Articles provided by RE-Sterling.com

I have had the chance of being an educator for almost three decades, and involved in education for more than 3 dozen years. During that time period I have taught younger students, grades 9-12, college preparatory and most recently at the college level. For me, it was a constant challenge keeping lessons fun, interactive and rewarding for each pupil. As my lessons focused on older learners, making the gradual leap from young to older, I noticed a common concern that each generation of kids became nearly terrified by: how to write a research paper.

Initially, I thought nothing of the reaction I received when asking for such assignments to be completed. At first, I simply defined the usual groaning as a student's dislike of my love for take home work. But, what I was dismissing and defining as being disgruntled, actually had much more significance; these groaners were sometimes downright unnerved when they heard mention of a "research paper".

Worry about the unknown, being buried in heavy tomes, and not having any idea how to brainstorm research paper ideas was frequent. Young adults envisioning a brick wall to climb, because they were clueless about how to write a research paper, rarely truly believed me that in the expanse of time, completing a dissertation, even one that was longer than they were accustomed to, was barely a grain of sand on a beach, compared to much more significant, life impacting decisions they'd eventually face as grownups. Those ideas fell on deaf ears much of the time.

Unable to look towards the bigger picture or the long term, their immediate challenge was a looming turn-in date that could only be met by participating in an enterprise they weren't interested in, that conflicted with their extracurricular activities or that made them uneasy facing unexplored territory: how to write a research paper, and do it right - not just to pass or fail, but measure up to the criteria that post-middle-school institutions, hold in high regard.

When I first began teaching at the college level I planned to give a full term assignment to write a research paper on a(n) issue of that particular student's most passionate interest.

The dean of our department warned me that this would cause me many headaches. He said that even at a university level, simply hearing that you have to write a research paper usually sent many students into a downward spiral.

Determined, I ignored his best intentions and ventured into research paper neverland. The first class of the semester I handed out the syllabus for the semester. This included the title of the text book we would be using, the dates of the tests and the requirement that everyone would write a research paper.

I explained that the tests as well as the participation in group-think would be a majority of the semester grade and the research paper would be the other third. Also that possessing the researching insight would increase the likely hood to obtain a scholarship. I handed out calendars and deadlines for the dissertation. I wanted the focus they chose as well as a rough draft completed in the first two weeks and then various updates on progress throughout the semester.

My outline and execution of my set schedule "forced" the paper to be done in small steps, rather than the typical giant one, when many students, kids or adults, sit down at the last minute and try to accomplish a semester's worth of work in one sitting. Unnecessary tension and nervousness in my opinion. And with the fundamentals of how to effectively write a research paper completed in small sections throughout the class, semester or year depending on subject and / or institution, initial panic about even the most simple undertaking: research paper ideas, seemed less and less a big deal.

Whether narrowing down a long catalog of clauses formatted neat and succinctly summarizing research paper ideas, writing each necessary element, keeping each research paper properly formatted for an instructor who was known to be a stickler about such particulars, or pacing themselves to guarantee term paper completion by the designated time, when deconstructed into smaller pieces, how to write a research paper fears slowly, but surely disappear. Watch for for the next report in this series: Research Paper Ideas, the Easy Way - Your Road To Getting A Grant Or Scholarship.