| In the beginning phases of identifying what works in | | | | development which should include the following |
| the classroom, teachers often look to theoretical | | | | purposes: the connection between writing while |
| methods such as whole language or phonic teaching | | | | exploring the various topics of methods and activities, |
| as a means for generating practical classroom | | | | expressing and sharing ideas, and involving the learner |
| procedures. Often this process has meaningful | | | | in the learning process. (Margaret Walline, unpublished |
| implications for both instructional goal setting and | | | | data) This specific need based body of writing should |
| meeting the needs of the learner. | | | | not only help the teacher identify what exactly |
| In general education classrooms where more and | | | | worked but over time, its focus should help them |
| more ELLs by the end of the first grade are not | | | | develop a rule, or a good theory that can apply to |
| acquiring basic reading skills, ELL teachers are | | | | most situations and groups with lower performing |
| rethinking their pedagogical principles, approaches and | | | | readers or at-risk readers. |
| strategies and as a result, they leaving behind | | | | Some inclusive questions:o What is your reasoning or |
| assumptions of what possibly can work in the | | | | rational underpinning your action?o Why have you |
| classroom. | | | | decided to implement this activity in this manner?o |
| The No Child Left Behind Act (2001) stimulated | | | | What is your recipe for the solution? |
| educators rethink their teaching methods, learned | | | | This critical thinking represents ongoing, intense, |
| practices and materials within an interventive | | | | personalized form of support when feedback is given. |
| approach of English language learning as "instruction in | | | | In fact, reflective thinking helps teachers identify with |
| English, regardless of whether it is students' native | | | | current methods and develop guiding principles of |
| language, makes it critically important to develop | | | | early intervention. Journal use shows that |
| strategies for addressing English Language learner | | | | documenting student performance is effective in |
| (ELL) students' unique literacy learning needs" (Haager | | | | terms of generating more reflective thinking over |
| and Windmueller, 2001). | | | | time. Teachers can begin the journal writing process |
| Another step is to utilize reflective techniques based | | | | by showing the connection between the issues |
| on observation and later in writing, reflection, which | | | | discussed either in workshops, in-service teacher |
| can be alternatively stimulated by a successfully | | | | training such as big books and whole language |
| implemented classroom activity. An ongoing | | | | approach and the teaching process. The process of |
| correspondence using learning logs should be useful in | | | | journal writing in this respect, is not intended for |
| identifying key ingredients for what works in an | | | | quick and easy recipes, but rather to explore a |
| at-risk classroom. The purpose of learning logs | | | | reflective process of thinking. |
| represents one part of ongoing professional | | | | |