Trust the Process
Notebooks, like people, come in all shapes and sizes. Much like people, notebooks exist all around us ambiguously, yet many people never take the time to look below the surface. Students have been directed to “get a notebook” usually from the start of 1st grade until they graduate from high school. A notebook becomes an obligatory thing. A school supply. A requirement. However, if I, as a teacher, strive to give my students more to take away from my class than a supply list and obligations, I need to give them the opportunities and the tools to see things from a new perspective. As a former high school English teacher I always wanted my students to see notebooks, literature, people, even themselves with a fresh perspective by looking below the surface as we journeyed through our year together.
I will preface this discussion about notebooks and learning and people by saying that I do not hold the same philosophy about education that I did when I started teaching 18 years ago. As a new teacher I had pedagogical skills and writing skills, but I lacked a clear philosophy. I really just tried to do my best and teach the kids in my care something about reading and writing. Many new teachers or even pre-service teachers are asked to outline their “philosophy of teaching”. I remember writing my “philosophy of education” paper in graduate school, but for 1 billion dollars I couldn’t tell you what I wrote. Today, however, I can tell you what my philosophy is. My teaching philosophy is all about relevance, empathy, purpose, and growth. I realized that my students needed to learn with intent and to learn to use reflection about their learning to better understand not only lessons but themselves. Over my many years of teaching I began to understand that notebooks could be more than school supplies. They slowly evolved into tools.
I have always been a notebooker. I have also always been a writer. It is easy for me to understand the organic need to grasp a pen and write or doodle or brainstorm. For me, this is a natural process.
For some of my students, however, it didn’t come as naturally. So, what’s a teacher to do when trying to introduce students to the world of notebooking? That’s a very good question. It is a question I am still trying to to fully answer, but for now I have a few ideas to share:
- Use notebooks for reflection not high stakes assignments.
- The notebook is more welcoming when the writers focus more on what they are writing instead of how many points it is worth.
- I began calling my notebooks “Meta Journals”. These tools for metacognition allow my students to think and reflect without the burden of strict due dates and grades.
- Don’t dictate the product.
- I allowed my students the opportunity to use the medium they see fit when responding in their notebooks, the caveat being that their notebooks had to contain a variety of mediums such as drawing, poetry, listing, graphing — it was really up to them and their own way of processing the information at hand.
- Some students would mind map, some would doodle, some would list, some would write poetry, some would launch into the great American novel. Regardless of the product, all students were going through the process of reflection, the most important part.
- Set expectations, but allow for some autonomy and flexibility.
- I had plenty of summative assignments queued up for each semester; the notebook didn’t need to be in that category. The notebook is a tool, and students need to learn for themselves the power of metacognition and self-reflection.
“Meta Journals” allowed students to own their thinking and learning. The process of notebooking after we read, after we had class discussions, even after we took a test, allowed them to take that next step beyond finishing a task or producing a product — they reflected on the why of the process. Once they got over the hurdle of being so concerned with directions and grades, they let go and started using their notebooks as tools and the outcome was great to observe.
Try It — Draw even if you can’t draw, write a poem even if you’re not a poet, write from the 3rd person point of view. Do anything in your notebook that you wouldn’t normally do.
This will allow you to use a new process and push yourself creatively. As a writer, I have found that drawing, even though I am terrible, always ends with me writing a piece that I am happy with. For students, this breaks the rigidity of the standard paragraphing that they so often have to use when responding to class assignments.
- Remember that process over product can result in deeper learning and understanding
- Encourage students to revisit work, make changes, accept that first attempts are still works in progress
- Allow students, and yourself, to reflect upon learning and outcomes. A score on a paper doesn’t always result in deep understanding of why the score was earned
To close, I urge you to remember that working with students is an art. It takes a wide-variety of skills to include patience and empathy. Teaching writing is difficult, and as educators we often need to take a step back and remember that just because someone is sitting in front of a keyboard or is holding a pencil, doesn’t mean that they are ready to master the art of writing.
Shake up the process. Allow the process. Don’t fall into the trap of “due tomorrow.” we all know that great writing often needs time to evolve. Give your students that opportunity. #thisteachersjourney
“To someone else, my notebook would look like a scribbled mess of smushed words and heavy sketches. To me, my notebook allows me to portray my thoughts in my own style. It holds everything from one-liners, random drawings and single words to finished piece, rejected lines and the sketches that inspired my work.” — Shelby, AP Literature & Composition/ Creative Writing student
“I use my notebook to collect my thoughts on what we’re focusing on in class and to make sure I keep all my ideas in one place.” — Paige, AP Literature & Composition student
Editor’s Note:
One of my first memories is that of a notebook. In India, we all have to cover our notebooks with a brown paper and put name stickers on them. I loved wrapping my notebooks and writing in them even as an elementary student. As I developed writing skills and note-taking skills, I spent more and more time writing in notebooks. I love the idea of students spending time expressing themselves in these notebooks. If I had had a teacher like Stacey, I am sure I would have experimented more with visuals rather than keeping them separate. I would have worked with more mediums. It’s never too late to start now and it is good to realize that like Stacey, I love these skills and would want my students to have them too.
