Journals, Reflection, and Learning
A journal is a crucible for processing the raw material of experience in order to integrate it with existing knowledge and create new meaning. Among the many purposes for journal writing are the following: to break habitual ways of thinking; enhance the development of reflective judgment and metacognition; increase awareness of tacit knowledge; facilitate self-exploration and personal growth; and work out solutions to problems (Andrusyszyn and Davie 1997; Mitchell and Coltrinari 2001; Moon 1999). Moon (1999) and Carroll (1994) discuss theories and research that support a number of assumptions about learning from journals:
. Articulating connections between new and existing knowledge improves learning.
. Writing about learning is a way of demonstrating what has been learned.
. Journal writing accentuates favorable learning conditions—it demands time and space
for reflection, encourages independent thought and ownership, enables expression of
feelings, and provides a place to work with ill-structured problems.
. Reflection encourages deep rather than surface learning.
English and Gillen (2001) report a dearth of research on the effectiveness of journal writing in adult education, although a few studies have demonstrated changes in thinking (Jasper 1999); more fluency in writing and language (Myers 2001); increased quality of group discussion and course performance (Kember et al. 1999; Parkyn 1999); and, in health care settings, better integration of learning and clinical practice (Jasper 1999). Journals are considered an effective way to socialize learners to academic discourse and institutional culture (Garland 1999; Myers 2001) and enhance the learning of Eng...
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...f Thought' in Journal Writing." System 29, no. 4 (December 2001): 481-488.
Orem, R. A. "Journal Writing as a Form of Professional Development." In Proceedings of the 16th Annual Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing and Community Education, edited by S. J. Levine, pp. 151-156. East Lansing: Michigan State University, 1997. (ED 412 370) http://www.anrecs.msu.edu/research/orem.htm
Parkyn, D. L. "Learning in the Company of Others: Fostering a Discourse Community with a Collaborative Electronic Journal." College Teaching 47, no. 3 (Summer 1999): 88-90.
Schiwy, M. A. A Voice of Her Own: Women and the Journal Writing Journey. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996.
Williamson, A. "Reflection in Adult Learning with Particular Reference to Learning-in-Action." Australian Journal of Adult and Community Education 37, no. 2 (July 1997): 93-99.
Davidson, Cathy N. and Linda Wagner-Martin. The Oxford Companion to Womenâs Writing In The United States. New York: Oxford United Press, 1995.
Over five years have passed since high school senior Joseph Frederick was suspended for 10 days by school principal Deborah Morse after refusing her request to take down a 14-foot banner he was displaying at a school-sanctioned event which read “BONG HiTS 4 JESUS.” Born as a seemingly trivial civil lawsuit in which Frederick sued the school for violating his First Amendment rights to free speech, the case made its way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the long-awaited ruling of Morse v. Frederick has finally been released. In a 5-4 split decision, the court ruled in favor of Morse and upheld the school board’s original ruling that Morse was acting within her rights and did not violate Frederick’s First Amendment rights by taking away his banner and suspending him for 10 days. The controversial decision has led followers of the case to question the future of student speech rights.
In Martha Graham, a Dancer’s Life, the summary consists of a discussion of major themes, ideas, and character providing four excerpts from the work. Russell Freedman introduces four main themes, which are: Martha’s desperate effort, true friendship, revolutionary choreographing skills, and her desperate attempts to secure her fame.
Kort, Carol. A to Z of American Women Writers. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2007. Print.
The case also states “A prohibition against expression of opinion, without any evidence that the rule is necessary to avoid substantial interference with school discipline or the rights of others, is not permissible under the First and Fourteenth Amendments” (Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District). Because the students didn 't necessarily disrupt the education process, their First Amendment freedom of speech should not have been violated by the school officials.
For this quarters culture project I went to go see the Fremd production of The Sound of Music. The play takes place in Austria during the time of Nazi rule. The play starts with a woman who is trying to become a nun but, all of the other nuns don't think she is capable of being one. So they send her off to be a governess to the kids of a high ranking Austrian military captain. Upon her arrival she quickly notices how strict the captain is as well as how disciplined his kids act. After the captain leaves, the governess has a chance to get to know the kids a bit better and come to realize the kids don't know what singing so her first order of business is to teach them how to sing. After this, she starts to teach and do things that would be frowned upon by the captain. Later in the play the captain returns home to find his kids singing and not wearing their uniforms. At first this upsets him very much but, he is convinced by the governess that he was being too strict and that he should interact with his kids more often. This is the point in the play that they hit to the audience that the captain and the governess start to have feelings for each other. This is also the point in the play that the captain starts drifting away from the "stay and fight mentality" rather than the "run and protect my family" mentality. Just as he was considering fleeing Austria with his family. He get commissioned by the Nazis against his will. The day before he was supposed to start working there is a culture festival which his family was going to be a part of.
