Examples of Learning Logs
In a course on Canadian Families in Society, students are working on extended projects. Some of the research topics are: the perception of teenage fathers on the impact of divorce on children in the middle-years and the battered women's syndrome’s impact on men. The students would be asked to do the following during the course of one week:
| Monday: | "Write something in your logs." - Free responses |
| Tuesday: | "What is the biggest problem you are having right now in your project?" - Structured response |
| Wednesday: | "Explain what you have been doing to use resources more effectively." - Habits of mind |
| Thursday: | "What are you most confident about so far?" - Content probe |
The teacher is now well-equipped to conference with the student.
Example: Student Log/Journal in a Canadian Politics Class
Structured Response
| My evaluation of my understanding of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms | My evaluation is based on the following evidence . . . |
| I think that I have a fairly good grasp of the content of the Charter of Rights and Freedom. | My oral report on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms included my reading of the entire document in its original form. I combined the information that I already knew about the charter with the information that I got from reading the original document. |
Example: Student's Journal Entry
Free Response
- Wednesday
- I had difficult time understanding the concept of conditional sentences. I am going to need extra worksheets on this grammatical concept. Hope that Miss Leggart has extra.
- Thursday:
- After the teacher gave us the chart that shows what tense corresponds with what tense, the concept is now a lot clearer in my mind.
- Friday:
- I like the activity that we did today, but I wished that we had spent more time practicing the use of conditional sentences. It would really have clinched it for me.
Teacher/Student Feedback
The various types of assessment data collected in the classroom must be put together effectively and efficiently. The purpose of assessment conferences is for the teacher to share assessment data with the student and for the student to share his/her self-assessment data with the teacher. Assessment conferences help the student focus on gains and goals. These conferences can be done while students are working on projects during the activity phase of a class.
During the conference, the teacher presents the evaluation of student's performance with the evidence used (e.g., test, quizzes, projects, and observations). Then the student presents his/her evaluation of his/her performance and the evidence used to arrive at the conclusion. The student then evaluates himself/herself using the same standards/scale that the teacher used. Any discrepancies between the student's and the teacher's rating are discussed in depth to come to an accurate judgment regarding the student's understanding and skill.
Students answer the question: "If I had to evaluate my level of understanding or performance right now on __________, I would give myself a ____." If the student reports that he/she has low understanding or performance in a given subject, the teacher and student together can identify problem areas and discuss ways that for student to increase understanding or performance.
Tips for Assessment Conferences
- Assessment conference can be three to five minutes long depending on the size of the class and the length of the activity period.
- To see as many students as possible during a class, either reduce the amount of time for each conference or increase the project activity time.
- If students are working in a cooperative group, a teacher can meet with the entire group thus decreasing the average per-student conference time.