Journaling to Reflect on Course Content

Pause and Reflect
“We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience” (John Dewey, n.d.). This quote came to mind while reading Dr. Orlando’s article in the February edition of the Online Classroom. Dr. Orlando (2017) uses journaling to promote reflection and notes that both students and instructors could reap meaningful benefits from this practice.

Not Just for Students
Excelsior course developers do a great job of integrating thoughtful journaling opportunities into many classes. So, for many of you, reflection has already been a required and fruitful element of your classroom experience. But have you considered creating your own journal to help you with instruction? Dr. Orlando (2017) shared his strategy of setting aside a “block of time after each class to reflect on what I learned and should do differently in the next class” (para. 1). I agree with Dr. Orlando and feel that my own journaling has allowed me to continually improve upon my instruction. If you are new to the idea of journaling, here are examples of some of the items I keep in my class journals:

• Research articles that have augmented specific course discussions
• Interviews with industry experts related to weekly material
• Websites that have assisted with achieving learner outcomes
• Books, poetry, or podcasts in line with students’ interests
• Current events involving elements of course content (this needs to be continually updated)
• Helpful guidance for challenging course concepts

I like to use a table to chronologically organize my ideas and keep me on track while teaching. Here is an example.

Student Journaling 
Dr. Orlando’s article reminded me of how much we ask of students in terms of academic content, and how little we ask of them in terms of reflection on creating that content. Asking students to reflect allows them to objectively evaluate their work and their effort level. They may identify tactics that worked well or strategies for improvement in the future. Perhaps the final discussion or assignment could allow students to reflect on the academic experience. Are there ways that the process could have been streamlined? What specifically did students learn about finding research after working with a librarian? Did using Smarthinking improve the quality of the final project? Which pages of the Excelsior OWL should be bookmarked for grammar guidance? Students, like instructors, want to improve and take note of how they can get better.

Some universities give students a playbook to use throughout their academic journey. Students use the playbook to document information about skills, resources, and even directions for future research. The playbook is shared with advisors and must be kept updated after the conclusion of each course. The playbook is also shared in some course discussions, so instructors can identify students who may need additional support or guidance.

Journaling Resources
Dr. Orlando (2017) suggests that combining student experience with academic content teaches students “the value of self-reflection” (para. 3). With that in mind, he suggests using journaling resources like Google Docs or LiveJournal to enhance learning. Orlando (2017) specifically notes that LiveJournal allows students “to add outside content to their entries, such as YouTube videos that relate to their observations” (para. 8). Other journaling apps include Day One, Flava, Journey and Penzu; all of which allow users to add outside content. Penzu even reminds the author of previous journal material in order to continually develop ideas. Regardless of your choice, I think you, too, will find that making connections across various media enhances comprehension and retention of course material (Orlando, 2017, para. 8).
References
John Dewey. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/664197-we-do-not-learn-from-experience-we-learn-from-reflecting

Orlando, J. (2017, February). Reflective learning through journaling. Online Classroom. Retrieved February 1, 2017 from http://www.magnapubs.com/newsletter/online-classroom/156/Reflective-Learning-through-Journaling-14371-1.html