Journals
CPD: The Teaching Online Handbook (by Courtney Ostaff), topic 1.1.5
Journals
How to use journals
- When using journals for assessment purposes, teachers might consider substituting them for one of the weekly assessments.
- This signals to students that they should take the assignment seriously.
- Teachers may wish to use journals for writing assignments in non-composition classes, such as mathematics and science.
Grading
- Given the type of assignments Courtney tucks into the journal feature, she generally doesn't grade these with formal writing rubrics.
- She usually grades these journals as complete/incomplete, and make students revise it until it is complete.
- It is more important to ensure the work is done than having a summative assessment of the journals.
Importance of journals
- Teachers may find that asking students to think about the content is difficult, especially during an online class, because teachers do not control the student’s environment.
- But, reflecting, or thinking about what happened in the past, connecting it to new materials, and rehearsing what you might do next time is one of the most powerful learning tools.
Keep in mind
- Journal assignments are powerful because they run students up against their own self-perception of their learning.
- They ask students to use metacognition, or thinking about their thinking.
- Teachers should remember that online students are working in isolation and only have themselves as a measuring stick.
- Therefore, teaching students how to use measurable, specific assessments for improving their own learning is a valuable skill.
Test yourself on Journals
Which of these is true for most cases of online learning?
What is the main benefit of journals in online learning?