This descriptive article explores the uses of poetry and journaling exercises as means of helping students develop their self-reflective capacities within the context of international social work. First, self-reflection and its importance to social work practice and education is discussed. Second, the importance of self-reflection in international…

Young people are encouraged to use this writing journal for kids as a means to think, write, and be creative. The journal helps children to explore their worlds, learn about their families, and record their memories, feelings, and dreams. Following explanatory sections for parents, teachers, and the writer, the journal contains these sections:…

Describes a course diary that documents events in the course during the year and supplies a record of overall student performance and expectations. Explains the benefits and contents of a course diary, as well as what can be done throughout the year to make writing the course diary an easy task. (ASK)

Notebooks have been used to document scientific discovery and are considered effective tools in the classroom. They make science experiences more meaningful and authentic for students as they observe, record, and reflect upon what they have learned. Notebook writing also offers a natural way to integrate science and language arts. This book…

This book presents the narrative of one educator's first year as a high school teacher. The teacher was a former lawyer who returned to college to get his teaching certification. The book uses the teacher's reflections from the journal that he kept throughout the school year. It is divided into weeks. It begins with a chapter about the day before…

This document presents a workbook and facilitator's notes designed for use with small groups or with individual students in secondary schools to help them cope with troubling events related to the Gulf War. The material contained in the workbook is designed to help students deal with each of seven stages that the mastery model sees individuals…

Notebooks and journals can help interest students in writing. A sample activity suggests that teachers begin the year by reading a poem about notebooks then discussing school supplies and writing. Discussions can examine creative things to write on, creative word choice, creative use of notebooks, and turning favorite words into art. (SM)

Describes a study done by the Middle School Math through Applications project (MMAP) on informal assessment. Discusses some valuable techniques that MMAP teachers and researchers developed for organizing informal assessment so that it produces a coherent story of student progress, helps students make more progress with greater focus, and…

Describes a project that utilizes journal writing in the mathematics classroom. Journals are a valuable form of assessment for students and teachers and furnish concrete feedback on a student's understanding of a mathematical concept. (ASK)

The paper describes a professor's use of student "research journals" as a means to encourage students to follow proper research methodology in developing a term paper. Students were required to make a dated entry whenever research work was done including topic selection and narrowing, preliminary background reading, aids consulted, online…

This book offers an entire year of journaling ideas--some serious, some "silly," but all tied to the calendar year. In fact, the book's sections are the months of the year. Each idea in the book comes with a fact-filled introduction and aims to prove that writing does not have to be boring or dull. As a special feature, many entries in…

The independent reading program described in this lesson plan gives students time to read what they want to read, share what they have read, and receive the support they need for further reading explorations and reflections. Students will: work in a community of readers and learners, including other class members, family members, their teacher,…

Interviews with 12 senior administrators (8 college, 2 business, 2 hospital) who kept a journal for a year or more revealed 3 major journal-keeping functions: sorting through administrative chaos; generating solutions to problems; and documenting the past by recording details of decisions, personal data, responses to situations. Implications for…

Journal writing is recommended to help gifted students understand themselves and be understood by others. Three techniques are described: journal jumpers, which are ideas useful in promoting self-disclosure and self-analysis in journal writing; film reaction writing; and analysis of emotional growth found in the journals of other writers. (JDD)

Teachers can help elementary students cope at the beginning of the school year by assisting them in getting to know one another. Writing is a good tool for bridging the gap between personal and school lives. The article suggests writing activities and explains how to create a good writing environment. (SM)