Using Reflective Writing as a Learner Tool in Discussion Class

This study examines the potential of using reflective writing activities as a tool to foster individual language learning in a communicative language classroom. As stated in Brown’s (2007) principle of strategic investment, individuals can become successful language learners through investing time and effort in developing their own language learning strategies. This study proposes that written narratives can be used as a means for learners to develop awareness of language learning and become more personally invested in their learning process. Examining data collected from student reflective writing over the first semester of a university English discussion course, this article illustrates ways that language learners can use writing to reflect on their language learning experiences, and devise personalized goals and strategies for producing and understanding language. I conclude by suggesting that more research should examine the potential of using narrative reflection in second language learning classes. INTRODUCTION As much as language learning is a social endeavour, every person has her own personal experience of it. In the so-called ‘narrative turn’ that has taken place across various disciplines, much attention has been paid to how narratives are a useful form of inquiry of individual development. First, they can provide researchers access to individual experience. Narratives portray what learners are thinking and how they are thinking about it, providing a more holistic, embodied picture of cognition. Swain (2013) notes that “it is in narratives – anecdotes and stories of learners’ experiences – that the centrality of emotion and its connections to cognition becomes evident” (p. 196). By appreciating both how students think and feel, we can have a better understanding of what motivates and drives students in the classroom. Second, “narrative tellings” (Swain et al, 2015) not only track individual development over time but are “sites of development themselves” (p. xiii). Through narrative expression, the individual can interpret and organize their own experience and consciously build their own understanding of it. In regards to learner narratives about second language learning, written reflection can help learners deepen their awareness of what they can and cannot do, and articulate their emotional experiences of producing and interacting in the L2. Furthermore, encouraging students to narrate their own experiences can spur them to become more deeply invested in their own learning. Brown (2007) proposes that a principled approach to second language teaching should utilize the principle of strategic investment where success in language learning will be largely determined by “a learner’s own personal ‘investment’ of time, effort, and attention to the second language” (p. 69). By taking time to reflect and structure their experiences into a written or spoken account, learners can devise their own personal strategies for language development. This study outlines how reflective writing activities conducted in an L1 can complement other in-class strategies of goal-setting and provide opportunities for strategic investment in a second language classroom. The English Discussion Class at Rikkyo University is dedicated to developing fluency and English discussion skills for university students studying English as a foreign language (Hurling, 2012). One of the core features of the 14-week course is that it provides many opportunities to interact and practice speaking in English through topic-based discussion. For instance, in a given ninety-minute class of seven to nine pupils, students typically spend fifty Classroom Activity: Nicole Gallagher 95 to sixty minutes of class time in spoken interaction. Another feature of the course is the opportunity for feedback on their discussion skills development – after students engage in discussions or language practice activities, the instructor provides teacher, pair, or group feedback sessions of various forms. For instance, instructors may provide students with check-sheets to assess their discussion skills, or question prompts to discuss with their classmates. While these in-class feedback activities have shown to be quite effective in enhancing student performance (Singh, 2015), motivation, and language goal setting (Wash, 2015), there are several limitations in using these types of feedback activities for developing strategic investment. First, these activities generally prohibit the use of the students’ L1 and so, depending on their communicative abilities in their L2, students may be restricted quite narrowly in what they can express or articulate. Second, if the feedback activity involves interacting with peers or the teacher, it can pose some social risk of embarrassment in front of others. Some students may not feel comfortable speaking about their experiences with anxiety or nervousness with their classmates and perhaps may avoid the topic or not discuss it in detail. Finally, the feedback activities tend to focus on course content, and often do not provide opportunities for individuals to develop longer or more personal accounts of their experiences of language learning in class. PROCEDURE In the Spring semester of 2017, I implemented an end of class reflective writing activity in one class section of the English Discussion Class that I teach. The idea for this activity first originated in the Fall semester of 2016 based on my interests on subjective aspects of language learning, such as emotion and identity, and how these aspects intersect with the cognitive aspects of language learning. I devised the idea of an in-class reflection paper. I had two goals in mind – first, I wanted to explore how individual written reflection could support students in understanding their second language development. Second, I wanted to investigate how reflective writing could serve as a means for learners to develop their own individualized learning strategies. There were several advantages I saw to using an in-class reflection paper. Although the students are aware that I read their reflections, this activity arguably provides a more personal space for students to express their thoughts and feelings about their progress in class. They could explore their emotional experiences of the class in greater detail without fear of losing face in front of their peers. As well, as the students were permitted to write in Japanese, they had a freer range of expression and the capacity to articulate their thoughts, feelings, and strategies more fully within the time constraints of the short activity. Finally, the general scope of the paper provides students with the choice on what they want to focus on – specific aspects on the course, their general development of English speaking ability, or their own personal strengths, achievements, or perceived limitations. Personalization could likely serve as a catalyst for students to set their own personal goals, which are meaningful to them according to their own understandings of their needs. At the beginning of the semester, I monitored my classes for the first two weeks of lessons and chose four sections of low intermediate level students with which to pilot the activity. I thought the in-class reflection paper would be particularly useful for students without any prior or very little experience participating in discussion before as it would give them an opportunity to use written reflection to document their experiences learning how to conduct and participate in English discussions. At the end of the Week 3 lesson, the students received the activity handout (see Appendix), and were asked to answer the question, “What are your reflections on today’s class? ” They were given three minutes to write their responses. I encouraged the students to write about anything they were thinking or feeling, especially if they had any worries or concerns. I also told them they could choose whether to write in Japanese or English. Almost all students elected to New Directions in Teaching and Learning English Discussion, Vol. 6, 2018 96 write in Japanese. After the pilot week, I transcribed the papers that belonged to the four class sections and then selected one class section for the remainder of the study. By narrowing the project to only one class, I aimed to be able to tailor the reflection paper activity to the specific needs of one particular group of learners by having the flexibility to adapt the reflection questions based on my own observations as the semester progressed. I selected the class for several reasons. First, I had a good rapport with them, and they got along well with one another. The students also demonstrated a desire to learn and improve their English skills and so I thought they would perhaps take the opportunity of the writing activity more earnestly than some students in other classes. Finally, there was a wide range of personality types in the class – from shy, hesitant, nervous students to very extroverted, and cheerful students. I was interested in examining how different individual personality types might diversify the outcome of the activity. In line with other qualitative researchers (Miyahara, 2016; Mann, 2011), I took a reflexive attitude towards the evolution of the classroom activity study. Miyahara (2016) describes reflexivity as an “ongoing self-awareness” (p. 90) that results in “greater sensitivity to subjectivities of both the researcher and the participant” (p. 90). Rather than set a schedule for the in-class reflection papers in advance, I determined when to use the activity during the semester through a process of observing the students and making notes in a teacher’s journal. This also could help me make my assumptions about the project more explicit (Miyahara, 2016). By applying a flexible schedule, I wanted to maximize the utility of the writing activity for the students as much as possible. I was also wary of using it i