I am back to share with you the journaling that I have asked of my students during their own time of uncertainty: the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic.
Continuing to be inspired by the work and tweets of Kelly Gallagher, I assigned my students to begin a journal during our distance learning experience as their warm-up on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
What was assigned?
As their directions, I posted my own COVID-19 journal and continued throughout too. Here's a screenshot of my opening:
I had several students returning to my journal as an example, as "seeds" to begin their own thoughts, and just to see what I was up to. However, just like many of them, I wasn't always consistent, and that's ok.
Why do this? What objectives exist?
This is a piece of my students' personal history. One day, it could even be a primary source!
Journaling is a social-emotional tool. Many students (and adults) benefit being encouraged to share their thoughts through writing.
And if need be, there are writing standards that call for a variety of writing styles, length of writing, and different voices.
How will this be assessed?
We still have instruction this week and will wrap up distance learning next, so I haven't completed this stage yet. However, I did quick "checks" by having students share their journals to show they've started, once counted the number of entries, and done periodic video reminders. I have not read any journal entries unless my students have requested it.
In the end, I have planned a self-assessment through a Google Form that allows them to reflect on their thought, effort, and usefulness of their journaling. This will also be feedback for me as I reflect on how to continue the use of journaling with next year's teaching, whether back in our classroom or distantly.
If you're interested in the feedback I plan to receive, here's the link to a copy of the form: COVID-19 Self-Assessment
What might I change?
In the future, I may intentionally post "seed" prompts for students to help them get started. These could be articles, video clips of speakers or the news, or personal interest prompts.
I'll leave you with what I've been ending posts and conversations with my students:
Stay healthy. Make smart choices. Read a book. 📚
