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"Courage Work," based on the writings of Parker Palmer, often involves the use of poetry as a vehicle for exploring and examining teachers' inner lives. This paper discusses how poetry was used with a group of undergraduate preservice elementary teachers in the Fall 2004 term, to explore how students responded to the poetry, particularly in light of developing a personal sense of passion, courage, and wisdom. Using selected poems shared on a weekly basis, coupled with group discussion and individual journaling, the personal reflections of three students are presented. The reflections provide a unique insight into the "inner lives" of these potential teachers, as will as enhancing the instructor's understanding of each student. Suggestions for further explorations are also provided.

Journal writing in science can be productive and stress basic skills. Students need to be highly motivated to engage in journal writing, and since the world of science fascinates most learners, chances for motivation are good. The subject matter to be written about needs to relate directly to the ongoing unit of study. Dramatizations, both formal and creative, can have students writing play parts from printed script such as the basal text. The author/educator supervised student teachers in the public schools for 30 years and enjoyed a fine dramatization by four sixth grade students involved in studying a unit on "Famous Scientists in the World." A cooperating teacher and student teacher supervised by the educator/author assisted a committee of four who made a model farm scene showing different methods of soil conservation. A basal for science can provide many ideas for journal writing, as can library books selected to relate directly to the science unit being taught. Improved understanding of science as well as better writing skills should be an end result of journal writing. (NKA)

Journal writing gives students opportunities to practice writing in a way relevant to their experiences and not merely as an exercise in writing for writing's sake. There are many opportunities for a student to write about subject matter learned from ongoing lessons, as examples from the journal of a sixth grader illustrate. Listening to current events on the radio or watching them on television provides excellent subject matter for writing journal entries. Dramatizing social studies learning assists students to breathe life into the curriculum, and this can be accomplished through journal entries. Entries can complement other projects, as the example of a journal written to accompany a student's map illustrates. Journals help students feel a sense of ownership in their writing, and they allow them to choose an intrapersonal or interpersonal manner as they express themselves. Self-evaluation of the journal provides another learning opportunity. (SLD)

Pupils need variety in their writing experiences, and social studies writing involves writing across the curriculum as well as stressing positive attitudes and feelings of the learner. Subject matter should come from the pupil, and diverse learning opportunities should assist the pupil in acquiring the relevant facts, concepts, and main ideas necessary in writing. Within the context of the appropriate social studies lessons and units, methods of fostering student writing include: (1) creation of experience charts, showing selected cultural objects and students' reactions; (2) writing outlines; (3) using correlating library books; (4) writing diary, log, and journal entries; and (5) writing plays, poetry, and folklore. (EF)

An ecological framework for predicting citizen participation in grassroots community organizations and predicting community disorder problems (such as crime and fear) was developed and tested. The framework, which is called an ecological framework for sustainable community learning and development, delineates the relevant economic, political, social, and physical environment factors and makes distinctions between stable and transient predictors. The framework's relevance to the following items was discussed: community development (social capital); community psychology; the relationship between environment and behavior; and ecological research methods. The framework was then used as a backdrop for discussing two examples of sustainable development in the United States. The first example was a participatory action research process called the Block Booster Project. The second example was a service learning project designed to redevelop a blighted area. (The bibliography lists 40 references. An appendix contains lists of the following items: 4 service learning resources on the Internet; 23 sample questions for student journals or reflection discussions; 9 general learning principles; and 10 questions to address when starting and teaching a service learning course.) (MN)

An instructor who teaches composition, poetry, and creative nonfiction at Delta Community College in central Michigan language makes connections and helps people imagine their way fully into subjects. People have a deep, if unconscious and unfocused, need to discover and tell the truth. For one semester his students act like writers. They keep journals; look at the world and their own interior life in an observant, writerly way; read good writing; are as objective as possible about their drafts; and welcome feedback. Classroom and conference talk often returns to the central theme of truth-telling. The best student writers gravitate to imaginative ways of saying what needs to be said. Eventually good student writers develop the will and the stamina to revise, eventually writing with more "author"-ity. (CR)

