A reflective learning blog is an electronic reflective learning journal. Some students asked me what they should be writing in their reflective learning blogs. This questions prompts me to write this new entry in my teaching blog – how to write a reflective learning journal.
The purpose of keeping the reflective learning journal is to help you learn and grow. Confucius says "Study without reflection is a waste of time; reflection without study is dangerous". Through keeping a reflective learning journal, you make learning personal, meaningful, and connect learning with your prior knowledge. Through reflective writing, you gain new insights about what you have learned. Writing forces you to make your thoughts visible and examine your inner thoughts closely. Through writing, ideas become clearer and lens of focus becomes sharper.
The reflective learning journal is to record your reflection and growth. Dennis List emphasizes that a reflective learning journal is NOT these two things:
(1) a summary of reading materials. Instead, you should focus on your reaction on what you have read.
(2) a learning log. A reflective learning journal is not a learning log for you to record events. It records your reflection, thoughts, and observation about events.
In your reflective learning blog, you can analyze your learning experiences, discuss how you would apply your learning to your teaching, re-evaluate your previous assumptions, raise questions, challenge a theory or a practice, and present new thoughts as the result of your learning. Dennis List provides a long list of items one can write in the reflective learning journal. This list gave me ideas to frame the following questions. These questions should guide you through your journal writing.
What was the most important/interesting learning experience (e.g. course reading, group discussion, or lesson plan development) for me and why it was important/interesting to me?
How would I apply what I have learned in my future teaching?
What was my previous assumption (a theory or a practice), and how did the learning make me re-evaluate my assumption?
What questions would I like to raise about a piece of reading material, a practice or a common belief?
What would I like to challenge (e.g. a theory, a practice and a common belief)
What observation would I like to present about a particular learning event?
What new thoughts do I have as the result of my learning/reading?
I hope you find this blog entry useful. Happy blogging.
The purpose of keeping the reflective learning journal is to help you learn and grow. Confucius says "Study without reflection is a waste of time; reflection without study is dangerous". Through keeping a reflective learning journal, you make learning personal, meaningful, and connect learning with your prior knowledge. Through reflective writing, you gain new insights about what you have learned. Writing forces you to make your thoughts visible and examine your inner thoughts closely. Through writing, ideas become clearer and lens of focus becomes sharper.
The reflective learning journal is to record your reflection and growth. Dennis List emphasizes that a reflective learning journal is NOT these two things:
(1) a summary of reading materials. Instead, you should focus on your reaction on what you have read.
(2) a learning log. A reflective learning journal is not a learning log for you to record events. It records your reflection, thoughts, and observation about events.
In your reflective learning blog, you can analyze your learning experiences, discuss how you would apply your learning to your teaching, re-evaluate your previous assumptions, raise questions, challenge a theory or a practice, and present new thoughts as the result of your learning. Dennis List provides a long list of items one can write in the reflective learning journal. This list gave me ideas to frame the following questions. These questions should guide you through your journal writing.
What was the most important/interesting learning experience (e.g. course reading, group discussion, or lesson plan development) for me and why it was important/interesting to me?
How would I apply what I have learned in my future teaching?
What was my previous assumption (a theory or a practice), and how did the learning make me re-evaluate my assumption?
What questions would I like to raise about a piece of reading material, a practice or a common belief?
What would I like to challenge (e.g. a theory, a practice and a common belief)
What observation would I like to present about a particular learning event?
What new thoughts do I have as the result of my learning/reading?
I hope you find this blog entry useful. Happy blogging.
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