Module 1

Learning Journal Overview

What Is A Learning Journal?

A learning journal is a collection of notes, observations, thoughts and other relevant materials built‐up over a period of time and maybe a result of a period of study, learning and/or working experience. Its purpose is to enhance your learning through the process of writing and thinking about your learning experiences. Your learning journal is personal to you and will reflect your personality, preferences and experiences. Over time, you will be able to gain insight into yourself by re-reading entries.

Why use a learning journal?

  • To provide a “live” picture of your growing understanding of a subject experience
  • To demonstrate how your learning is developing
  • To keep a record of your thoughts and ideas throughout your experiences
  • To help you identify your strengths, areas for improvement and preferences in learning
  • To provide a personal reflective mechanism on re-reading

A learning journal helps you to be reflective about your learning, this mean that your journal should not be a purely descriptive account of what you did but an opportunity to communicate your thinking process: how and why you did what you did, and what you now think about what you did.

Structuring your learning journal

Your learning journal may be called several different things: a learning log, a fieldwork diary or personal development planner. Different subject areas may ask you to focus on different aspects of your experience and may have different formats. In your journal for this course, you will be asked to respond to specific questions related to your learning and to observe and reflect on your responses over time.

 What is reflective learning?

Reflective learning is a learned process that requires time and practice. It is an active process: involving thinking through the issues yourself, asking questions and seeking out relevant information to aid your understanding.

Reflective learning works best when you think about what you are doing before, during and after your learning experience. Reflective learning is therefore not only about recognizing your something new; it is also about seeing reality in a new way.

Reflection is an important skill to develop and requires you to think about how you are personally relating to what is happening in the course or in your work.

Content of your learning journal

A learning journal should focus on your personal responses, reactions and reflections to questions, and new ideas or new ways of thinking about a subject that you have been introduced through:

  • Courses
  • Research and reading including any visual research including television, film and internet
  • Conversations and discussions with other participants or others

 

License

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Professionalism by Whatcom Community College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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