Copyright
Paul PrinslooPublished On
2023-08-18Page Range
pp. 197–212Language
- English
Print Length
16 pages
14. Born Curious and in Trouble: Making Sense of Writing
Chapter of: Research, Writing, and Creative Process in Open and Distance Education: Tales from the Field(pp. 197–212)
In this chapter, I enter into a conversation with Rainer Maria Rilke, a German poet born in 1875. Using Rilke’s advice to Kappus and Rilke’s very personal reflections on his own writing processes as basis, I reflect on my own history of writing, my processes, and my discomfort with feelings of self-doubt when comparing myself with my peers, or worst still, when I am compared to my peers. And while I embrace this inner compulsion to write, this exhilaration and joy to be curious and reflect, the total madness of researcher rankings and quantification of outputs compels me to listen to Rilke, go deep inside me and discover that I have no choice, I must write. Like Rilke, I see my writings as “beloved possessions,” making audience responses and critical reviews a dark trap; and on the other hand, confirmations that I do get it right, sometimes. Being in conversation with Rilke allowed me to confront my demons and embrace the darkness that has become a companion; and to be in awe of life and death, and the greatness and splendour of both.
Contributors
Paul Prinsloo
(author)Research Professor, Open and Distance Learning (ODL), Department of Business Management, College of Economic and Management Sciences at University of South Africa
Paul Prinsloo is a research professor in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in the Department of Business Management, College of Economic and Management Sciences, University of South Africa (Unisa). He is a visiting professor at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Germany, a research associate for Contact North/Contact Nord (Canada), a fellow of the European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN), member of the Executive Committee for the Society of Learning Analytics Research (SoLAR) and serves on several editorial boards. Paul’s recent research focuses on the ethical collection, analysis, and use of student data in learning analytics. He was born curious and in trouble and nothing has changed.