Learner Journal

Your Journal

Your Journal is a distillation of all the new things you learn each day.  You list a maximum of three things.  Each one needs an example of how you learned to use it.  These need to be personal examples which are true from your life.  You can note grammar, pronunciation or vocabulary.  Every few days hand it in to me for review.  I will read through it and clearly point out any mistakes or errors.

How to start--

Put your name on the front and the level and room.

Use the inside cover as a record of any words which are difficult to spell.

Date, Time, Day and Teacher for each lesson's page.

Do's and Don't's

• Don't use this as a notebook.
• Don't write lists of new words. Remember only three things per lesson.  It is not supposed to be everything.  Everything goes in your notebook.  This is three favorites.  
• Do write good examples of new words in use.
• Do note things which were not the main point of the day.
• Do write about new things only.  
• Don't note things you already understood.
• Do be specific.
• Do give real life examples.
• Don't write: "will and going to for future" because you already knew that.
• Don't write: "going to is for future plans" because it's not specific
• Do write: "'(be) going to go to' is used interchangeably with '(be) going to'" 
• Don't write: "We are going to go to the park." as an example.
• Do write: For example "We are going to Phoenix Park with Ciara and Oisin, the CES staff, this weekend." =   "We are going to go to Phoenix Park with Ciara and Oisin, the CES staff, this weekend."  

This shows your understanding and is specific enough for me to understand that this is an example from your real life.  It is most important to be able to talk about things you know you.  They are what you will talk about most often.  Write about what you know, what you are learning and what you do.

Use one page for me and one page for Jennifer.  These journals cost about 22 cents each.  Use them up and buy yourself a present when you get to the end of each one.  A coffee costs about the same as ten of them.  So go nuts.

If you can't find three new things from your notes, the pages or the homework, it's good feedback for me.  If you aren't getting anything new out of the lessons, this is how I will find out.

The last pages of the notebook can be used as writing space for homework and classroom assignments.

Good luck.  (And when you get back to your home country you can look over this journal and sell it to a local publisher.  Send us a Christmas card when you are rich and famous.)