Re: Approaches to classroom investigation in teaching

Let's start with Journals [Blogs]
A journal is a teacher’s written response to teaching events. Keeping a journal serves two purposes:1. Events and ideas are recorded for the purposes of later reflection. 2. The process of writing itself helps trigger insights about teaching. Writing in this sense serves as a discovery process.

The following procedures are recommended for keeping a journal {Bailey, 1990; Porter et al 1990; Walker, 1985} 1. Make entries on a regular basis, such as once or twice a week or even daily if possible. It may be useful to spend five or ten minutes after a lesson to write about it or record it. 2. Review your journal entries regularly.

Ask yourself these questions: l.What do I do as a teacher? 2.What principles and beliefs inform my teaching?3.Why do I teach the way I do? 4.What roles do learners play in my classes? 5.Should I teach differently?


My Feedback:
Before Aiden asked me to create my blog, I always thought that teaching journals were not much different from “lesson plans”. After reading the above statement, I found that teaching journals are not simply about recording what the teaching activities I have done for each class. It is more about looking into the events taking place in class and discovering the meanings behind it. In other words, the journals reflect on the students learning as much as they reflect on teacher’s progress in teaching. From now on, when writing my journals, I will always keep these questions in mind.