Confronting and Curbing Student Anxiety

Most of my composition students have been learning writing methods since first or second grade. Not just the physical mechanics of writing, but how to form sentences and how to make meaningful, logical, original statements. English 1105 and 1106 classes are comprised of students that did not take dual-enrollment courses in high school for a variety of reasons: those course weren't offered, they were already enrolled in too many advanced placement courses, or (the most popular response) they "hate English and suck at writing."

Writing seems so natural. Like talking, but with visible words. How could there be this much hatred for my discipline? So much disgust? So much anxiety?

I think these fears, anxieties, and negative emotions stem from an educational career dominated by standardized testing, forced prompts, boring lecture-style grammar and mechanics lessons, rigid grading on components of writing that don't actually matter that much (here's looking at you, GRAMMAR) and dull assignments. But how can one English teacher combat a decade or more of engrained composition anxiety in a classroom comprised of students from extremely different educational and cultural backgrounds? Each student has his or her own unique sets of strengths and weaknesses; how can I address all of them at the same time and structure my class around addressing these effectively?

Ask. Just ask them. And don't just do it once, do it several times throughout the semester. Allow their responses to shape your pedagogical approach. Make a flexible course plan that can be adapted and address their needs rather than your own desires and expectations.

My first freewriting prompt is typically something along the lines of: Review the expected outcomes of English 1105 listed on page XX. Are any of these confusing? Why? Which of these outcomes are you confident about? Why? Which of these outcomes are you anxious about? Why?

I give them roughly ten minutes to review the outcomes and prepare detailed responses. They perform this freewrite using a listing method so that they can get all of their ideas out without worrying about sentence structure and grammar. At the end of the allotted time, I pair them up in groups of three and have them compare answers and discuss. I have them change partners one more time and compare answers with new partners. Then, I give them a few minutes to jot down a few observations they made while sharing their answers with their peers. Finally, I bring the class back together and we discuss their answers from the first section of the activity first. I use this time to expand on the expected outcomes and ask them why they think those outcomes are in place. We then discuss the second part of the activity and the students typically discover that no one in the class is entirely confident about anything to do with writing or the expectations of the course. This dispells the feelings of "imposter syndrome" and at least some of their insecurities.

The important aspect with activities and discussions like the one I just outlined is specificity. If you don't CONSTANTLY ask why or encourage your students to be specific and critically analyze why they feel a certain way about a given topic or subject, they will just say they "hate English and suck at writing" without having any idea what is holding them back or making them feel that way.

I use the same approach when I start the unit on individual and group presentations, but I change it up a little. I teach two 50 minute lessons on presentation skills and I use the Scholar forums (I know, they're boring and ugly, but I broke Wordpress last time) to issue a prompt along the lines of: "After the lectures, readings, discussions, demonstrations, and videos about presentation skills, what are you confident about? What scares you about delivering a presentation? What are some methods you use to relax and keep your cool during a presentation? What are some suggestions you can give your classmates for delivering an effective and engaging presentation?" They are required to comment on at least two other forum posts, but they often do more. They seem encouraged by seeing that their peers have the same anxieties and they benefit from the tips they share with each other.

Finally, I do a freewrite at the beginning and middle of the semester asking them to specifically name topics and concepts they still feel unclear on. I provide a list on the board of the topics we covered and the concepts we still haven't gone over (separated by grammar, mechanics, invention, revision, etc...). I also ask them to tell me what teaching methods they like and dislike (always clarify what this means with simple examples). For example, I ask them to share how they feel about group work, videos, music played during freewriting exercises, etc... When I get their responses, I see what I need to cover again and I find alternate ways of teaching that concept. I also try to respond to what they like in class and incorporate more of those methods.

Making your students feel like their input matters, that their voice is being heard, is perhaps the most effective tool for curbing their anxieties. If they know that their instructor is listening to them and concerned with their progress in the class (that they are more than just a student ID number). If they can see how your approach/course plan is adapting to their needs, they are more likely to be engaged in your class and excited about improving their skills.