Using journals in teacher training

Abstract

Introspective writing, frequently in the form of journals or diaries, has become widely used in applied linguistics research. Its purpose is often to raise writers’ awareness of a process they are undergoing, such as learning or teaching a second language. This paper explores and illustrates journal writing by two trainee teachers. Evidence is presented of the trainees’ beliefs that such introspective work not only enhanced their teaching but also their interactions with each other as trainees and with their supervisors.