REFLECTIVE JOURNALS

Reflective journals are notebooks that are used to write about and reflect on thoughts, ideas, feelings and own learning. This encourages the development of metacognitive1 skills by helping the learner/teacher self evaluate and sort what is known and what is not known. 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. The process of keeping a reflective journal often illuminates problems, misunderstandings, and confusions and helps determine new growth, independence, and responsibility for learning (Strong, Silver and Perini 2001). Many believe 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 learn, they begin to translate discoveries they have made about their own learning into plans for improvement. Writing about what we do and what we have learnt disciplines us to become more thoughtful, reflective and analytic. Learning occurs when we take in information, think about it, make sense of it and fit it in with what we already know. Learning also requires that we can see how to apply new information and where to apply it (Stephen Brookfield). Structure your journal as a personal learning journey, tracking and documenting an evolving understanding of teaching and learning. Your journal is a way to express yourself. If you dont feel like writing, use drawings, collage, mind maps, photos, or artwork to express yourself. Some Reflective Journal Sentence Starters
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I think I wonder What puzzles me is I am unsure about Whats interesting is Whats hard about this is A strength for me is Something I need to work harder on is It was great when I was surprised that I learned I already knew about . but I learned that I am concerned that I think what will happen is This is different because.

refers to a level of thinking that involves active control over the process of thinking that is used in learning situations

It made me think of I could visualise I figured out I am affirmed What do you see as the main aspects of this class/ situation? What is your reaction? What were the reasons for the way you responded? So what beliefs and values influence your actions/ reactions? What assumptions did you make? What were your feelings at the time? What are they now? Are there differences? Why? Do you think others students feel the same way? How do you know? Did you do anything to seek clarification? If so, what? Now what are the implications for you? What are the best ways of getting further information?

If you are exploring a reading or text dont just summarise the reading. Show some reflective and/or analytical thought. Some guidelines for you. Did you find the reading easy or hard? What made it easy? Hard? In which ways are your experiences similar or different to the content or the action of the reading? Do you think that you and the author share the same opinions? Why? Why not? What is your first reaction or response to the text? Describe or explain it briefly What feelings did it awaken in you? What emotions did you feel as you read the text? Perceptions: What did you see happening in the text? Paraphrase it retell the major events briefly. Did you feel involved with the text or distant from it? What idea or thought was suggested by the text? Explain it briefly. How did your reading of the text differ from that of others in your group? In what ways were they alike? Evaluation: do you think the text is a good one? Why/why not? Literary Associations: Does this text call to mind any other literary work (poem, play, drama, film, dance, or story)? If it does, what is the work and what is the connection you see between the two? If you were asked to write about your reading of this text, upon what would you focus? Would you write about some aspect of the text itself, about the author, some association or memory, or something else?

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