TASK 2b - Journal writing expeience

The 9 day journal challenge.


Over the last nine days I have been playing with nine different ways in which I can write in my journal. Along the way of my journal writing experience I made some great discoveries, the overall finding is that rather than trying to learn one way that works for me, it was more a case of learning the nine ways that I can adopt and use at my leisure. I can choose the journal format to suit the event in question or the desired result from the journal entry. Lets take a look at the nine different ways...

Description


This entry was just a clear description of what happened in the events of the day, I discussed where I was and when it happened and that was it. I found that whilst writing I automatically wanted to put my feelings down after describing the event, but I forced myself not to. When I finished there was a feeling of dissatisfaction toward the journal entry, I felt like it wasn't enough. However on returning to the entry and reading it again, because there are no details of feelings there, I found it enabled me to re-connect to the days events and then it began to induce the feelings for me. This was very interesting as instead of reading about my feelings as an outsider, because I just wrote the description and left the feelings to my imagination, I found that I could not only associate myself with how I felt, but actually remember the emotions of the day more than if they were written. I didn't expect to learn this, I had this method down as a no go... But I was wrong.

Initial Reflection


In this method, I try to put a brief description so I know the background of the event, but I focused the entry more on reflecting how I feel. I explored the different feelings I had toward the day and at the end of the journal, I gave a general mood for the entry. This I liked and felt like it was what I expect from my journal. It was in the exploration of my feelings towards an event that I could indicate learning was happening. I would often make realisations of what action was needed in order to make improvements or grow ideas. At the end of this entry I wrote a summary that really concluded this method for me, "how you feel about something is a good indicator of the idea in question." I learnt that this is my primordial journal method, it's the way most of us write in our journals. I think I would always start here an then maybe perform a few other ways after.

List


This can be a useful tool if you are appose to writing long journal entries, it was a quick and easy method for recording an events details. I like to call it fast track journal writing. Sometimes after a long day of working and studying, the last thing I feel like doing is writing a lengthy, well-structured journal entry. This can provide me with a journal tool without having to take too much time and effort. However, it really is the bare minimum. I don't think I got as much value from this method as the ways above. It is definitely in the freedom of writing your thoughts and feelings that more thoughts and feeling come. This reflection ultimately brings me to new ideas, the poorer the detail of the reflection, the poor the new ideas.

Evaluation


This entry was all about working out the event, why it happened the way it did? What went well and and most importantly what I learnt? This is where reflective practice is at its most useful, here not only am I recording the event and exploring my thoughts towards it, but I am looking further into the thoughts I'm having. With such careful observation and consideration of my practice, there is a sense of understanding to my work and an invitation to any creativity this will bring. This journal entry made me feel like there was a mature reflection being made and the learning this reflection brought wasn't accidentally found, but purposefully looked for. I feel like it gave me an element of control over the reflective process.

Hyperlinked here is the graph, pie chart and diagram that I talk about in the next methods. At first I had a real negative feeling toward these methods, I couldn't see how my reflective practice could actually consist in the format of a graph or chart. I felt that it was a slightly clinical take on the idea and seemed to remove the beauty of the relationship that is forming between myself and my journal. However I discovered that these can be a useful tool to support my journals and help with the evaluation in the reflection process. I found it gave me a clear indication of where I am in the journal and could be used as a vehicle to explore new ideas in great detail.

Graphs


Figure 1: This graph shows the commitment, focus, applied learning and understanding of new skills of the pupils in my Friday drama class.

I used the graph to reflect on the individual ages of my Friday drama classes (figure 1). I teach three age categories and my reflection informed me that I needed to monitor the pupils progress more and develop an awareness of what the class needed to improve. The graph shows the four areas of improvement in the class and on a scale of 1/10 how I rate the classes ability. This depicted how my classes are developing and displayed any weaknesses that are apparent in the different ages that I teach, thus giving me ammunition for new ideas of improvement. Rather than reflecting on this through words, I managed to see this pattern and reflect on my classes through a graph, boring as its sounds - it can be an effective journal tool.

Chart

       Figure 2: This is a pie chart shows the overall areas of strengths and weaknesses of my Friday drama class:

This chart gave me an overall view of the strengths and short comings of my children's drama class (figure 2). It loudly pinpointed the areas in which improvement was much needed. Used with the graph this again supports any new lesson plan ideas that arise through this type of reflection.


Diagrams


Figure 3: This diagram is to depict the pupil’s performance of my Friday drama class and actions for improvement the lessons.

My diagram (figure 3) again depicts the same points of improvement within my drama classes, however the diagram provides a more verbal figure of the reflection and gives a more eloquent version of reflection, speaking in words as appose to shapes and numbers.

I've learnt that no one chart, diagram or graph is either better or worse. I can use all or one of these tools as either reflective practice alone, or as support to my written journals.

What if?

A strange concept, but this method allows me to think of the possibilities. What could of happened? What would be awful and what would I love to happen? At first this sounded like a self help exercise,  a kind of manifest your dreams workshop. I used it on one of my classes, I the teacher let my imagination role on all the different possibilities there were within the classroom. This helped me to know what I don't want and what I do want, it enabled me know myself better within the event and reflect on the what if. There was an element of realisation of ideas not wanted and amazingly far stretched ideas were suddenly seen as not too hard to achieve. Its like I wrote it down, I dared to go there and now, once my imagination played with the possibility, I am able to see my goal within arms reach. Tasting the possibilities is just the beginning.

Another view

This idea is to play around with the view point of the journal, seeing and feeling the event from the eyes of another. It could be another teacher, or a casting director or more obscurely your bag... The idea is to see your self from an outside point of you. I decided to write the entry from the point of my dog, on this particular day I was at home studying. Adora (my dog) always sits next to me in my study and happily watches me type on the lap top, read books and scream at the computer, "why are you doing this to me?" My initial thoughts were fun but very unsure of the method, I felt sceptical as this is my reflective practice, not my dogs. Like always once I got on with the exercise, I discovered some very useful information when Adora said, "he reads a bit, types, answers the phone, talks, reads, types, rings somebody, talks." Adora brought to my attention that my study time needs to be an uninterrupted space for me to venture and find new ideas. It should be a place I go to for a certain time a day, shut off from the world and critically reflect on my practice. Breaking up my process of learning by chatting to friends on the phone in the midst of my reflection, would hinder the value of it. This I learn to be a fantastic tool, I could now start to see myself from the world of the students I teach or the audience I perform to, helping me to see things not how I want them to be, but as they really are.


I am learning there is a private, free writing space called my journal and there is no right or wrong when it comes to writing it, it's about the acceptance of who you are and what you like? Writing in a way that best suits your reflection. I have found a new respect for my journal and the value it brings, it's no longer just a place where I simply store my thoughts and feelings, my journal is the place where new ideas dwell.