Journals
Written accounts of what students do in their class and possibly of what they learn. Entries provide a partial record of the instructional experience, can access understanding, and act as a review of content learned.
Google Docs makes sharing journal entries a breeze, but some students just want to hand write their journals.
Theory Journals
Students examine and interpret theoretical concepts and significant points, restating them in their own words and then recording how they are applied in concept.
Reflective Journals
Apply concepts to opinions and have students provide evidence to prove their point.
Science, Math, and Vocabulary Journals
Ongoing journals that log important learning targets with descriptions, lab results, examples, and open-ended answers to questions that challenge the learning process.
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The individual has to think about what he/she did in order to communicate in writing., thus gaining valuable insight and feedback about the learning process. Great for formative and self-assessment .
Journal Prompts for Problem Solving
I knew I was right when...... If I missed____________ I would have to__________________.
The thing you have to remember with this kind of problem is........
Tips I would give a friend to solve this problem are.........
I wish I knew more about......
How many times did you try to solve the problem? How did you finally solve it?
Could you have found the answer by doing something different? What?
Was this hard or easy? Why?
Where else could you use this type of lab (problem solving)?
What would happen if you missed a step? Why?
What other strategies could you use to solve this problem?
Write 4 steps for somebody else that will be solving this problem.
What would you like to do better next time?
Were you frustrated with this problem? Why or why not?
What decisions had to be made when solving this problem?