Learning Journal's for developing independence
Paul Main
Learning Journals for developing independence and student autonomy.
Learning Journals for developing independence and student autonomy.
A learning journal is a classroom tool that can be used for many purposes. For example, to note down observations about an experience, for student engagement or to record the learning progress. A learning journal is not only a summary of the course or curriculum material; it also contains details about the reactions to what someone has learnt. In this article, we will explore how children can use a simple format for enhancing student engagement with course content. Used to promote metacognition, college students can use these study tools to review what they have learnt and where they need to place their focus. We will also provide an idea of how these journals can be used as an examination of student attributes. When used effectively, they are not just for recording homework tasks. Children can use the journal to reflect upon their tasks identifying strengths and areas for growth. When adopted strategically, these devices can also be used for parent contributions. Providing a space for parents to comment can act as a gateway for more effective family engagement with a school.
If you are preparing a learning journal to scaffold your students study skills, you must consider the marking criteria and assignment instructions. Prepare your learning journal entries on basis of these. Below are some general ideas that may help you write your journal.
Students can write a summary of the journal on basis of what they have learned. For example, education students can write staff perspectives in their learning journal and write what topics were more difficult or easier to learn. How did it add to their previous learning about a topic?
You can organise your learning journal by dividing it into different sections (one section for each topic/ week). You can write a heading (or an article title) for each topic. If you want to write a summary (or article abstract) of the journal, have this at the beginning of the last pages of the assignment. In case of having in-text citations, remember to create a complete list of references on the last pages of the learning journal. For younger students, children can use a journal for documenting the tasks that need to be achieved, research that needs to be undertaken or preparation for an upcoming piece of work. The key utility for an effective journal is organisation.
A wide range of empirical studies indicates that learning journals are more useful for senior students as compared to primary school students. The language of a learning journal may include both the first and the third person. First-person is used to write about your opinion about the learning and third person (he, she or names) is used for any discussion points. A learning journal is one amongst a wide range of learning methods that may include verbatim examples i.e. examples of what you would say to another person or a client, and what they might say.
Following are the steps of writing a learning journal.
A learning journal is one of the wide range of the most effective active learning strategies for senior students. A learning journal facilitates in reflecting on your learning for a specific task (e.g. a current issue, literature review, publication process or book review), and can be used for different objectives including personal development planning, experiential learning and project development. Establishing a record of learning is helpful for hundreds of children in:
Don't forget that writing itself is a learning tool. You may use writing to investigate concepts as a way to understand them. The templates should be designed to help learners clarify their thinking – you may format your learning journal as per your requirements. Your learning journal may include other entries related to your reflective learning e.g. staff perspectives about an issue. These can be ‘objective’, ‘result’, ‘focus’, ‘process’, ‘audience', theory’, and other entries. The most important is to use the main reflective questions to assess your learning (How was the experience of oral proficiency development? What did I learn while oral proficiency development?), to reflect on learning at a deeper level (How are philosophical discussions significant to me in the context of my past learning?), and to use understanding to further develop your learning (What did you learn from work-based learning? What are the different aspects of development? How have your learning changed the way you would do things in the future studies?).