Using Journals Effectively in Classrooms

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Using Journals Effectively in Classrooms

Journal writing seems to be a popular element teachers use to give students the opportunity to become involved in the classroom without always speaking. However, is journal writing a beneficial tool for student learning? How can it become more effective in the classroom? There are many types of journals which can be used in a classroom. I have decided to look at the different types of journals that exist to gain a broad overview of journal usage. This is to help me decide what the most effective journal for this classroom would be.

First, let us look at what journal writing is. Journal writing is a method to provide students with an alternate way of expression. It promotes individual thinking by the students as well as developing the creative process. I want students to explore some freedom with their writing in this classroom. I want to allow them the opportunity to become involved in their learning. I want them to think more about the material discussed and have that opportunity to write down ideas and reflect on these ideas almost immediatly. Journal writing involves students keeping a "diary" of information that they or the teacher think is important to learn or remember. It is a "source book" according to Les Parsons, which can involve reactions to readings, discussions, television programs or advertisements, movies, rock videos, small group discussions where these ideas, thoughts, or opinions can be reflected on to be used later in another context. I think that this is very important to the subject matter and the unit I will be teaching. The Holocaust is a very emotional and sensitive topic and I think it is beneficial for students to have the opportunity to express their thou...

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... or by meeting requirements which the teacher and students decide need to be included in the journal entries. According to many teachers and professors, journal writing appears to be very beneficial to classroom learning. Journal writing when used and evaluated properly can be a very beneficial tool for the leaner as well as the teacher.

Works Cited:

Barchers, Suzanne I. Teaching Language Arts: An Integrated

Approach. St. Paul: West Publishing Co., 1994.

Parsons, Les. Response Journals. Markham: Pembroke Publishers Limited, 1990.

Expanding Response Journals. Markham: Pembroke Publishers Limited, 1994.

Popp, Marcia S. Learning Journalism in the K-8 classroom. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, 1997.

Tompkins, Gail E. and Kenneth Hoskisson. Language Arts: Content and Teaching Strategies. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1995.

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