Using Journals to Promote Reflective Thought
A journal is a student's ongoing record of ideas, thoughts, experiences and reflections on a given topic.
Journals go beyond the demands of typical written assignments as they promote the integration of
personal thoughts and expressions with course material. As such, journals provide a systematic means
of documenting learning and collecting evidence for self-evaluation and reflection. The specific form of
the journal depends upon the goals and purpose of the assignment, but journals are generally
categorized as either structured or free-form. In a structured journal, students are given a specific
question, target, or set of guidelines to base their writing, while free-form journals require students to
record thoughts and feelings with minimal direction. Regardless of the form, journals are a valuable
assessment tool for monitoring a student's ability to observe, challenge, speculate, doubt, question, selfreflect, problem solve, and explore. In addition, journals provide a safe outlet for students to express
their ideas; often encouraging active participation by students who would generally not speak in class.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Promotes the active exploration of the relationship between various ideas, thoughts, concepts, or
feelings
Consistent grading difficult due to the subjective nature of the assignment
Provides guidance for students to sort out problems and gain new insight
Grading may be time-intensive
Instructors gain insight on the private lives of students which may facilitate the learning process
Students may disclose extensive personal or private information that is difficult to deal with in an
academic setting
Encourages experimentation with new writing forms
Feedback may hurt students' feelings due to the intimate nature of many journal entries
Establishes the habit of writing
Time required to complete journal entries may take away from limited instructional time
Documents students' growth as writers
Students may be hindered by poor writing ability
Provides a basis for class discussions
Promotes reflection on ideas, experiences, and opinions both before and after instructional activities
Guidelines for the Effective Use of Journals:
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* Design journal assignments to reflect specific learning objectives or course goals. In addition, be sure
to explain to students the purpose and benefits of the journal.
* Provide adequate instructions to ensure that students are aware of expectations and requirements.
To promote effective writing, give students specific exercises or a set of guiding questions. Research has
indicated that adult learners find journal assignments more productive, informative, and fulfilling when
they are given structured issues to address.
* Explicitly discuss policies concerning privacy and confidentiality of information. Highlight if journals
will be read and/or shared with others. Be sure to inform students that as an educator, you are required
to disclose and report information that indicates potential harm or danger.
* Review journals periodically and provide feedback. Feedback may include suggestions, constructive
remarks, questions, and/or encouragement. To facilitate the feedback process, journals may either be
collected all at once at predetermined time intervals, or instructors may choose to collect a few journals
each day and maintain an ongoing feedback process.
Ideas for Journal Assignments:
Depending on the course, topic, learning objectives, student population, and instructor's preference,
journals can take on many forms. The following journal ideas are provided to stimulate instructors to
develop their own journal assignments to reflect the individualized needs of their course.
Observational Journal
The goal of observational journal writing is to enhance students' awareness of the relationship between
course material and events in the real world. Instructors may want to assign students to observe a
target location for a specified amount of time, then record observations and reflections of the
experience.
Personal Experience Journal
A personal experience journal allows students to reflect on their own experiences in the context of a
specific idea or theory. Personal experience journals promote active encoding and critical processing of
course material by encouraging students to draw personal connections between their lives and
theoretical concepts.
Reading Journal
The purpose of a reading journal is to encourage active processing of reading assignments. A reading
journal may target the relationship between readings and students' experiences, connections between
various reading selections, or insightful thoughts provoked by the reading assignment. In addition,
instructors can pose questions to be answered via the reading journal; these questions serve to guide
reading and target students' attention on key information.
Minute Reflection Journal
Minute reflection journals can be used in the classroom to promote critical thinking in relation to a
particular activity, discussion, or presentation. Instructors may pose a question, then require students to
write for two to three minutes to record their initial thoughts and reactions. Minute reflections are
generally short reactions that can be used as the basis for further investigation or class discussion.
Listening Journal
The goal of listening journal writing is to reflect on a lecture or presentation to clarify confusion or
misconceptions. Listening journals are particularly effective when covering difficult and challenging
topics. After presenting relevant information, listening journals require students to paraphrase and
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explain what they just heard. These paraphrased reflections can then be used to monitor understanding
and clarify conceptual confusion.
Expansion Journals
Expansion journals are used to encourage in-depth analysis of a particular topic, concept, or idea.
Following an instructional sequence, students are required to select a single topic and expand on the
information provided to demonstrate the concept in a novel context or to pose follow-up questions and
investigations. The benefit of expansion journals is that they allow students to tailor course material to
subjects of particular personal interest.
