My journal experience has been really eye opening to me. I never imagined that you could learn from writing down your thoughts, feelings and day to day life activities as well as deepening your reflective journey enabling you to learn and flourish. Writing a journal is a new concept to me and I must admit at first I found it more of a chore each evening than something I enjoyed doing however using the various methods of journal writing outlined in the Reader has enabled me to find a way that works for me and I have discovered the importance of learning from experience.
When I opened my journal I bought to start writing, I found inspiration from the short message quoted by the designer which was printed on the first page. It said “There’s something inspiring about opening a brand new journal, with is fresh, clean pages so full of possibility. The thing I love about journals is they can be anything you want them to be. I hope you’ll use these journals for all the meaningful projects in your life, or for simply reflecting on your hopes and dreams.” Martha Stewart. These simple words reassured me that a journal can’t be right or wrong it’s for you as an individual to put your personal thoughts, feelings and experiences down on paper. It does not limit you to writing lengthy essays you can simply draw diagrams, list points, mind map or use it in a scrap book fashion, whatever works for you.
The first method I adopted for my journal was ‘Description’. This involved recounting what had happened to me throughout my day concentrating on what, when and where. This form of journal writing is one that I would naturally adopt if I were to write a journal – I think it appears the most obvious to start with the basic facts and then add the detail after. Despite this, having tried other methods after my research and reading I found other styles which suited me more. I prefer to have a clear lay out with elements of illustration and visual appeal rather than a long paragraph of text which I found the outcome of descriptive journal logging.
The second form I experimented with was ‘Initial Reflection’. I focused on the events of my day; how they made me feel at the time and how my mood was affected by certain happenings. I found this time effective and soothing as it felt like a release of the emotions that you capture throughout the day. The expressive account made it easily accessible for reflection and learning. For instance, when I looked back on a day’s entry I could see what I felt and could see how my feelings or thoughts have changed since that moment. The only negative comment is that I could not always recall what I had done that day to see what had made me feel how I felt as usually it is not one thing that’s evokes your emotions in a day it is hundreds of little things.
Thirdly I tried out writing ‘lists’, again a very time effective way of recording your day. I write lists all the time, to do lists, shopping lists, expenses, all which enable me to organize my tasks and priorities but also to organize my brain so I don’t have to remember everything I think of in a day I can simply write it down on my list and let the thought go!! This also enabled me to jot down any potential sparks of inspiration before they are lost and I found that listing can relieve a lot of stress as sometimes there is too much to think of! I’ve never really looked back at my lists as a means of deep reflection as a list can be unspecific, undescriptive – ie the use of bullet points, and would not necessarily recall what you did that day or how you felt. On the other hand, my expenses list I suppose I do reflect upon. Looking at what I have spent or saved and how I can increase my savings is learning from reflecting on past experiences. Maybe there are certain areas where a list would be useful for reflection?? I joined up to Listography and enjoyed looking through the lists that people had written. Some were so creative and inspirational which gave me ideas for my own lists. A few years ago I downloaded an app called ‘bucket list’ where I would record things I wanted to do and achieve in my lifetime. I love ticking things off the list and adding to it too with new ideas and aspirations.
‘Evaluation’ is a technique which enabled me to analyse and criticize myself which I feel is paramount as a reflective practitioner and for any journal writer. Thinking about what went well, what worked, what didn’t, and if there is any room for improvement and recording these questions and answers is key to professional growth, improvement and successful reflective practice. Without these imperative questions and evaluation my journal would seem incomplete or empty as with true assessment of your past actions you can overcome challenges and change your future for the good!
With the notion of constructing graphs, charts and diagrams to record my thoughts and events, I began to think that maybe this would not be the most practical or sufficient way in my line of work. Whilst I can appreciate that this type of journalism would be useful for data capture such as number of students in your class, progress over a term or year or for fitness records I did not find it stimulating enough for deep reflection or self-analysis. Although recording data in graphs and charts contributed to my visual and methodical learning I felt it did not ‘dig deep’ enough into learning from past experiences and personal outlooks. I gave it a go by using www.ehow.co.uk and made a pie chart to record my day.