This paper describes the difficulties that two prospective teachers experienced in student teaching assignments in two city schools; both judged outstanding by the faculty from where they were about to graduate. It examines the ways in which these experiences eroded the student teachers' convictions that they could teach all children in ways that emphasized student construction of meaning. Examination of their journals and reflective writing showed how the many demands of classroom teaching and the pressures generated by a traditional staff-room culture together created an environment in which two young women who had believed themselves to be fully committed to progressive practices came to see these reform ideas as visionary and impractical. Findings of the analysis suggest that even the most committed novices are vulnerable to staff-room culture and that a professional community outside of the school that raises questions about the practices the novices are trying to implement can help them to connect the ideas they valued as students with the reality of the real-world classroom. (NAV)

The reading workshop approach provided the method for creating a literate environment in an adult basic education classroom. The students were able to experience the principles of time, ownership, and response. Story maps were used to introduce the basic elements of a fictional story. Character webs were introduced to help students think of words to describe the characters they were reading about to develop vocabulary to be used in journal responses. Students at the beginning and intermediate levels completed story maps. At both the beginning and intermediate levels, students responded to their reading by writing in their journals using guiding questions. As a further development, the teacher met with students individually after they had completed reading to review any basic elements they still did not understand. A written personal response served as a model. The teacher read aloud to students every day. The most challenging part of beginning reading in an adult education classroom was stocking the shelves with high-interest, low-level fiction, nonfiction, and picture books. The teacher held conferences throughout the year with each adult to help set goals for reading and to help evaluate progress. (Appendixes contain a sample story map, character web, intermediate reading fiction rubric, and advanced reading nonfiction rubric.) (YLB)

Portfolio assessment is increasingly used in teacher education courses as teacher educators become aware of the importance of modeling best practice in methods classes. However, implementing portfolio instruction is not an easy task. Because this approach to evaluation is so different from previous educational experiences, preservice students typically struggle with defining how they can create portfolios representative of their learning. A collaborative study, conducted by two professors who recently implemented portfolios in their methods courses, examined the use of portfolios as a means of facilitating students in their creation of their own learning goals and in their own assessment of their professional development in language and literacy classes. Data for the study included portfolios submitted by students enrolled in the professors' classes, comments and letters written by the professors to their students, audio-taped interviews of two focal students from each class, and reflective journals written by both of the professors themselves. The data were analyzed in two ways. One professor analyzed the data through searching for categories of responses. The second professor analyzed the data searching for overall themes. Findings indicate that emerging among students is an inquiry stance toward teaching that involves revision of lessons, focus on the process of lessons, and an emphasis on learning about students personally. The themes of "learning to plan" and "learning to look at students as learners" frequently appeared in student portfolios. (Contains 15 references and an appendix on the "language development class.") (TB)

Critical thinking involves a multitude of mental operations from recalling to analyzing to evaluating information and ideas. In order to foster critical thinking, students need to build bridges between concrete, everyday ideas and abstract, academic concepts. These bridges can be built through journal writing. In his book "Critical Thinking: What Every Person Needs to Survive in a Rapidly Changing World," R. Paul outlines 35 dimensions of critical thinking. Three of those dimensions that could be cultivated through journal writing are as follows: (1) because a journal is written in the first person it allows a person to explore thoughts underlying feelings and feelings underlying thoughts; (2) journals provide a space in which students can explore new ideas by placing them in new contexts; (3) through journal writing students can identify contradictions as they attempt to clarify or critique texts. More generally, journals can be used in any number of ways, depending on the instructor's orientation. Inside the classroom, journals can be used at the beginning of class to focus student attention on a topic. Students could also be asked to read their journal entries aloud. In-class journal writing forces students to switch from a passive listening mode to one in which they must create and explore their own beliefs. At the end of class students can use journals to reflect on what they have learned. (Contains a strategy list of 35 dimensions of critical thought; also contains 15 references.) (TB)

