This book can be found in Hamilton Library or at the Manoa Writing Program. Some Tips on Using Journals Effective journal writing can be organized in many ways. Journals might become a beginning of class ritual. Or journal writing can be a closing ritual, an activity scheduled for the end of every class. Or journals can be done outside of class.
Students usually take journal writing more seriously when they see their instructor writing too.
Certainly many of the entries should be read and responded to. Reading and responding, however, are different than grading. Grades may be, in fact, the least effective type of response instructors can offer to informal writing such as journals. Many successful instructors who use journals require a table of contents and a page-numbering system which allows them to spot check entries and assign a quantity mark to them. Instructors may set up a rotating schedule so that both they and their students know exactly how many journals the instructor will read a week.