Creating a Learning Log
The following is from the National Science Teaching Association. If you would prefer to read the content in it's original form, please follow this link.
The goal for this learning experience is to create a learning log prior to starting the Unit. This will allow you to document your learning, and any questions you may have at the end of this Unit.
After creating your template, please send it to your instructor, just to make sure you are on the right track!
The following is from the NSTA website. It has been altered from it's original form.
One of the most functional forms of writing to learn is two-column learning logs. Two-column learning logs are based on the premise that collecting information and processing information are two very different aspects of learning. Two-column logs allow students to connect the facts and theories of science to an understanding of their world. Logs encourage students to view life through a scientific lens. This includes thinking critically about a variety of topics, such as recycling or household cleaning products, which were previously unrelated to their understanding of science.
In a notebook or on loose-leaf paper, students divide their pages into two columns. On the left side students will take standard notes. These notes are fact-based from a text or a lecture and might include a detailed diagram and description of glacial movement, or a list of chemistry definitions. Fact-based writing does not include opinion or student interpretation; it focuses on the facts and concepts of science. The right column allows the teacher to monitor and encourage note taking, and provides students with a daily log of the material covered in class. The second column then becomes the “so what?” category. On this side of the log students write about the importance of the fact-based information; they define for themselves the significance (or the “so what?”) of course material. In this column students share their own opinions about wetland ecology, or their lack of understanding related to evaporation. The second column functions as the most important part of the journal because it allows students to make connections, ask questions, and wonder about science.
In practice
Nick, a seventh-grade life science student, found the second column useful for asking questions and for reflection during and after an assigned reading (see Figure 1). The reading focused on the human skeletal system. Nick’s own experiences with broken bones, “old people,” and his desire to be like action heroes enhanced the reading on the skeletal system. Nick took notes as he reads looking for the bold words that help guide students in most science texts. Rather than ending his notes with simple regurgitation from the reading, Nick took his notes further by relating the material to his life and asking more questions.
Figure 1. Two-column learning log example.
Notes
Compact bone is as hard as some kinds of rock.
Bones are made of minerals. The major mineral in bones is hydroxyapatite. This has calcium and phosphorus in it.
Bones are strong and flexible.
Fracture: a break in a bone.
People are more likely to have fractures when they do not have strong bones. Old people have fractures more easily.
Biomaterials: artificial materials that can be used to replace body parts.
Wondering
What kinds of rock are as strong as bone?
How are bones flexible? If they were flexible couldn’t they bend? Do bones bend? I think that my bones are hard and not flexible because I have never broken a bone.
I wonder how many fractures were in Kyle’s arm? He is not old so he probably just had one.
Do they use plastic in people? If I got a bone replaced I would get metal like the Terminator.
Nick’s desire to be like the Terminator might lead to a class discussion on what materials are used for replacing body parts and the developing field of biomedical engineering. His assumption about the inflexibility of his bones signaled the need for an expanded discussion on the subject. The skeletal system piqued Nick’s interest only after he began to make connections beyond the classroom. For many students, two-column learning logs ignite a curiosity about science through individual exploration fostered by writing.
Writing in the logs
While student writing can stimulate more questions, writing prompts for learning logs can take a variety of forms. Students can write in direct response to course material and discussions; record their questions about course content; record everything they think they know about a topic; or reflect at the end of a unit. Students will begin to identify what they already know and what they need (or want) to learn more about.
One of the best ways to promote the writing process is through demonstration; therefore, modeling is the most important part of introducing two-column learning logs. Teachers should introduce assignments by modeling entries for students. It is important to model the process of asking questions and making connections outside the science classroom. Modeling should not end after the first day; teachers should revisit the two-column log regularly for the first month of the assignment. Similarly, before students hand in their logs for grading the teacher might remind them of the expectations.
Written by:
Cheryl Steenson (redhotcs@hotmail.com) is a Master of Arts in Teaching student at the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana.
Reference
Young, A. 1997. Writing across the curriculum. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.