Reflective journal writing will be defined as a personal journey of writing your personal student leadership (learning programme) story whilst serving as a student leader at your institution of higher learning. It deals with the voluntary student leadership position as part of community service and building. It is an internal dialogue where you put self-introspection on paper. It is a student development process and another personal journey of finding meaning and value on your reflection on your own life, your behaviour, and values/personal beliefs. In this journal you look back at what you have done, and your personal choices are still useful or not useful on your own experiential leadership development route. This reflective process is part of extensive awareness and critical reflection as you soldier on to realise your dreams and find meaning on what you have experienced during the year.
This process is like a mirror where you look at yourself or that gives you an opportunity to see yourself in action by writing your own experiences that taught you about yourself.
Please note that self-flagellation is welcome if it is part of the learning curve.
MAIN PURPOSE OF THE REFLECTIVE JOURNAL
It is meant to help you to reflect on what you have learnt in their student leadership programme not your personal satisfaction as part of personal transformative learning.
OBJECTIVES
- Recording student experiences from students’ perspectives.
- Facilitate learning experience.
- Encourage meditation.
- Encourage the culture of report writing.
- Development of reflective skills.
- Enhance learning.
- Promote ownership of learning.
- Allow students to express their inner thoughts.
- Support rehabilitative process that may lead into behavioural changes.
- Informal assessment of learning programmes.
- It serves as a tool for mapping learning and student experiences.
IT’S FORMAT
This is a descriptive reflective journal writing where a student leader describes a specific event or all the events during the year (leadership period) which he or she feel are worth reflection and interpretation. The students are encouraged to use the first person “I” as form of indicating ownership of their story. Students describe their role/s in specific events and actions. They may include alternatives ideas of what could have been better than what they did. They can provide personal judgements on the project/s they are reflecting upon. Students can also try to justify their action in the journal if there is a need.
In short students describe their experience/what happened? What they could change if they oversaw the whole project alone, if they can turn the tide of time? Do they feel they have touched students’ lives? What more can be done to improve the project/s? Was your time in the project a success/failure/painful/joyful/sadness? They can include photos, hand-outs, any kind of souvenirs from different programmes, etc.
NB: Have you learned in the project/s? In what ways? Did you get what you expected in the learning programme e.g. SRC/SOCIETY/HOUSE COMMITTEE/MENTORING PROGRAMME?
IMPLEMENTAION AND INCENTIVES
Student leaders participate out of their own volition and the students will be awarded a certificate of participation which will be signed by the Student Development Practitioner. The best or competent reflection journal will result in the recognition of the author. The author in question will also receive a certificate for a competent reflective journal which will be co-signed by the Student Development Practitioner.
REFLECTIVE JOURNAL FRAMEWORK
- Descriptive snapshots filled with honesty, insights, what you approved/disapproved/felt/believed/doubts, and fears, critical questions about issues, people and about you. This is not an English assignment.
| Describe the event or events (Tell you own story) |
| The event/s e.g. Campus Life and or Residence Ball |
| Describe the event/s. Tell the story upon which you are reflecting. (What did you do? What did you see? What did you hear) |
| Why specifically this event? |
| Reflective data or interpret or evaluate of the event or your story: |
| What have you observed/done/smelt/touched (Is it important, relevant, interesting, and useful?) |
| Outcomes: |
| What have I learned? |
| Decision taken: |
| What will I do differently in future? |
| Will the lessons have learned help in the future? Have you changed now from all the experience? |
| Where do you go from here? |
ASSESSMENT
It must be noted that we do not mark a personal development of a student as it can create an obstacle to students expressing themselves in future. We only look at logical arrangements as per guidelines.
- The process of reflection.
- The sense/logic of the student experience.
- Interpretative data must come out from the observations.
- Decisional data must come out from interpreted data.
| Exceeds Expectations (4) | Meets the Standard (3) | Needs Improvement (2) | Weak Element (1) | |
| Clearly written | ||||
| Thoughtful | ||||
| Relevant Student Experience | ||||
| Reflective Process |
NB: three on all the above qualifies a journal to be a competent journal.
Comment on the assessment: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CONCLUSION
We shall not cease from exploration.
And the need of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started.
And know the people for the first time.
(T.S. Elliot. 1948:48-The Four Quarters)
“Some students do find reflection painful and comment negatively on the process however, many of these come back after graduation and say that experience of managerial life has allowed them to fully appreciate what we are trying to achieve and the value of reflective practice.” (Shiel and Jones: Bournemouth University)
Bibliography
Elliot, T.S. 1948. The Four Quarters.
Executive Summary of Learning Reconsidered: A Campus-Wide Focus on the Student Experience (2004) and Learning Reconsidered 2: A Practical Guide to Implementing a Campus Wide Focus on the Student Experience. 2006.
Jennifer, M. Learning Journals and Logs, Reflective Diaries. Dublin: University of Exeter.
NASPA and ACPA. 2004. Learning Reconsidered: A Campus-Wide Focus on the Student Experience.
Shiel.C, and Jones. D. Reflective Learning and Assessment: A Systematic Study of Reflective Learning as Evidenced in Student Learning Journals. Bournemouth University.
Springbok 2007: SMS49/EDW472.
University of Texas Arlington: Center for Community Services Learning.
Accessed on 19/06/2013 on http://www.uta.edu/ccsl/for-students/reflection-journals.php