In a collaborative effort in teaching literary analysis, two professors aimed to make the usually seamless act of reading visible and ideologically bound by emphasizing the constructed nature of interpretation. A course was pieced together that asked questions about literature, that assumed that both students and teachers are subjects constructed by and awash in ideologies. By foregrounding ideology, the course sought to demystify literature, to denaturalize the text. This departure from the more essentialized modes of teaching resulted in challenges from one professor to another. If one used the word "paradigm," the other demanded that he or she unpack it. Similarly, in their journals, the students, mostly non-majors, frustrated with the new way of teaching literature, found themselves, whether they realized it or not, asking questions about how a classroom is constructed. One student wrote in her journal: "I have never felt so completely helpless, clueless, and in the dark in a class before, as I do in this one." She felt that having two professors in the classroom was a "bit much." Her worry about dual leadership implies the interpellation of subjects in the classroom, the concern of who interpellates whom, who speaks from the subject position. These students were prepared to learn interpretations, not make them--that is, they brought a certain stock of cultural capital to class, i.e., that professors teach and students learn, that teachers are hired to give them the "right" readings of texts. (TB)

The most powerful and profound thoughts known to humankind are the result of freedom to write whatever it is that the soul must purge; whatever a person is thinking that troubles him or her; anything that hinders his or her ability to be in that particular moment of living. On the first day of class, one writing instructor tells her students that she wants them to give her "guts and glory." And no sooner are these words our of her mouth than she explains that there are ways of conveying their emotions in writing without revealing their darkest secrets. It is the journal that students must carry out of the classroom--a piece of their lives that began from the first moment they recorded how they felt about something, profound or profane. Most student cower at the thought of English because somewhere along the line too much grammar was forced on them--too much verbal castor oil, too much structure and limitation. Inevitably a student's freedom to explore him or herself, his or her desires, and his or her boundaries, leads to a newfound appreciation of English. Quotations from students themselves verify this assertion. Further, both Donald Murray and Peter Elbow stress journal writing as an important component of the writing process. They talk about the need of every writer to be able to write quickly and spontaneously. Journals are an ideal place for students to explore responsive, unstructured and free writing. (TB)

Beginning teachers' experiences in university-based teacher preparation are rapidly replaced by the norms and expectations of the school setting and teachers with whom they work. To interrupt this pattern by which new teachers are pulled from the practices they have learned at the university, teachers must be encouraged to reflect about their teaching through action research, a process by which a teacher studies his or her own actions in the classroom as a means to improve practice. To explore the possibility of collaborative action research--action research done in teams of at least two--a study examined 35 apprentice English teachers and 22 mentor teachers. Data was collected from journals of both apprentices and mentors, and in the form of observation notes by university faculty, self-assessment, and interviews. Each of the studies began with a guiding question generated by the research group and directly related to instruction such as, "Are guided essays more effective than nonguided?" or "Will creative role playing increase comprehension?" Findings showed five recurrent themes concerning teacher attitudes toward data collected: (1) research questions based on attempts to improve teaching; (2) fear about conducting research; (3) adverse to using their students as potential pawns; (4) confusion over qualitative data collection and analysis; and (5) lack of time and commitment to formal reporting of results. Results revealed two major effects on participants substantiated by triangulation of the data: sustained interaction with peers increased, and the level and quantity of reflection on practice increased. (A table lists action research projects.) (TB)

Response journals seem to be promising vehicles for inviting children's written comments because they allow children to reflect on their experiences with books and provide them with opportunities to raise questions and formulate ideas. While both teachers and researchers have indicated the benefits of written responses to books, less is known about the qualitative nature of these "private talks" about books and about the role of the adult responder. A study examined both of these issues as they concerned fourth graders in a Southwest rural school. Dialog journals were found to have a series of unique patterns that help to explain the ways in which literature was studied. These patterns demonstrated the following opportunities: (1) the opportunity to ask questions and seek clarification; (2) the opportunity to think through writing and receive feedback; (3) the opportunity for students to express personal connections and to tell about what they know; (4) the opportunity to study literature; (5) the opportunity for students to explore their value systems; (6) the opportunity for extended conversations that enable children to reconsider a particular aspect of literature; and (7) the opportunity for "written conversations" to become a part of small group book talks. Conclusions support other research on the topic as they reaffirm the importance of written responses in the understanding of literature. (Contains 20 secondary references and a list of 15 children's books.) (TB)

