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Using Reflective Learning Logs for Reading Success Written by Dorit Sasson
Documenting student performance and related factors gives teachers information to further reflect and plan how to meet student needs. Reflective learning logs may have an inquiry-based format, including questions such as: · What is your reasoning or rationale underpinning your action? · Why have you decided to implement this activity in this manner? · What is your recipe for the solution?
This approach can also uniquely apply to most difficult teaching situations and interactions with groups of lower performing readers or at-risk English language learners. Journal use shows that documenting student performance is effective in terms of generating more reflective thinking over time. As teachers document student performance and related factors, they then have information to further reflect and plan how to meet student needs. Teachers ask themselves questions and then seek answers through collaboration with other teachers. They can experiment with various instructional strategies and methods. The process of journal writing is not intended for quick and easy solutions, but rather to explore a reflective process of thinking. Reflective writing allows teachers to make connections between issues they observe in the classroom and what they learn through professional development opportunities such as in-service sessions. Reflective Journals Helps Teachers Learn What Works Using subject categories to guide reflections, teachers can identify areas in which students need additional support. This allows teachers to consider the effectiveness of strategies they have used and could then decide if they wanted to implement additional techniques in their teaching. Subject Categories:
When teachers reflect on which methods and strategies were effective in their classroom teaching, they begin the process of reflective thinking. Teachers can also add to their learning when they incorporate new information from outside sources, such as teacher training and professional development opportunities.
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Teachers
add to their professional growth by observing and reflecting on what goes on in
their classrooms. New and experienced teachers often do not know if they managed
to teach their struggling English language learners successfully. Reflective
learning logs help teachers cope with their own self-doubt and uncertainty that
is part of the stress of managing a classroom of mixed ability students.
According to Michael Koehler, "[teacher Journals] reveal and document the
teacher's reactions to daily school experiences...what was satisfying and
sometimes disturbing about them. Journals promote the kind of reflection that
reveals professional concerns and needs. Each discovered need can then become
the starting point for additional professional growth experiences" (Koehler,
2008).