Five Perspectives on Reflective Journaling

Prologue: An Implementation of Learning Journals It has long been posited in the field of adult education and elsewhere that reflection is an integral part of one's teaching practice and as well as a beneficial learning tool for students (Andrusyszyn & Davie, 1997; Brookfield, 1995; Conrad & Donaldson, 2004; Kerka, 1996; Schon, 1987; Stein, 2000). It was with this orientation to practice that I started my first year of teaching in the Adult Education Masters Degree Program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Being new to the program and the 60-some advisees, I envisioned using reflective journaling in the graduate courses, not only as a way to improve student learning, but also as a means to conduct an informal baseline assessment of the students' knowledge in the program, to diagnose their learning needs, and to learn about their personal and professional goals. I also hoped that learning journals would offer a glimpse into the students' mental processes and help me connect personally with them, perhaps becoming a container for a kind of dialogue that I otherwise would not have with them. In the Foundations of Adult Education course, I assigned weekly learning journal entries in which the students were to chronicle their insights, agree or disagree with course materials, relate new information to previous experiences, record their reflections, and/or ask questions. The students were also encouraged to make connections between the course materials and their current or future teaching practices. While sometimes "starter prompts" or topics were assigned, the students were not required to write only about these items. They were encouraged to focus on their own learning patterns and would be given full credit for any journal entry that in some way dealt with the course topics. The journal entries were presented as "low-stakes" writing experiences. As the literature suggests (Walker, 2006), the student entries were not graded on grammar, punctuation, mechanics, or spelling. Rather, the journal provided a safe environment for students to develop writing, critical thinking, and reflection skills. At the end of the course, the students were required to write a synthesis paper in which they utilized their learning journals and other course materials to discern patterns and themes that emerged for them during the semester. While most students were able to identify many themes in their learning, they were asked to concentrate on the four to seven strongest and most significant ones. Some common themes that emerged were items such as "Things I Learned about Myself this Semester," "Tools I Can Apply to my Teaching Practice," "My Emerging Teaching Philosophy," and "The Role of Experience in Learning." The reflective essays were helpful in capturing the students' perspectives at a certain point in time. Likewise, it has been helpful to further reflect and see the lasting impact that reflective journaling has had on students months after the initial experiences. Before being asked to write these reflections, each of the authors formally or informally communicated with me in some way about the benefits of journaling in some aspect of her learning process, teaching practice, or personal life. This anecdotal trend fits with the literature which suggests that reflective practice and transformative learning experiences may have an impact on the practitioner and/ or the student long after the precipitating event (Brookfield, 1995; Clark, 1993; Mezirow, 1981). The following reflections were written several months after the end of the Foundations of Adult Education course. It is clear that reflective journaling has had a lasting effect. My Voice Counts: Reflections by Deborah Cook Want to know yourself better? Try journaling. My weekly task of journaling allowed me to see and know what I was not aware of knowing. Before journaling, my thoughts, feelings, attitude, and self-image were frayed like the end of a rope. …