From Whining to Wondering: Reflective Journaling With Preservice Educators

Abstract

Reflective journaling is frequently employed to help preservice educators make sense of fieldwork experiences. Analyzing the weekly journals of eight preservice educators, I offer conceptual language to describe how journal writing provides a window into students’ capacity for reflection. This capacity is described in terms of three continua: self-awareness, sophistication of reflective writing style, and relationship of reflection to action. Noticing and articulating these continua allows those who train Jewish educators to see their programs as both professional training and a space for adult learning. Successful reflection requires both reflective skill and developmental capacity, making it complicated to assess and support growth. In Jewish education settings, this can be even more complex when students’ own personal Jewish journeys intersect with professional learning.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author would like to thank Miriam Heller Stern, Sivan Zikai, Gail Dorph, Aryeh Davidson, and Shira Epstein for their feedback and suggestions on this project.

Notes

1. ¹ All names are pseudonyms.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lauren Applebaum

Lauren Applebaum is Associate Dean of the Graduate Center for Education at American Jewish University. E-mail: [email protected]