The March Toward Full: Your Issues and Questions

I am committed to writing a series of useful posts (hopefully useful, but posts nonetheless) for associate professors interested in going up for promotion to full professor. I really want to hear what your issues are, and have you provide me with some discussion points or questions.

So, bring em'. Feel free to post them here or email me!

Teaching and Pedagogy Articles and Journals

One of the biggest mistakes young scholars make is  to conflating "study" with "article." They believe that for every article they want to write, they must conduct a separate study and have new data. Clearly, one of the solutions to this is to consider the "story (ies)" that  your data tell, and consider the various stories it could tell. However, another solution is to consider the impact of your work on policy, theory, the issues of the day, and even teaching.

Most academics teach. It is why many of us entered doctoral programs, even many of us for whom scholarship is our primary focus. Still we teach, and writing for teaching and pedagogically oriented journals is a great way to both deepen our teaching, and publish. Of course, not every university or department values teaching focused articles, but they are valued by many.

Use that sophisticated academic research tool "google" and search for teaching journals. Use the key words: Journal of _________, Teaching and _________, Higher education and _______. In the blank, start with the broadest area of your "field" (i.e. science, humanities, ect), and keep narrowing your search until you find several journals. Look at their scope and aim. Peruse a few table on contends. Check out a few abstracts. See if you come up with some ideas for your own work.

The Peril of Overwriting

I frequently write about the importance of freewriting and writing as a method of inquiry. This may lead to the impression that I believe in a free for all approach to article writing,  in which you write as much as you can and then find a way of cutting.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. I am a huge proponent of developing structures and disincline for articles in which you work your tail off to not cut. Freewriting in its purest form should not be done in an article, but as side work to stimulate thinking and draw connections between ideas.

Focused freewriting, for maximum efficiently, comes within the context of a clear structure and predetermined word length for each section of your article.

Two tools that I do not write much about (I don't want to give away ALL of my secrets away on this blog, after all), are how to develop powerful architectures that carry specific section lengths, and how to use various modes of writing when working on articles.

That said, endeavor to not overwrite. My experience is that most people overestimate their skill at cutting their work, if we are to look at their actual outcomes.

Lawyer Wednesday: The Internal Critic

From my experience, some attorneys have profoundly vicious and deeply internalized critical voices. In law school, your work is shot down, often harshly; you need to develop thick skin for the professional world, you are told. Some of you work in environments characterized by a state of discord at best, and outright hostility at worst. Under such conditions, it is normal to internalize these self-downing views of your work, often just outside of awareness, as you try to be tough and become impervious to them. Not so easy: it is normal (although not helpful) that some of these internal voices profoundly impact your ability to write efficiently.

In this blog, I have written a good deal about methods and techniques for reprogramming self-downing congnitions. Check out the posts starting here!

But before you start challenging these beliefs, you have to begin identifying them. This may entail a bit of self-reflection which may feel new, or may to some seem like a waste of valuable time. However, this is one of the best ways of beginning the process of quieting your internal critic, which is one of the most central aspects of what is referred to in the popular literature as "writer's block" (which really is a complex constellation of several psychosocial barriers).

Make a log of what you are telling yourself and what you believe about your writing, and about yourself while writing. If you are not in touch with these thoughts, ask yourself what you MIGHT be thinking. These are usually pretty accurate.

Identifying them is the first step. Check out the tools I wrote about last summer for some ideas on how to begin contending with your internal critic.

The March Toward Full: Shame

I should have made "full" long ago!

I can't believe I can't get writing!

I have no original ideas?

My field has passed me by!

It would be awful to admit that I need help with my writing at this point of my career!

These are but a few of the shame-based/shame-inducing things that I have heard from associate professors who feel stuck. Those whose careers have not progressed the way they had hoped often feel ashamed and demoralized. They have let themselves, and their colleagues, down.

In response they pour themselves into extra service, hoping that this  good citizenship provides evidence to themselves and other that they are worthy. Sadly, this overcompensation can perpetuate a vicious cycle of taking on tasks and roles that are less fulfilling, and make it hard to move toward the type of work that some wish to do.

Others feel ashamed that they are not writing and publishing, but really don't wish to write and publish much. They also do a good deal of service, but they like their service, and feel this is really where they wish to put their energy. Sadly, they still judge themselves, and find themselves progressively unhappy, often thinking about leaving higher education.

Both "types" suffer from the internalization of standards and expectations that keep them from feeling good about their careers. Both need some help to sort out the painful, self-downing messages that keep them stuck. Sadly, they also may have internalized the individualistic ideal of the academe-I must do this alone.

Getting over such shame-based messages means you are going to have to open up to someone about them, to process them, and to engage in some reprogramming. With whom you do this work, and how you do it, is up to you, but you owe it to yourself to do it!

Challenge: Develop an Article Purpose Statement on Teaching

The most important sentence of an article is the purpose statement. The propose statement (which differs greatly from the notion of thesis statement, as I have explored in the past), is what you use to guide all the decisions you make when developing the architecture of your article.

Young scholars are often stuck without ideas to write about if they "don't have data." Yet, as I have explored, many, many articles are not data driven.

Try this exercise. Develop an article purpose statement based upon one of these two "shells." Fill in the blanks with a few possibilities; play with it.

Using _______ (teaching strategy, teaching method or approach) for working with first generation college students (feel free to replace the “type" of student here that you wish to target)

Engaging students with____________: Implications for _________ instructors 

Don't think these are publishable? Ha! Check in on Friday when I explore teaching and pedagogy related journals.

Writing time

I am in my two day article writing workshop, and we have time for 15 minutes of writing. Everyone wrote a magic paragraph, thereby creating the architecture for an article, and are doing some focused free writing. Since I am the leader, I try to focus on some non-article writing; I want to be accessible to the group and in tune with where they are in the process. It is exciting watching people write.

They are writing, in spite of believing that they can't, in spite of believing that they are not good enough, not original enough, and the many other blocks that many bring to the table. I am excited about the possibilities of what each will take with them, and what scholarship may be written due to their learning some tools, and from having deconstructed and practiced the process of writing articles. Yay!