Teaching Devices: Journaling

Journaling is an ongoing activity that can be an important part of each class session. The time set aside for journaling is best limited to 5-10 minutes per session. It is a time for personal reflection by students, but it also provides a "quiet time" that can be scheduled in the middle or just before the end of class. This reflection is what makes a journal different from a diary, which is a record of events and may not include any thought about the significance of those events.) Since many classes in schools include journaling, most students age 10 and above are accustomed to this activity and actually welcome it. Adults can also be encouraged to keep their own journals.

Materials:

• Notebooks, one per student
• Pencils, pens, markers, crayons

Procedure:

• Students may spend the last 5-10 minutes of each session writing their thoughts about what they have learned
• Assure students that:
  • You will invite them, at some points, to share what they have written in their journals. But if they choose not to share, their journals will not be looked at by you or anyone else. (You and your class members may decide that students should take their journals home each week, or else that they will be kept in a closed drawer in the classroom.)
  • Grammar, spelling, and "perfect" writing style should not be major concerns. Self-expression is the main goal in a journal.
  • Drawing or illustrating, using various colors of ink, and writing poems, personal prayers, dialogues, or stories are all acceptable in the journal.
  • Complete honesty is not only acceptable, it is the only way to make the journal meaningful, just as complete honesty is the way to make prayer meaningful.
  • Note: A student may just want to have the teacher read their entry; in such a case, the teacher can devise a signal (e.g., leave the journal at the teacher's place) so the journal can be read. At times, a troubled student may use this as a means of communicating a problem. If the problem is something you can discuss with the student, this is fine. If it bears further procedures (in the case of abuse, addiction, etc.) consult with the pastor.