Being a new instructor it will help to focus on areas of improvement. I can also use my notes to share with colleagues for suggestions on how to improve
It is so easy to lose track of what was said in what class since I do fill in for instructors here and there in addition to teaching my own class. So keeping a teaching journal definitely will help me keep track of certain things that went well and those that did not in the various classes.
Hi Meron:
Sure, that's one use, and some teachers find that useful. There are other uses as well. Look through some of the posts in this forum for additional ideas if you're interested.
Regards, Barry
Hi Meron:
Not all teachers use a journal, but those that do find it beneficial. And they all use them in a variety of ways - there's no one best way to make journal entries.
Some teachers are more contempative, putting their thoughts, feelings, emotions, affections (as in affect). Others will be more chronological, listing things that occured on a day by day or week by week basis. Still others will post commentary information, such as what worked or didn't work, observations about students, their actions and reactions, methods to try the next go around.
In all of these and other ways not mentioned, the great benefit is the journal is like a savings account. If allows the teacher to reflect on their past experiences, their growth and maturity, not unlike a phograph of oneself from the past, we marvel at "how we looked back then". In the same way, we can read how we thought about things back then.
Regards, Barry
It will help me to plan better the upcoming classes through looking the past notes.
Instruction will improve for the next time one has to plan for the same class.
It really would help to keep a teaching journal to answer some questions of students as well as address their concens timely.
I think it would also help with changing, adding or improving the modules I teach for the next time around.
Hi Gregory:
I like your focus on improvement because ultimately, although teachers use journals for different reasons, improvement as teachers (and individuals) is the result of reflection on past notes and comments.
Chronological records, mistakes or inspirede moments, class progress, observations, frustrations - these are all examples of what teachers may choose to keep in their journals.
The benefit is to read after several classes or several years, and review how the teacher looked at thinks at that time (as compared to present).
Not all teachers journailze, but those that do find it a very useful tool.
Regards, Barry
Hi Carol:
Not all teachers choose to use journals. But those that do find they are capable of providing a unique perspective on past classes and situations, and that helps us become better teachers as a result.
Regards, Barry
Hi Jennifer:
These sound good. I think instructors use journals for many different reasons. Some are more reflective. Some are chronological records, observations, techniques, teaching strategies - whatever the teacher thinks works for them is useful.
It seems not all teachers use or even like journalizing and that's okay. Those who do find them quite beneficial, especially over time.
Regards, Barry
Keeping a teaching journal is a good idea because it helps you to stay focused on imporving. It is impossible to remember every mistake or every high point of a particular class or lecture, so taking a few extra moments will help to manage this. I think that this is a good tool for new and senior instructors. Also to jot down negative and positive comments from class survey's will be another helpful way of constantly growing.
I find a teaching journal helps to remind you of how different teaching strategies worked or didn't work but also gives you insight on how it was taught in the past. Experience makes the teaching much more comfortable and you are able to become an expert in that particular course.
Hi Gladine:
You lsted a common and a less comm use for using a journal.
Not all teachers use them or find them useful. But to those that do, they can be invluable resources of ideas, comments, thoughts and feelings, outstanding or pitiful student performance, interactions. There's no one right way to use them.
But looking back, (for me, 30 years in the classroom), reflection, growth, analysis, and improvement can be observed through comments and inspired teaching moments.
Regards, Barry
Keeping a teaching journal over a long period of time provides good feedback and helps you remember what worked and what did not work. If you use a different technique that worked well or you used a material that worked better, you can note this for the next time the class is taught. You also have a record of difficulties you have experienced and if they are repeated, you can ask for peer help or administrative help for improvement.
A teaching journal also helps you remember situations both positive and negative that may come up in conversations or classroom survey evaluations later. It provides another layer of documentation.
Jotting down notes for yourself about how the lecture went and how the class respnded, will give you the oppportunity to review and change things that may need adjusting for the future. It also allows you to review your teaching methods and make sure you are reaching all the students with different learning styles.
Hi Earle:
Not all teacher do (or should) use journals. It's just that many find it a useful tool. And it's used in many different ways - there's no set type of information or method that need be applied. It's however the teacher feels they can benefit.
Give it a try and see what you think. You might get hooked!
Regrads, Barry
Hi Susan:
Journals can be wonderful tools for reflection, self analysis, observations, feelings, expressions - all deeply personal emotions that are benefificila when reviewed at a later time. It reveals growth, change, improvement, and maturity in our teaching careers.
Regards, Barry
An idea that I have not tried but could see how keeping notes as to how certain projects or material is received could be helpful over time.
Hi Robert:
I think you've captured the essence of the benefits of the teaching journal, at least as you've chosen to utilize it.
Different approachesare just as effective, some more reflective than chronological, or observational, or positive affirmations received from a teaching experience.
My notes tend to be more of a recordkeeping fashion, somewhat similar to your example, but I have a lot of duplication. I value my journal as one of my best possessions.
Regards, Barry
This allows me to track those sudden, sometimes spontaneous or first-time activities or discussion prompts that I haven't rehearsed or practiced but which produce great results. I'm sure many of us have had those moments where we think, 'Hmm, I remember that one semester where I had students do such-and-such, and it produced a great conversation...now what was it?!' I think back to plenty of useful lectures, activities, and discussion prompts I've used over the years but can't remember precisely how I did it, or what the process was, or how I asked the question. Sometimes it's because schedules change; activities that are useful in a traditional semester environment may be less useful in another schedule, so we tend to let them drift out of our repertoire. Keeping that journal, though, allows us to recapture them if our schedules change again to make them more viable, and also allows us to (re)examine them to see if they can be modified into a different schedule or format.