Insofar as students gain clarity by writing statements of belief and meaning, the expressive mode is a vehicle for learning. By expressing in writing their reaction to a bewildering experience, a current dilemma, or a troublesome conflict, for example, they are better able to broaden their views on this personal predicament. The expressive mode fits not only into the expression stage of a writer's process, but also into almost every other stage. As a writer confronts a topic, collects and recollects material, puts material into incipient forms, recognizes patterns of ideas and details, and reworks the material in various ways, the writer's expository modes are complemented and invigorated by the expressive mode, like a linguistic ebb and flow of creative power. The teacher who guides students through the recursive stages of writing with the use of expressive-writing activities should remember three general principles. First, the teacher should allow the student choice of topic. A focus question for journal writing, for example, follows this principle insofar as it both allows choice and offers direction. Second, a teacher should require students to articulate their rhetorical purposes so that they write purposefully and use language effectively. For instance, a written description of audience and purpose might be required for a journal selection. Third, a teacher should establish an "expressive relationship" with students through, for instance, informal student-teacher dialogue in the journal. (TB)

From primary grades, students are exposed to both standardized and classroom tests. While teacher-made classroom tests may contain multiple choice, constructed response, or essay items, standardized tests, on the other hand, primarily rely on the multiple-choice format. Standardized tests are easy and inexpensive to administer and score, amenable to item analysis, and adaptable to various subject domains. They are criticized, however, for encouraging superficial learning, allowing students to get correct answers by guessing, and their susceptibility to coaching and test wiseness. Responses to such criticisms and resulting changes in standardized testing practices have implications for classroom assessment. While traditional assessment methods have their place in the educational system, alternative assessment procedures can foster greater learning in the test taker and more complete measurement for the instructor. For example, in a college Physiological Psychology class, oral presentations are used to assess students' knowledge of the central nervous system. In a Psychology of Women course, response journals, in which students write spontaneous thoughts, questions, and reactions to course content, are graded on the students' effort and thoughtfulness. The Psychology of Women course also involves a group project. The class is divided into several groups, each of which addresses the same topic from a different perspective. Group presentations and final papers are graded, which each member receiving a group grade and an individual grade. These alternative evaluation methods are best considered as complementing rather than replacing more traditional test and assessment formats. (AC)

This handbook presents three chapters that explore reforms in teacher empowerment, school choice, and administrator-education programs. In chapter 1, "Leading Empowerment," Zarif Bacilious and C. John Tarter discuss the role of administrator education in empowering teachers. They argue that the educational-administration profession should have a sympathetic, rather than an indifferent or opposing stance, toward teacher empowerment. Chapter 2, "Challenging the Assumption that Choice Is All That Freedom Means: A French Case Study," by Frances C. Fowler, applies the theoretical concept of freedom developed by John Rawls (1971) to a case study of a French school-choice program in effect since 1959. In chapter 3, "Pedagogical, Sociological, and Developmental Concerns of Future Administrators: Implications for Instructional Design from Student Journals," Connie C. Fulmer focuses on the process of journal writing: (1) as learning tool for students in educational administration programs; and (2) as a research technique for assessing the pedagogical, sociological, and developmental impact of courses and programs on students. (LMI)

Research indicates that student journal writing promotes the development of independent thinking as well as writing skills. Journal writing helps students comprehend course material, relate course content to their own lives, and prepare for class discussions. Instructors who use journal writing to help students achieve instructional objectives are charged with the responsibility of: designing both free and restricted writing assignments, including analytical and evaluative questions; making provisions for students to complete in-class and out-of-class entries; offering constructive feedback to validate students' writing efforts; returning journals to students in a timely fashion; modeling the process of synthesizing and analyzing academic content by keeping a journal and reading entries to students; and encouraging students to read their entries to each other. Overall, student journals constitute a salutary teaching-learning tool in which the students can record their personal observations, impressions, and questions about academic content. (Nineteen references are attached.) (Author/KEH)

