Teacher’s Reflective Journal, a Reflection of Classroom Learning

6 June 2009

“Today we tried learning outdoors by inviting a salted-egg producer to be a resource person. The students were quite active; they thought it was fun. However, there were 3 groups, each with 10 students; that was a bit overwhelming. A couple of students were not taking it seriously. When I asked why, they said that the theme was not that interesting for them because they came from the same area as the salt egg producer, so this was nothing new for them. Therefore, for the next outdoor learning, I plan for each group to visit a different place.”

THAT was what Santi Lutfiyah, S.Pd., an English teacher at MTs Darul Ulum Grati, Pasuruan, wrote in her reflective journal. Since she started her reflective journal, she has been better able to monitor the learning processes in her classrooms. Using her reflective journal she can identify the obstacles that hinder the learning processes and use her reflections for future reference in planning activities.

Similar feedback was given by teachers who participated in BTL 3 training in five extension districts. The reflective journal is more than just a teacher’s diary. It is a reflection of what a teacher has done in the classroom.

The work of grade IX students at MTsN Pohjentrek, Pasuruan District on the Round Table Conference in a Social Studies lesson.

The work of grade VIII students at SMPN 2 Berbek, Nganjuk District while writing a diary during a Bahasa Indonesia lesson (top) and writing about the metamorphosis of toads for science (bottom)