Sample Reflective Journal Prompts - Breakout Session for FL Methods
University of Arizona
Journal 3: Reflecting on Goals and Objectives
This reflective journal will focus on the role of goals and objectives both in your own learning experiences as well as in the courses that you teach. In a reflective teaching journal (RTJ) entry of approximately 400-500 words, please write a reflection that integrates responses to the questions below:
1) In your own learning experiences, to what extent have you relied on goals and objectives to structure your learning?
2) Discuss the role of goals and objectives in your current practices as a teacher. Do you have course goals and objectives? Unit goals and objectives? Daily lesson goals and objectives? Do you make your students aware of these and if so, how do you share them? Do you give your students’ opportunities to set their own goals and objectives along with the course and instructional goals and objectives?
3) Finally, reflect on the goals and objectives from the current or upcoming chapter from the course you are teaching. What are the goals? What are the objectives? How would you rewrite these to reflect literacy concepts? What are some of the learning activities you have planned in order to meet these goals and objectives? How might you adapt those learning activities to meet literacy-based goals and objectives?
Journal 6: Reflecting on peer observations
Reflect on the process of observing and being observed by your peers. In a written reflection of approximately 600-800 words, please address the following:
1) In what ways did the process of observing others’ teaching raise your awareness about particular methods and/or theoretical positions (i.e. views of language, views of language teaching) being enacted in the classroom? If you had a particularly strong affective response to a particular method or activity, whether positive or negative, please describe that response, with attention to reflecting on why you felt strongly about this (i.e. in what ways did this align with or contradict your personal belief(s) about language and/or language learning?).
2) In what ways did the process of being observed by your peers and receiving critical, constructive feedback raise your awareness about your own teaching praxis? Of the feedback you received, what are you likely to incorporate in your own teaching (please give specific examples) and what are you likely to not incorporate, and why or why not?
Please remember in writing your reflection that you are reflecting on ideas, principles, and teaching practices, and not specific peers; thus you should write your reflection without reference to specific individuals.