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Learning Logs Learning occurs any time your child participates in an activity. Whether they are playing a game with friends, helping out around the house, or working independently on a project, they are learning. Helping your child become more mindful of the learning that he or she is engaging in is key to them becoming more independent as a learner. The Learning Log is a place to record activities and more importantly reflect upon the learning that occurred. The log itself can be a journal or notebook in which your child can write, draw, and put pictures or artifacts. For each entry in the Learning Log your child should reflect upon what they have done and then dictate or write about their learning. In order to help your child to reflect in a meaningful way they will need guidance and support from an adult. Asking specific questions, summarizing the activity, talking about ways to build on the activity in the future are all great ways to help your child be more mindful of what they are doing. The hope is that in time, they will start engaging in this thought process on their own. Learning Logs can be turned in on the last Friday of every month for review by the teacher and sharing with the class. The following are two examples of Learning Log records and reflections. Your child is playing a board game or video game. He or she records the activity by writing or dictating a summary of how the game is played. Their reflection could focus on the strategy they used to play the game, the skills necessary to win the game or what they might do differently the next time they played the game. For example, if the game was Checkers, you might ask your child what is the best way to get the most kings. How many jumps do you think it takes to finish a game? If you had to teach this game to someone, what would say is the most important this to remember? Your child takes gymnastics class. In the Learning Log a picture of a person doing a somersault is drawn. The reflection might focus on the necessary technique involved in doing a somersault or why it is important to warm up and stretch before you start. The reflection might also involve discussing some of the specific vocabulary used in gymnastics and why it is important to learn the proper terminology. Writing about how it feels when you are doing gymnastics is another reflection possibility. These examples are meant to help parents to be more mindful of ways in which they can engage their children in a discussion about an activity. There are a multitude of questions, topics and opportunities in which you can record and reflect in a Learning Log. It will take time, patience, practice and an understanding of how your child thinks in order for the Learning Log to be most meaningful. However, donšt feel pressure to write something down or make an entry, just having the discussion is valuable. As you engage in this activity with your child please make sure that you also take time to reflect upon how it is going and ways you might change what has |
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