Reflective Journals
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What Is It?
Reflective journals are notebooks or pieces of paper that students use
when writing about and reflecting on their own thoughts. The act of reflecting
on thoughts, ideas, feelings, and their own learning encourages the development
of metacognitive skills by helping students self-evaluate and sort what they
know from what they don't know. The process of examining one's own thoughts and
feelings is particularly helpful for students who are learning new concepts or
beginning to grapple with complex issues that go beyond right and wrong
answers.
Examples of
Reflective Journals:
History Alive Reflection (Fifth Grade)
"The character I chose for history alive was Sequoya. He was a Native American who invented the first Cherokee alphabet so his people could read and write a language.
"The character I chose for history alive was Sequoya. He was a Native American who invented the first Cherokee alphabet so his people could read and write a language.
"Sequoya had a lot of perserveracne because he never game up when
he was making his Cherokee alphabet. No matter how hard it was to come up with
all eighty-sox symbols and even when other Cherokee members burnt down this
house for writing the alphabet, he never gave up. That is one of the best
skills you can ever have.
"Sequoya also had a lot of confidence and organization. Confidence
explains how Sequoya knew he could make an alphabet and how he knew he could
prove to the Tribal Council that the alphabet was no fake. Organization
explains how well organized he arranged his alphabet.
From learning about Sequoya, I learned that I need to be more confident
in myself and by that I can achieve my goal and be successful in anything that
I may want to do."
~Natalie R.
~Natalie R.
Reflection on Teamwork (Middle School)
Group Members: Brian, Kristin, and CJ
Responsiblities: Brian – Leader (Paper), Kristen – PowerPoint, CJ – Outline
Group Members: Brian, Kristin, and CJ
Responsiblities: Brian – Leader (Paper), Kristen – PowerPoint, CJ – Outline
General Feeling: If we can get to the computer to work on Power Point
and get some more info, we should be fine.
Progress: Today we got any information that was left out of the books.
Our paper is started, and our bibliography is all caught up.
Concerns: I am concerned about getting everything done, I think we can
do it but CJ is going to have to help.
John Dewey (1938) believed that education should serve not only as a
means of acquiring information but also as a way to bring learning to our
everyday actions and behaviors. Most successful learners know how to identify
questions and problems as they reflect on what they already know, what they
want and need to know, and how they will proceed to increase their
understanding. Less successful learners need to develop the habits of mind that
are the underlying strategies of the learning process.
Reflective practice can be supported in classrooms by creating
opportunities that allow students to think about their learning, their own
lives, and the world around them. The process often illuminates problems,
misunderstandings, and confusions and helps determine new growth, independence,
and responsibility for learning (Strong, Silver, and Perini 2001).
Reflective journals allow students to practice their writing skills in an
open-ended format that encourages the same thought process that is used in
analytical writing. Zemelman, Daniels, and Hyde (1993) believe that the most
powerful learning happens when students self-monitor, or reflect. As learners
continue to distinguish what they know from what they need to reevaluate or
relearn, they begin to translate discoveries they have made about their own
learning into plans for improvement. Just as reflective journals open the
windows of a student's mind, they also allow teachers to look in. In this way,
the journals become a useful assessment tool that gives teachers additional
insight into how students value their own learning and progress.
How Can You Make It
Happen?
Model the journaling process, especially with younger students, by
thinking aloud, debating what and what not to write. The main idea is to show
students how to transfer their thinking into writing, not necessarily how to
produce a finely polished piece of writing. Students can take from 3-15 minutes
to write reflective entries in their personal journals before, during, or after
a learning activity. The entries may build on areas covered in the classroom or
promote students' thoughts about their own lives or the world beyond the
classroom.
The most important aspect of reflective journal writing is to encourage
students to begin to think about their own thinking. The reflective process
transfers the responsibilities of self-appraisal and understanding the elements
of quality work from the teacher to the student. Reflective journals should
encourage students to develop their own personal values, going beyond summary
conclusions such as "I hate this class" or "I didn't learn
anything." Students should consider what they personally think and feel,
drawing their own conclusions instead of just parroting what the teacher
thinks. Journal prompts and questions should not be superficial but should
encourage students to explore their thoughts in depth. For example, consider
the difference between the following questions.
What
did you think of the class?
|
What
did you learn today?
|
What
did you do in school today?
|
What
happened in school today that made you feel proud?
Do you think everyone else felt that way? |
What
would you like to be when you grow up?
|
How
could you use some of your strengths and accomplishments to help you in a
career when you grow up?
|
What do
you want to learn?
|
How do
you plan to learn this content?
How and when will you do the work? How do you want to be evaluated? |
The questions in the first column are vague and may lead children to
respond with egocentric or superficial facts and feelings, while the questions
in the second column ask them to explore assumptions and values. Good
journaling questions will help students develop critical-thinking skills and
expand, analyze, or defend ideas.
It is important that journaling become a regularly scheduled activity. As with any other writing
form, reflective journaling takes time and practice. Creating a routine for
journaling will give students an opportunity to anticipate and prepare for
other writing activities.
Encourage students to reread and revise previous entries as well as any
they have just written. Help them observe the progression of their thoughts and
understanding by letting them rewrite or comment on earlier entries. This
exercise will help students appreciate their own learning and the process they
have gone through to arrive at an understanding of concepts and knowledge. When
journals are not formally assessed, students are free to experiment without
fear of outside evaluation. Open assignments, or having students choose topics
to write about, can allow students to express ideas in new forms and contexts.
Encourage students to extend, defend, debate, and question their own ideas.
If you do assess the journals, give students feedback on what they have written. It may not always be possible to
comment on each entry, so try using stickers to recognize what students have
written. A smiley face sticker can give positive feedback while a star can be
used to signify good ideas or thinking.
Management
Students should keep their reflective journals in a folder or spiral or
bound notebook. This allows students to review what they have written and
monitor their own reflective process and thoughts throughout the school year.
Establish a system for identifying each entry in the journal, and create a
shared understanding concerning the time frame allowed for journal writing.
Some students will want to have time to reflect before they begin to write.
Others will need to know when journal time is about to end. A timer may be used
to warn and then signal the end of the reflection time.
Depending on the grade level of your students, you may want to keep the journals in a place
that is easily accessible. Students should know where to find their journals
and understand that they need to be returned to this area. You may want to
establish a clear procedure for the distribution and collection of journals.
Older students may want to keep their reflections between themselves and the
teacher, and it may be more appropriate to have students keep track of the
journals individually.
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