However, if the teacher follows guidelines such as those mentioned on the previous page, the focus problem will be eliminated. By giving the students specific topics, the teacher is giving them a starting point. Students will be able to gain the experience of working with the given topic by using their prior experience and knowledge. Another criticism of freewrites and journals is that students do not learn how to write clear and finished products. The critics will comment that these types of exercises teach the students to be sloppy.
Students gain ownership of their writing, and with ownership comes responsibility.
The ideology that students can come to a sense of responsibility and ownership is what teaching critical thinking is all about. By giving students the freedom to come to their own understanding of the knowledge of correctness, we as instructors are freeing them to accept and demand that freedom. Freewriting and journal writing are very effective methods for teaching critical thinking skills. Both activities give students opportunities to write with no pressure. Students are freed from any constraints that my have held them back in the past.