An instructor's teaching practices have been influenced by Edward T. Hall's theory in "Beyond Culture," which begins with the notion that "what is known least well and is therefore in the poorest position to be studied is what is closest to oneself," the "unconscious patterns that control us." This wisdom has been useful in planning introductory writing courses using materials on cultural autobiography and anthropology, and recently, in planning a literature-based writing course. The focus was on fiction in which characters encountered new experiences on foreign soil (a cross-cultural initiation when values or beliefs of the new place clash with those of the home setting). Among the books chosen were Isak Dinesen's "Babette's Feast" and Henry James's "The Ambassadors." Students were required to keep journals, in which they recorded their own responses to the literature, and to write a research paper. During class time, students conversed about their journal entries or responded in the margins of each other's journals; they also discussed "lead" questions which modeled a way of making connections between the readings. Meetings ended with students submitting weekly journal entries that could be used in preparing a class ditto for the following week. This ditto would contain excerpts for discussion from student journals. Extensive examples of student writing show the range of sophisticated responses reflecting on issues of cultural literacy and criticism. (Contains 23 references.) (TB)

Examines the role of reflective journals in initial teacher training courses, and, in particular, how they can enable students to develop critical independence for professional self-appraisal. (TB)

Presents several entries from three months of journal entries that were written during a college internship in the counseling office of an upper-class suburban public school. Touches on a variety of high school issues including decile rankings, college admissions, family problems, and emotional problems. (FC)

Examines the pressures girls in classrooms face as they reach adolescence and experience cultural norms that encourage the silencing of a young woman's voice as she grows into adulthood. Looks that the journal's potential to save that voice. Explores how classroom journals can be structured to help girls nurture and grow their voices. (SR)

Summarizes an interactive computer-based reading program developed to enhance the linguistic proficiency of intermediate language students and increase their awareness of Francophone cultures. The article describes the program's glossing capabilities and its tracking device and summarizes the pilot research that preceded the program. (38 references) (Author/CK)

Discusses the use of "buddy journals" between pairs of native and nonnative English-speaking students to help develop the English literacy skills of both groups of students. Guidelines are provided for matching student pairs, evaluating student writing, and allowing for midcourse changes, as well as sample journal topics. (15 references) (MDM)

Critiques Joy Reid's treatment of the concept of "appropriation" by teachers in their responses to student writing and disputes Reid's analysis of the type of influence exerted by both process- and writer-oriented research. The article also warns against extremes of contrastive rhetoric. A response by Reid is included. (Contains 14 references.) (LR)

Discusses the results of a study of college students in the United Kingdom that was conducted to identify experiences perceived as stressful by students, to assess their frequency, and to ascertain whether students considered that their learning had been affected as a result of the experience. (Author/LRW)

Three teachers (one university professor, one secondary teacher, and one K-12 language arts coordinator) formed a writing group to generate texts about the phenomenon of student autobiographical writing in the classroom. The paper discusses the benefits of autobiographical writing to students and describes teachers' experiences with student autobiographical writing. (SM)

Finding that community colleges and their female students are rarely and disparagingly depicted in fiction motivated this study of the image of community colleges in literature, movies, and television. The study also sought to compare this image with that emerging from the journal entries of 23 women community college students and 14 faculty members from 5 colleges in Illinois, Oregon, and New York. Following an introduction describing the author's efforts to balance a working-class background with an academic work environment, chapter 1 presents an overview of the dissonant images of community colleges in fiction and in the personal narratives of community college students and faculty. The design of the study is explained, along with the significance of the findings for adult education. Chapter 2 offers illustrations of how the terms "community college" and "junior college" have become shorthand in fiction for a long inventory of pejorative, demeaning adjectives. Chapter 3 reviews the characteristics of two-year college students in fiction, tracing changes over time. In chapter 4, 23 student journals commissioned for the study are analyzed to develop a profile of the students and to identify common themes (i.e., agency, marginality, joy of learning, and juggling responsibilities). After chapter 5 reviews the portrayal of two-year college faculty in fiction broken down into categories based on the characters' quality as teachers, chapter 6 analyzes the faculty journals focusing on themes of nurturing and generative action, marginality, poorly prepared students, and other problems. Chapter 7 focuses on the meaning of the journal writing process for students and faculty. Chapter 8 draws conclusions about study findings. Includes 132 references. (ECC)

Discusses experiential learning and the use of simulations and games. Topics addressed include teaching only with simulations; deception in simulations; ethical issues; benefits of student journals; learning processes; debriefing phases, both oral and written; the role of the teacher; political issues; and designing simulations, including examples. (LRW)