Throughout this semester I have written several essays and journals using techniques both important and unfamiliar to me. This class helped me use these techniques and steps that are involved in creating and formalizing an essay. The writing process of an essay includes information gathering, creating ideas, and writing it on paper to create a cohesive and organized paper. In complete certainty I can say I lack many of the skills necessary to create such a paper, but during this course I have learned some writing methods which I believe have improved my essays. The essays and journals in this portfolio reveal both my strengths and weaknesses in my writing and how I have both continued to make the same errors and improved in other areas.
Walden, P. "Journal Writing: A Tool for Women Developing as Knowers." New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education no. 65 (Spring 1995): 13-20. (EJ 502 496)
Will gun control stop harm or protect citizens? Today, the opinions of Americans vary on whether guns harm or protect citizens. However, gun control is not a new controversial issue. In 1924, U.S. Senator, Robert La Follete, said, “Our choice is not merely to support or oppose gun control but to decide who can own which guns under what conditions.” This proves that gun control has been a concern to Americans since the mid- twentieth century, and possibly even earlier than that. Even with the U.S. laws limiting the access of guns, it has not stopped the misuse of guns. Thirteen school shootings have been recorded in the United States within the first six weeks of 2014. Gun control is an effort to stop crimes by limiting who can access guns. Guns are very powerful weapons that have a great impact on society. They can change a family’s life forever. The destruction they cause cannot be reversed or taken back, and one trigger could take a person’s life away. For these reasons, government interference is needed to restrict the harm guns can cause. The U.S. government should place more limitations on guns because of the carelessness and misuse of guns, which has led to an increasing number of crimes and violent actions against the innocent.
For the study, writing a reflective learning journal helps me: bring together theory and practice and yield better understanding of the course material while for my development as a successful and independent learner, it helps me: See my strength and weakness
Most people question the purpose of writing a journal. People who write a journal keep it to fulfill a basic human need – “self expression and reflection” (Sagan 1). Writing is known as one of the easiest ways to express your personality and who you truly are. You can write in a journal without having anyone judging you – unless you chose to have someone else read it of course. You may reflect on your writing while you are writing your journal/diary entries. Then, once you have expressed your thoughts, you can even go back to your past entries to reflect on what you have said before. Reflecting on your writing can help you develop as a person. It helps you think through a situation and possibly solve it. Reflections help generate ideas for how to improve as an individual. But really, it’s entertaining to re-read past memories and see how much...
Abstract- Maglev trains, also known as magnetic levitation trains, are public transportation vehicles that are commonly used in Spain, China, and other parts around the world. They are mainly known for using magnetism in order to "levitate" above the tracks. Maglev trains are also known to be remotely quieter than normal trains and emit lower amounts of carbon dioxide.
On my third week of clinical shifts, I was able to spend the day in the operating room watching surgeries. The doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists were all very informative. I was in awe watching the anesthesiologists and surgeons do their work. My mind was going a mile-a-minute as I tried to follow everything that was going on.
Crème, P., & Lea, Mary R. (2008). [PDF format]. Writing at University (3rd edition.), McGraw Hill Education. Retrieved from www.kantakji.com/fiqh/Research/ti134.pdf.
More farmers are now planting crops for biofuel, resulting to an intense drop in food production. According to experts this promising alternative energy source is seemingly causing a global decrease of food supply. As the demand for biofuels increases, more industrialized countries are offering encouragements and subsidizing farmers to grow crops for fuel rather than for food. The biofuel production method was also anticipated to be carbon neutral, as the crops would absorb the carbon dioxide released when the biofuel was burned. However crops for fuel are now grown at such a rate that they need more energy to cultivate, grow and harvest. By the time it reaches households, it would have consumed more energy and released more greenhouse causing substances than the feared fossil fuels would have. The fact that emissions are released during production, processing, fertilizer application and as a result of land use change is highly ignored. Somehow biofuels can sidetrack less harmful and clean resources like renewable energies such as solar and wind energy. Large scale cultivation of biofuel crops, unlike small scale, locally produced and biofuel owned farms are commonly challenged by problems such as severe use of water, chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides. These also often lead to pollution, depleting and degrading available water resources which can cause famines. According to contrary believe of analysts, it has also shown that there is not enough farming land on earth to produce biofuel crops to meet the huge energy needs encouraged by our current and unmaintainable ways of living. http://www.greenerideal.com/science/0516-biofuels/ &