A Reflective Diary/Blog

John blogs ...

Emily sent through an attachment on writing reflective diaries/blogs which we'll chat through when we next get together. Thanks Emily :-) I've picked out the main elements below:

• being able to reflect upon your own learning and achievement.
• to learn how to become more effective
• to be in control of what you learn and how you learn
• the ability to reflect is an important skill
• based on your thoughts and reflections
• you need to make time to write
• it's a way of enhancing your learning experiences

It enables you to:
• Record/Review an experience;
                (What happened? How did you feel? What did you do?)
• Formulate some conclusions;
                (Why it happened. Why did you feel or react in that way?)
• Make a decision about what action to take.
                (What have I learned from this experience and what am I going to do about it?)

 

Keeping the log will allow you to:

• Record your development over time in relation to your experiences;
• Recognise and trace how your academic development and personal growth interact and support each other;
• Develop your ability to engage in reflective practice and think critically about your development;
• Develop your self-awareness and empower you to change behavior to improve your performance as an individual and as a group member.

The records you maintain in the form of the diary/blog can be used to refresh your memory in the future. You only need to write bullet points or brief notes – just enough to record what happened and refresh your memory later on. Experiences that proved positive or were difficult can provide valuable insights.

 

Did something go well?
• Then what did you learn from it?
• How can you build upon it?
Did something not go as you expected?
• Then exactly what happened?
• How can you overcome the difficulties and improve upon it?

 

The reflective diary/blog could be structured like this:
Date:               Time:
What learning experience did you receive today?
What went well?
What didn’t go so well?
What action did you/will you take?