Learning log

A learning diary (English: learning log or journal learning ) is an educational tool for learning and behavior of students to promote parallel to class. Students document their learning behavior in the longer term the side. There are certain similarities with the reading diary, which is tied to a particular reading.

Who created an ePortfolio, thus automatically has a learning diary.

Objectives

The learning diary contributes through the regular employment with the learning material to the deepening and a better understanding. Here also the development of understanding illusions is counteracted, that is, the learner has the deeper exploration of the possibility of logical errors and contradictions in his approach to detect and correct. The main objective is also to develop an awareness of their own learning process. The student will be able to apply strategies to assist it in learning. This is not purely done " imitation "; Rather, it is to be animated by the revision of its findings to detect and may adapt their application advantages and disadvantages of these strategies.

In addition, the transcript of one's thoughts gives the student the opportunity to gain an overview and to develop new associations and ideas.

Psychological background

The learning process can be visually seen as a type of cycle in which engage three phases:

• The first phase is the elaboration and organization: in their existing knowledge is structured and worked out. This development strategies are used (eg, formulating their own examples to the fabric to illustrate )
• Their use is at the same time, checked in a second phase, the monitoring. This is a monitoring of the actual work process, which are either "negative" (negative monitoring: understanding difficulties are identified and formulated ) or "positive" ( positive monitoring: detection of a positive learning experience) may fail. The performance by the learners doing on a problem, he will try to fix it.
• In a third phase remediale strategies are considered that are to resolve such difficulties in the future work.

In this process come cognitive strategies such as repetition and organization (grouping, hierarchy, etc. ) are used, are converted to dynamic knowledge in simple information. The metacognitive level is claimed, that is, the learner, the use of cognitive strategies is aware and can use them purposefully. However, the use of cognitive strategies in students is not self-evident, even if they know them already.

Experimentation with different forms of learning diaries have shown that both the use of cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies as well as the learning itself by specifying processing instructions ( called prompts ) can better support than by pure free writing. The prompt could come from both areas and relate to the different phases of the learning process, such as:

• Cognitive, organizational: How can you best structure the learning content useful?
• Cognitive, Development: What examples can illustrate, confirm or contradict the learning content?
• Metacognitive, Monitoring: Which points you have so far (not ) understand? How does the understanding problem could best be described?
• Metacognitive, remedial: Which areas you should again go through? What opportunities can you find to resolve the difficulties in understanding?

Cognitive and metacognitive prompts resulted in an increased use of strategies from their respective areas, above all. Both statements promoted the processing of knowledge gained at least in the short to medium term. However, the best results were obtained with a combination of prompts different areas.

Form and manner processing

The most important criterion for a learning diary is that it is done over a longer period of time and regularly so that the learner has the opportunity to compare his learning behavior and to evaluate changes.

The concrete form with which it is performed can be very different and depends on the age and situation of the students. Illustrations, tables, and an outline of the text can help. Accordingly, can be targeted also, as required by the specifications with free writing prompts interact strongly with the background or in order to promote cognitive and metacognitive strategies. Should generally prompts for students who are still inexperienced in dealing with learning strategies, his relatively specific.

However, they should not be a pure knowledge query, but the students have the freedom to determine the content relatively autonomously and problem-oriented. The learning diary also differs from the portfolio or scientific work in that it has no central focus.