The Case: When Ben tries to judge the value of journal writing for his students, which specific points from his conversation with Millie and the conversation he overheard between the two students should he consider?
For me, journaling is a way to think through ideas and connect them to personal experiences and to see if they align or oppose with personal beliefs. It is an opportunity to personally work through material to get more out of it, than if we critically assessed something and didn’t think of it in terms of our personal philosophy and how it fits.
In this case study, Ben talked to another teacher, Millie, and they had very different ideas of what journaling was and what the expectations of the students were for it. Millie discussed how the students weren’t providing “critical engagement” in their journals (p. 92). As a student who writes a lot of journals, I never think of journals or reflections as “critical engagement” with the material. I think of it as a way for me to read through the material and understand how it could be useful to my education and future teaching practice (p. 92). Reflections are personal and show how the writer connected with the information presented and how it will impact their teaching or teaching philosophy. Mille also mentioned that she was failing students on their journals, which seems to be counterproductive to what journals are for. If journals are for reflection and connecting the material learned, to personal thoughts and experiences, then there should be no way to fail them. If journals are not for reflections and making connections, but are used for “critical engagement,” are they really journals (p. 92)?
The students in this case study expressed that they felt they were required to write too many journals and that they hated writing journals. As a B.Ed. student myself, I feel like I can relate to the students in this case study, feeling like “they are reflecting us to death.” (p. 93) But as I have continued in the program, I have a deeper appreciation for journals or reflections as they allow me to connect the information we have learned to my personal experiences and to add them to my “teacher toolbox.” Being able to write and reflect on what we are doing in this program, helps me to further develop my personal teaching philosophy.
Ben should consider the points discussed above because the other teacher Millie seems to have a different idea about what journals are and what is expected of them, and the students feel they are writing to many of them. These points are important as they reflect the expectations and the purpose of journaling. I have personally come around to the ideas of journals and I like to be able to reflect on the readings, or material discussed in class. I think of it as something to build my teaching philosophy and possibly make me a better teacher. There seems to be the need for a new definition or expectations on what journals are and what the purpose for them is.