Stop writing when things are going well, when you feel strong and know where you're going next. When you're at a loss, don't let yourself quit; stick with it until the block dissolves, words come, and you've triumphed momentarily.
The principle behind this is basic behavior modification. If you quit when you're stuck, you're in fact rewarding your failure: you're learning that if you get stuck you get the reward of getting to eat, to stretch, to escape. If you stick it out, wait until the words come, and then quit, you reward success. At first it seems contrary to logic: why stop when the words are flowing? The answer is only apparent when you try it: if you quit when you feel good about writing, you feel good all during the break and come back to the computer feeling strong. If you quit when you're stuck, your break is filled with dread and worry, and the return to the computer feels like the climb to the scaffold.
The longer the break, the more important it is to quit knowing what you'll do next. When I break for five minutes, I want to know what sentence I'm going to write when I come back, when I break for the day, I typically finish with a sketchy paragraph summary of where the discussion is going in the next few passages - a map of tomorrow's journey." (pp. 58-9)
Monday, November 6, 2017
Dipping and the Deep Dive into Research
I notice stages in my personal experience of research. Usually it begins slowly, like a sampling of literature until you get a taste of the field, and slowly but surely, you start to form a map or bigger picture... It is still sketchy, but I feel like I'm on an exponential curve...
The more I read, the more I know, the more excited I become. It's like I slowly dip my feet into the waters, and then I immerse myself and then I make a duck dive and dive deep into the research.
It is very satisfying. Almost like the more you know, the more convicted you are of the purpose and importance of your research. It's like solving a puzzle and putting together pieces of the jigsaw puzzle.
Gosh... I always make doing a PhD sound like so much fun, don't I?
I'm just starting out and far from consolidating my ideas and all but just thought of celebrating this very moment where I feel free and good about my research.
Excited. :)
The more I read, the more I know, the more excited I become. It's like I slowly dip my feet into the waters, and then I immerse myself and then I make a duck dive and dive deep into the research.
It is very satisfying. Almost like the more you know, the more convicted you are of the purpose and importance of your research. It's like solving a puzzle and putting together pieces of the jigsaw puzzle.
Gosh... I always make doing a PhD sound like so much fun, don't I?
I'm just starting out and far from consolidating my ideas and all but just thought of celebrating this very moment where I feel free and good about my research.
Excited. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)