Whether your students write in daybooks, two entry notebooks, or academic journals, you can use the following instruction sheet to help students self-reflect. Premised on the notion that students should assess their own writing, Terri Van Sickle, a virtuoso instructor and writer for Crystal Coast Parent Magazine, teaches her classes to use a rich and organic process of open-ended reflection that works well as a culminating journal activity. So, how do you implement journals, make them a priority, and reduce responding time? An Efficient Journal Response Strategy My token analysis, however, signaled students to submit journals that were equivalently weak ('If he doesn't care, why should we?'). To lessen the time costs, I tried skimming journals. Who Has Time to Grade Journals?įor years, I've taken home crates of journals on the weekend and responded with a Theseusian intensity that has crushed classroom preparation time and personal leisure, and has exasperated friends and family. Microthemes quickly activate thinking before whole-class discussions.īut, while essentially all reflective writing formats yield benefits, there is a problem. Teachers collect the note cards and write responses to the students on the other side. In one, students write a summary to a reading, lecture, demonstration, or experiment on the back of an index card. One of my favorites, the microtheme, supports comprehension, extends thinking, improves confidence, and bolsters writing across the content areas. For example, here is a format that supports scientific reflection: 'Today I observed. Every subject area 'pot' has its own reflective 'lid,' allowing teachers a peak into the metacognitive soup of students' misconceptions and insight. Introducing a range of reflective genres can encourage students to generalize about their content attitudes. In the end, all knowledge is related the journal helps clarify the relationship.' Vary Student Journal Formats to Enhance Content-Specific ThinkingĪnnette Lamb and Larry Johnson's 42explore presents implementation advice and describes different journal formats. The legendary Toby Fulwiler, author of The Journal Book, writes, 'Without an understanding of who we are, we are not likely to understand fully why we study biology rather than forestry, literature rather than philosophy. From a teacher's perspective, there are few activities that can trump journal writing for understanding and supporting the development of student thinking. The benefits of students integrating journal writing across the curriculum are amply documented.

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