Learning Logs and Journals Burke, Chapters 6, 7, 8

Teacher Made Tests Written or oral assessments Variety of formats Time-consuming to construct Often overlook higher order thinking Tend to emphasize verbal-linguistic skills Vary from class to class

Better Teacher-Made Tests Are part of an assessment plan Correlate to instructional objectives Are prepared prior to instruction Are adjusted for various learning styles, multiple intelligences, and learning problems of students Are instructional and ongoing

Learning Modalities Visual Mind strays during verbal activities Organized Like to read Good speller Memorize by seeing pictures Find verbal instructions difficult Auditory Talk to self Easily distracted Find written instructions difficult Likes to be read to Memorizes by steps in a sequence Enjoys listening activities Kinesthetic In motion most of the time Reading is not a priority Poor speller Likes to solve problems by physically walking through them Enjoys handling objects Enjoys doing activities

What Are Learning Logs? Short, objective entries –Mathematical problem-solving –Observations of science experiments –Questions about readings/lectures –Lists of reading, homework, etc. Brief, factual, or impersonal Formative assessment

What Are Journals? Written in narrative form Subjective Deal with feelings, opinions, or personal experiences Usually descriptive, longer, open-ended, more free-flowing than logs Formative assessment

Using Learning Logs and Journals Record key ideas Make predictions Record questions Summarize main ideas Reflect on information presented Connect ideas Monitor change Respond to questions Brainstorm ideas Help identify problems Record problem-solving techniques Keep track of completed activities

Assessing Logs and Journals Depth and personalization of responses (ex., undeveloped to powerful) Level of thoughtfulness Point values based on completion Checklist or rubric Peer review Self-assessment Select entries for rewriting and grading

Metacognitive Reflection Asking students to think about their own thinking –How did you get that answer? –What did you do well? –What would you do differently? Allowing students to process what they have done and reflect on their learning

Using Metacognitive Reflections Self-assessment questions KWL Strategy –Know, what to know, learned PMI Strategy –Pluses, minuses, what was interesting Group processing –How can students improve social skills?