Tips On Keeping the Required Reflective Journal

Apple--Reminder A useful way of keeping track of the things you are learning and the kind of service you are providing to the community is to keep a personal journal, or log, of your activities. Keeping a journal encourages you to think about your experiences and helps provide insight into what you are experiencing as well as how you are feeling about it.

A journal can take many forms. The following suggestions will assist you in making your entries:

Do not edit as you write. Write your thoughts freely, without regard for syntax, spelling, or punctuation. Editing can be done later, if you wish.
Be sincere in your writing and make good use of your perceptual skills. Not only will your writing be more interesting as you develop you senses and observational powers, but your experience will be enhanced as well.
Do not think of your journal as a work log in which you itemize and record events, tasks, and statistics. The journal is your means of daily charting your growth and development both academically and personally.

The following ideas may help you with your journal entries:

What do you do on a typical day at your placement?
Tell about the best thing that has happened all week.
How would you improve the place where you volunteer if you could?
Tell about a person there whom you find interesting or challenging to be with.
Did someone say or do something that surprised you?
What happened that made you feel that you might or might not like this work as a career?
Were there moments when you felt especially happy, satisfied, or disappointed?

You will find the journal less a chore if you take a few minutes at the end of each day to review your learning objectives and reflect upon your experiences of the day.

Individual Instructors May Modify the Structure of the Journal or May Require a Different Assignment.