Journals

							  Journals
     and
Learning Logs




                1
              Rationale
       Journals/ Learning Logs
 Every time a student writes, instruction is
  individualized.
 Writing makes it harder for students to
  remain passive.
 Elbow’s freewriting techniques illustrate
  the close relationship between writing and
  thinking.

                                                2
“Students, in whatever they write and with
whatever they read, are interpreting and
composing; they are making meaning.”
               -Ann Berthoff
               -The Making of Meaning



                                             3
“Any writing assignments that encourage
students to look and look again will be
teaching critical reading and critical
thinking.”
               -Ann Berthoff
               -The Making of Meaning


                                          4
“Every time students write entries [in their
journals], they are individualizing their
instruction.”
         -Toby Fulwiler
         -The Personal Connection: Journal
          Writing Across the Curriculum



                                               5
                      Journal Uses
   Starting class
   Summarizing
   Focusing
   Responding
   Problem solving; restating problems
   Progress reports
   Records of intellectual growth
   Class texts
   Learning to learn: attending, goal setting, deep processing (engaging
    in learning), monitoring attitudes

Adapted from Teaching with Writing by Toby Fulwiler, Boynton Cook
  1987

                                                                            6
   Practical Benefits of Frequent
              Writing
 Increased fluency
 Improves reading skills
 Improves retention
 Increases teacher’s knowledge of students
 Expressive (personal) writing is a
  necessary step in the development of a
  capable writer
                                              7
           Writing Task


How writing is, or could be, used as a tool
for learning in my classroom.

         -Freewriting
         -5 minutes
         -Personal
                                              8