Response Journal Assignments as a

Technique for Student

Comprehension and Engagement
Center for Teaching and Learning Symposium III

Genna Reeves-DeArmond, Ph.D.

School of Design and Human Environment

April 16, 2013

The Pedagogy of Response Journals

Reflective Practice and
Thinking
Reflective practice is the capacity to
reflect on action so as to engage in a
process of continuous learning.
Reflective thinking helps you to
recognize and clarify the important
connections between what you
already know and what you are
learning.

April 16, 2013

The Pedagogy of Response Journals

Reflective
Writing
Response

Journals

Peer
Review
Self
Assessment

Diary

Log
Book

"Writing is more than living. It is being conscious of living."

-Ann Morrow Lindbergh (1965)

April 16, 2013

Reflective practice
is rooted in
the paradigms of
phenomenology
and critical theory

http://www.open.ac.uk/cetl-workspace/cetlcontent/documents/4bf2b48887459.pdf
April 16, 2013

What is a Response Journal?

Why Should I Assign a Response Journal?
*Encourages active learning
*Challenges students to take ownership of their learning in the
course
*Offers continuity and flexibility in course assignments

*Challenges students to adopt new perspectives

*Encourages students to further develop a variety of critical thinking
functions
*Provides a safe environment to express thoughts via a trial-anderror process
-Increases confidence and comfort level with material
April 16, 2013

Deciding to Use a Response Journal Assignment

1. Decide what you want the journal to be for your class. A
record of responses to readings? A collection place for all class
writings? Both?
2. What is the format of the journal? Informal jottings? A log?
Formal short papers collected together with an introduction?
3. What is the pay off going to be for the students? That is, how
will the work they put into the journal benefit them in terms of the
larger class goals?
4. How do you want to incorporate the journal into class time?
http://www.writing.ku.edu/~writing/instructors/guides/documents/Teaching_Journals.pdf

April 16, 2013

You Want Me to Do A Free-Writing Assignment!?:

Student Reactions of Fear and Anxiety to Journaling

Students are
used to being
given clear
parameters
and thinking
inside the
box.
April 16, 2013

Response
journals allow
students to
build the box
(i.e.,
individualize
their learning)

AND

think outside the box

(i.e., discover new
perspectives and
information).

You Want Me to Do A Free-Writing Assignment?!:

Getting Used to an Unstructured Assignment

Developed and created by Dr. Genna Reeves-DeArmond, Oregon State University

April 16, 2013

You Want Me to Do A Free-Writing Assignment?!:

Helping Students Get Started with the Journaling Process

Use of Prompts
-Students receive a small
amount of structure
-Assists in bringing focus to
the assignment

http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/worksheets/bookmarks/readersresponsebookmark.pdf

April 16, 2013

Helping Students Get Started with the Journaling Process:

Prompt Example

Developed by Dr. Genna Reeves-DeArmond, Oregon State University;

Adapted from previous documents by Dr. Elaine L. Pedersen, Oregon State University

April 16, 2013

Reflective Activity #1
Take out a sheet of paper and brainstorm,
write down, and discuss at your table:
- what course you would use a response
journal in and your reasons for doing so.
- possible prompts that you might use in a
response journal assignment for your
course/discipline.
April 16, 2013

Developing Instructions for a Response Journal Assignment:

My Response Journal Assignment Experience
*Why choose a response journal assignment?
EXAMPLE: Assignment initiated after I noticed that students were
struggling with their comprehension of research articles
*Response Journal Content Requirements: DEFINE CLEARLY!
1. Length
(Word count, paragraphs, page, etc.)
2. What constitutes a single journal entry?
3. How many journal entries are required for each submission?
4. Format
(Hand-written vs. typed, text vs. visual, pencil vs. marker/pen, etc.)
5. Required topics or up to the student? Or a mixture of both?
(Required use of prompts, etc.)
6. Structure and direction: What are students responding to?
April 16, 2013

EXAMPLE OF
TRADITIONAL
RESPONSE
JOURNAL
APPROACH
(TYPED,
FULLSENTENCES,
ESSAY STYLE)

April 16, 2013

EXAMPLE OF
RESPONSE
JOURNAL
USING TABLE
FORMAT

(READ AND
RESPONSE
FORMAT)

April 16, 2013

EXAMPLE OF
DOMINANTLY
-VISUAL
RESPONSE
JOURNAL
FORMAT

April 16, 2013

EXAMPLE OF
RESPONSE
JOURNAL
USING MIND
MAPPING
APPROACH
TO ORGANIZE
IDEAS

April 16, 2013

The Students Have Turned in Their JournalsNow

What?: Response Journal Grading Practices

To determine the grading criteria that will work best for you,
answer the following questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Do I want to use a rubric or provide qualitative comments?

How many times will I collect the journals during the term?
What constitutes an A-level entry?
What constitutes a single journal entry?
How many journal entries are required for each submission?
What is the required length of each entry?
(Word count, paragraphs, page, etc.)
7. How will I provide feedback?

April 16, 2013

Assessing Students Based Upon a Semantic Grading Scale

in the Rubric

Developed and created by Dr. Genna Reeves-DeArmond, Oregon State University

April 16, 2013

Pedagogy Meets
Practice:
Self-Evaluation

*Refer to
sample selfevaluation
form handout

Developed by Dr. Genna Reeves-DeArmond,

Oregon State University;
Adapted from previous document by Dr. Leslie
Burns, Oregon State University

April 16, 2013

The Students Have Turned in Their JournalsNow

What?: Conceptual Assessment Strategy
Critical
Thinking

Interpret the big picture:

Justify, solve, conclude, etc.
Address larger
implications and make
connections: Values,
beliefs, etc.
Reflect on the
self: personal and
past experiences

Reflective
Thinking

Student:
Awareness of the
present

BEGIN HERE
Adapted from
http://freepdfdb.com/pdf/reflective-writing-the-learning-centre-the-university-of-3999919.html
April 16, 2013

*The goal is for

students to
reach the
highest level;
this constitutes
an A entry

This is How I Conceptualize the Movement from

Reflective Thinking to Critical Thinking for My Students:

*A description of each of these critical thinking functions is given to the

students at the start of the term and then modeled/practiced in class.

April 16, 2013

Assessing Students Based Upon a Classification System in

the Rubric

Self-Directed Responder (90-100%)

*Refer to
sample rubric
handout

Maturing Responder
(80-89%)
Emerging Responder
(70-79%)

Novice Responder
(60-69%)

Unsatisfactory Responder: Students

earning below 60% need additional help

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/8012379/Reading-Response-Journal-Rubric---PDF
April 16, 2013

Assessing Students Based Upon a Classification System in

the Rubric (see Classification System in Previous Slide)

Developed and created by Dr. Genna Reeves-DeArmond, Oregon State University

April 16, 2013

Reflective Activity #2
Take out a sheet of paper and, over the next
three minutes, brainstorm and write down
the grading criteria that you would put in
place for your response journal assignment.
Would you use a checklist, rubric, semantic
scale, etc.?

April 16, 2013

Benefit for Instructor:

Simultaneously Engaged in Reflective Practice
with Students

Read student
journals

April 16, 2013

Provide
feedback to
students

Reflect and
make
teaching
decision

Response Journal Resources

April 16, 2013

Thank you for your

attendance and participation!
As you move forward, consider the
following questions:
What are the differences between response
journals in the sciences and the humanities? How
do we maintain the educational value of response
journals across disciplines?
April 16, 2013