This made me question my productivity and whether there was anything I could do to use my time more wisely to make me complete my ‘To Do’s’ but also to ensure I am having free time to relax and de-stress! An article which particularly inspired me regarding the importance of a work and play balance was from the website www.wellsource.com where by Oprah Winfrey who has spent decades in the spotlight as a talk-show host, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, while she admittedly works a lot, recognizes the importance of making time to play. “If you neglect to recharge a battery, it dies,” Winfrey says. “And if you run full-speed ahead without stopping for water, you lose momentum to finish the race.” Using graphs allowed me to assess my own work/play balance which will fundamentally affect my productivity and learning capacity.
The ‘What If?’ writing style was the next I adopted. I asked myself the following questions: What would I love to happen? What would I hate to happen? What could have happened? This I thought would be a good end to a journal. So perhaps after your day has been outlined and evaluated it would be useful to think of these questions and jot down your ideas. To discover possible outcomes, hopes, dreams and even fears opened a new expressive door for me. The thought of ‘maybe I can achieve more’ gave me the motivation to go the extra mile to make what ‘I would love to happen’ more realistic and obtainable; rather than something I hope for but take no step into achieving it. Considering what could happen also pushes to be more proactive, if a problem arises you would have previously thought about the possible resolutions and outcomes and would be able to deal with the problem there and then and not feel completely overwhelmed as you have prepared even for the improbable.
Writing from ‘Another view’ was the most challenging task for me. This involved writing about my day from the perspective of another person or object. Imagine how they would see the day. What their thoughts may have been. Imagining my day through somebody else’s eyes provided me with a panoramic view of me in my experience and also others in theirs. This gave me a more impartial view and allowed me to look deeper without the initial emotional attachment adapting my thoughts. “To reread the journal is to see oneself seeing” (Grumet, M 1990 from the book ‘Learning Journal’). By rereading my journal I could observe myself seeing and feeling in any particular moment!
I believe this will help me, particularly as a teacher, to look at an event from the student’s perspective in order to understand their outlook of the class and keep them fully engaged throughout the lesson by assessing their thoughts, needs and emotions. This would particularly come into effect if there happened to be a disagreement. I recall at college there sometimes being a disagreement between pupil and teacher and having been in a situation where the teacher would not listen to the pupil or see from their eyes because ‘they are the teacher’ and ‘it is the tough profession you’re in’ or ‘you need to be able to take criticism because you won’t walk into your first audition and get the job you have to work hard for it’, although valid points, sometimes the teacher will not allow themselves to see through the eyes of a student which can cause tension and upset particularly if the pupil is dealing with personal issues at the time. It is a hard line as although you should leave your problems outside the studio and take on your professional manor, there are times when this isn't feasible- we are only human! I think that this style of writing will develop my teaching skills and aid my learning in professional practice.
Having tried out a variety of journal writing styles I have come to realize the importance of challenging yourself to try new ways of working as what you are used to or adopt naturally is not necessarily the most useful or effective!! It’s interesting to read blogs that complement your ways of thinking and working and also those that contrast – after all there is no right and wrong all that matters is simply what works best for you individually and why! This task has helped me see how to use my journal to its full advantage, improving my practice and deepening my reflective understanding. Overall, I cannot depict one style which facilitated my learning instead it was a hybrid of styles I discovered. From the methods I tried I believe that the ‘What if’, ‘Lists’ and ‘Evaluation’ methods where the most educating for me personally. They allowed me to achieve a better maturity to my work and reflect about my personal and work environment, what I have learnt from it and what I can learn from it.
In conclusion, Journal writing has given me the chance to, in private and with my own freedom; find what works for me to achieve better results in my routine and work. I end with a final sentence which made me feel positive about looking back on past experiences “learning through reflection is not always about what you did wrong, it can also be about what you did right.” We can all learn from the bad and the good in our lives!
No comments:
Post a Comment