Reports the results of a case study of home computing use in an Open University (Great Britain) multimedia course. The use of student questionnaires and journals is described; and student attitudes about relating new information to existing knowledge, retention, transfer of knowledge, the need for reference materials, and time spent are discussed. (Contains 13 references.) (LRW)

Focuses on student involvement in determining course structure through journal writing. Successful student writers become highly skilled at directing the course of their own learning. The data in the journals inform teachers about what is occurring in learners' heads. Reflective journal writers are adopting a professional approach to their learning task. (14 references) (CK)

Describes the activities in a student-centered advanced-placement English classroom, specifically methods used to foster discussion. Shows how student journals aid in generating discussion of literary works. Provides numerous concrete methods for fostering discussion. (HB)

Four articles discuss computer-assisted instruction, including (1) a middle school art and computer departments project that used LOGO to create rose window designs; (2) student journals; (3) the application of Piaget constructivism and Vygotskin social interaction to LOGO learning; and (4) computer lab writing workshops for elementary school students. (19 references) (LRW)

Reviews questions to consider when providing academic advising in two-year colleges, addressing student academic requirements, transfer and degree interests, certainty of plans, time, financial resources, and parental or other external pressures. Discusses advisement strategies, including goal setting, decision-making techniques, and group advising. Provides a sample student decision-making log. (PAA)

Investigates reasons to utilize student journal writing in composition classrooms. Presents current research in psychology and epistemology providing insight into the value of journal writing. Shows through numerous student journal excerpts how journal writing helps students progress in their intellectual development. (HB)

Proposes using multiple-entry logs in which students reflect on mathematics problems as a focal point for teacher-student interactions during office hour tutoring. Other benefits cited include increased mathematical confidence and awareness; improved connections involving mathematical concepts; improved teacher-student communications and discourse; and increased powers of reflection. (26 references) (MDH)

This article describes the effort to prepare college students for lifelong learning through "connected learning," in which learning occurs through active engagement. It also offers guidance for classroom practice including class discussion, reading lists, journals, cooperative learning, questioning and listening skills, and listening and teaching. (JB)

The nature of children's writing and drawing forms a useful starting point for examining journal writing with young children. Much research and literature suggests the educational value of having children write, yet a controversy exists among writing authorities concerning whether children's drawings are a necessary part of journal-writing experiences. More often, however, writing educators view the processes of emergent writing and drawing as inseparable. Young children use writing and drawing to test and stabilize their feelings, to think and explore their surroundings, and to use different representational methods for different purposes. Drawing also plays an important part in facilitating language learning, comprehension, and vocabulary learning. Teaches may wish to use practical and simple drawing guides to help them teach basic drawing skills. Although it appears to be natural for drawing to disappear from journal writing, many students would benefit from continuing the drawing experience. Many children need to draw simply because they cannot comprehend language through a strict verbal-written instructional program; others benefit by using drawing for creative and extended thinking. (Three examples of children's writing/drawing are included; 43 references are attached.) (RS)

The personal journal is a combination of class notebook and diary, a repository of entries which are recorded on a regular basis, are ungraded, and which remain confidential. As an instructional tool, the journal is virtually limitless. Studies have demonstrated the practical applications of journal writing for educators in the following areas: (1) as a potential tool for the development of language processes; (2) as a tool for development of organizational abilities; (3) as an opportunity to apply knowledge gained in academic and social settings; and (4) as a possible facilitator of positive attitudes towards literacy. In addition educational theorists report that personal journals offer writers a place to reflect on their roles within cultural groups--a place for introspection. Two primary implications for instruction may also be derived from the discussion of these studies. First, journal writing should be a voluntary activity in which students are encouraged to participate. Second, students may benefit from increased opportunities to make decisions regarding school, social, and independent activities. By increasing decision-making opportunities while providing and encouraging reflection through journal writing, teachers are facilitating students' awareness of selves within a culture. This knowledge develops simultaneously with increased reading/writing abilities, and possible, positive attitudes toward literacy. (Twenty-one references are attached.) (PRA)

Examines the issue of motivation as it applies to young adults in a rural school and their reading and writing habits and interests. Promotes the value of young adult literature and "buddy" journals. Notes that students in all four classes responded positively to the journal writing activity. (TB)