1 Journals and Learning Logs

2 Rationale Journals/ Learning Logs  Every time a student writes, instruction is individualized.  Writing makes it harder for students to remain passive.  Elbow’s freewriting techniques illustrate the close relationship between writing and thinking.

3 “Students, in whatever they write and with whatever they read, are interpreting and composing; they are making meaning.” -Ann Berthoff -The Making of Meaning

4 “Any writing assignments that encourage students to look and look again will be teaching critical reading and critical thinking.” -Ann Berthoff -The Making of Meaning

5 “Every time students write entries [in their journals], they are individualizing their instruction.” -Toby Fulwiler -The Personal Connection: Journal Writing Across the Curriculum

6 Journal Uses  Starting class  Summarizing  Focusing  Responding  Problem solving; restating problems  Progress reports  Records of intellectual growth  Class texts  Learning to learn: attending, goal setting, deep processing (engaging in learning), monitoring attitudes Adapted from Teaching with Writing by Toby Fulwiler, Boynton Cook 1987

7 Practical Benefits of Frequent Writing  Increased fluency  Improves reading skills  Improves retention  Increases teacher’s knowledge of students  Expressive (personal) writing is a necessary step in the development of a capable writer

8 Writing Task How writing is, or could be, used as a tool for learning in my classroom. -Freewriting -5 minutes -Personal