Daily Reflections Journal
The purpose of a daily reflections journal is to encourage habitual expression of thoughts, ideas, and
insights in writing. In contrast to many types of academic journals, a daily reflections journal focuses on
emotions and personal thoughts. Daily reflection writing may either be structured (dealing with a
particular topic or issue) or unstructured (topics individually selected by each student). This type of
journal enhances personal insight and promotes effective writing strategies.
Learning Log Journal
Learning logs promote active reflection on the learning process. The goal of a learning log is to enhance
students' metacognitive awareness of their own study strategies, misconceptions, and intellectual
strengths or weaknesses.
Exchange Journal
An exchange journal differs from most journals in that it is completed via interactions between two or
more peers. In an exchange journal, students divide each page into two columns. In the first column,
one student poses a series of questions related to course material. Journals are then exchanged and
each peer responds to the questions in the second column. An exchange journal promotes thoughtful
interaction and communication in relation to course-specific topics.
Academic Journals
Academic journals are curriculum-oriented writings designed to promote active reflection on course
material both before and after instruction. An academic journal typically requires students to summarize
readings and highlight unanswered questions prior to instruction. Then, at the conclusion of
instructional activities, students return to the journal to answer questions, organize thoughts, or list
points of confusion. Academic journals are frequently turned in so that instructors may target and focus
instruction on issues relevant to students' concerns or questions.
Tips for Grading Journals:
The personal, individualized nature of journals makes assessment very subjective. In order to ensure
fair, consistent grading that reflects the objectives of the journal assignment, it is important to have a
pre-established set of evaluation criteria. In addition to facilitating the grading process, evaluation
criteria provide guidance to assist students in preparing effective, educational journals. The grading
system should be designed to reflect the learning objectives and goals of the assignment. As such, the
weight of various components should match the importance of each objective.
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Grading rubrics can be designed as either holistic or analytical scoring systems. In a holistic rubric,
students are given overall criteria for assigning a general grade based on the complete journal. For
example:
Grade Criteria
A
Students complete all journal entries. Entries are insightful, thoughtful, and well developed. All
entries are appropriate length, target proper objectives, and utilize proper
grammar/spelling/punctuation.
B
Student completes all journal entries. Entries are generally targeted, but need expansion or
explanation. Most entries utilize appropriate grammar/spelling/punctuation.
C
Student completes all journal entries. Entries show tangential relationship to assignment objectives
or need considerable explanation and development. Noticeable errors in grammar/spelling/punctuation.
D
Student completes most journal entries, but may be missing a few. Entries need considerable
development and expansion. Noticeable errors in grammar/spelling/punctuation.
F
Student fails to complete journal entries or journal entries are unrelated to assignment objectives.
In an analytical scoring system, grading components are divided according to the learning objectives and
relative weights are assigned to each criterion based on journal quality. For example:
Criteria
5 points
4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point Score
Depth of thought
Shows novel insight
Shows appropriate analysis, but lacks insight
Analysis incorrect or missing; no insight
Weighted 2x
Critical thinking
Demonstrates understanding of hidden or subtle issues
Demonstrates general
understanding; logic needs expanding
Fails to demonstrate critical thinking strategies
Weighted 2x
Personal reflections Connects ideas and thoughts to personal life
Connections need further
explanation or justification
Lack of connection to personal life Weighted 3x
Meets requirements Appropriate length, typed, utilizes proper citations
Needs some
elaboration or inclusion of required components
Failure to meet length and inclusion
requirements
1x
Grammar, punctuation, spelling Proper grammar, punctuation, spelling
Noticeable errors in
grammar, punctuation, spelling
Major errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling 1x
Overall Score
Sum of weighted scores
Review Checklist:
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
Is a journal an appropriate assessment of relevant learning objectives?
Are journal requirements designed to meet course-specific learning objectives?
Is the purpose of the journal clear to students?
Have students been given adequate instructions to complete journal entries?
Does the grading criteria for the journal accurately reflect the goals of the assignment?
Is a system in place to provide effective feedback on journal entries?
Have students been informed of issues related to the privacy and confidentiality of their journal?
Resource Links:
* Journal Writing and Adult Learning<http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed399413.html>
* Journals in the Classroom<http://7-12educators.about.com/library/weekly/aa083100a.htm>
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* Journal Assessment<http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-6382.html>
* Project Learning Logs and Reflective Reviews<http://www.qub.ac.uk/mgt/itsoc/proj/learnlog.html>
* Sample Response Journal Assessment<http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/xla/elau.pdf>
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