Maximizing Your Development through a Learning Journal
Research from the Center for Creative Leadership has demonstrated that successful staff members learn from the variety of experiences they have
... more so than from formal coursework or reading. For this learning to be valuable, staff members need to intentionally reflect on their experiences. A Learning Journal is a formal strategy for collecting and organizing those experiences and can be a mechanism for the savvy learner to chart his or her progress.
A simple way to organize a Learning Journal is to focus on three elements:
- Description of the experience (what happened in as behavioral terms as possible)
- Your reaction to the experience (what you thought, felt, did)
- What you learned by reflecting upon how you reacted to what happened.
Examples:
| Experience |
• A colleague's comment
• What happened during a meeting
• A new idea |
| Reaction |
• Internal thoughts and
feelings
• External reactions of others |
| Reflection |
• What worked well
• What didn't work so well
• What would I do differently in a similar situation
• Things I need to change
• How is my reaction preventing me from getting what I want or need? |
Your Learning Journal can be organized by these three items or you can write your thoughts in a stream of consciousness. The format is unimportant
... a computer-based file or a bound notebook. What is important is that you regularly write in your journal. Over time, you will begin to see themes and patterns emerge from your Journal as you identify the kinds of experiences you tend to reflect upon. And, if the same ineffective or non-productive patterns continue to repeat, you have ample evidence about what you need to learn. You can also use this process to identify issues or ideas that you would like to discuss with your mentor.
The Learning Journal is a tool for you, and you should not expect to need to show what you have written with anyone.
Porter, Larry. "The Learning Journal: Some Mechanics." Reading Book for Human Relations Training, edited by Larry Porter and Bernard Mohr, 1983
Lombardo and Eichinger. For Your Improvement. 4th edition. Lominger, 2005
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