Writing Reflective Learning Journals: Promoting the Use of Learning Strategies and Supporting the Development of Professional Skills

Abstract

Writing reflective journals is well known for its possibilities to support the use of learning strategies and improve performance. But, to be efficient for learning, reflective writing needs to be guided with prompts and feedbacks. In our work, apprentice bakers and chefs were encouraged to complete a mobile and online learning journal throughout their training as a complement to their personal recipe book; the learning journal triggered their reflection and the evocation of learning strategies through various prompts about the realization of each recipe. In the present chapter two issues are discussed: How does reflective writing promote apprentices’ use of learning strategies? Does writing in reflective learning journals promote learning? Content analysis of apprentices’ learning journals and recipe books confirm that prompts efficiently support the use of learning strategies, in particular, of metacognitive ones. Moreover, the more metacognitive learning strategies were detected in apprentices’ writing, the better were their performances at the final exams. Schoolteacher interventions and regular use of the journals in classroom also proved useful to boost apprentices’ reflective writing. The relevance of introducing mobile and online learning journals to stimulate reflective writing is confirmed also for 15 to 19 years old vocational education and training apprentices.