Thursday, February 28, 2008
How do students use journals as tools for learning in language arts and across the curriculum?
Students use journals for a variety of purposes in the classroom. There are seven specific types of journals that students use within the context of the classroom these are as followed: personal journals, dialogue journals, reading logs, double-entry journals,language arts notebooks, learning logs and simulated journals.In almost every type of journal entry that students write the primary focus is on the writer; the writing is personal and private. There are many reasons for writing journal entries, here are just a few: record experiences, stimulate interest in a topic,explore thinking,personalize thinking, wonder, predict and hypothesize, etc. Students can also use journal writing to share events, record learning in both literature focus units and thematic units.
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3 comments:
I loved how you wrote out the different uses of journals. Until reading in the Tompkins book, i had no idea that there could be so many just for language arts.
I think that journals are a great way for children to practice writing down thier ideas. They are able to explore different writing techniques and ideas.
I don't think that they should be graded, yet looked over. The journals should give the students a chance to just write, and not worry about assessment.
Do you think that you will use the concpet of journal writing in your classroom? If so, is there one that you favor more than the other? How will this help you and your students develop thier writing and help you teach it?
Hi Tina~
I too think that journals are not a place for students to be graded on, but more a place for students to practice their writing skills and develop and interest in what they want to get down on paper. I do feel that it is important for a teacher to pose questions and give feed back that will initiate further responses.
I do think that I will use journals as a teacher and I honestly can't tell you what journals I think I will use and which I think to be more effective since I have not yet tried this out with students. However, I feel that all these types of journal writings are valuable and have a lot to offer to students. I may perhaps want to test run each type of journal with my students and then let them decide what one appeals to them.
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on this area, and what direction you think you may go in as you start to enter your career as a teacher.
Journals are an awesome way for children to write down their ideas - just as you mentioned, Tina. My teachers in the past did not grade what we wrote in our journals, but rather wrote back to us and prompted us to think more complexly or completely. I would love to use journal writing in my own classroom in the future.
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