Tools for developing Learner Autonomy and Self-reflection

1.1. Learning Journals, Learning Blogs

Journals or blogs provide space for reflecting where students can regularly record their experiences, their achievements or even the challenges they faced. They can put down their thoughts about their learning journey in the form they prefer without any threat of being assessed by a teacher or other person. It should be a safe space for learners so that they can be open and honest with themselves.

There are many aspects to be considered before we start working with journals, e.g.:

• Will it be accessible to other people?
• How often will journalling be done?
• Will it be low-tech, hi-tech or both?
• Will there be any structure or guidance offered?
• How will students report back to the teacher or other students? etc.

Since learners might not be used to working with this tool it could be helpful to offer some guidance at the beginning. For instance, we can offer a simple structure:

• Describe what happened.
• What was good or bad about it?
• How did you feel?
• What have you learnt?
• What can you try next time?