Journal Keeping in an ESL Classroom: an Innovative Approach in Language Learning

Abstract

The teacher is saddled with enormous responsibilities in the ESL classroom. These responsibilities go beyond the teaching of prescribed texts and grammar of English but also in creating a robust and enabling environment to promote writing fluency and instilling confidence in the students. The innovative teacher does these by assisting students to acquire communicative, analytical, logical skills through the medium of journaling in the classroom. Journals enable students focus on the expression of their thoughts and ideas (Isaacs and Brodine, 1994: ix). Journal keeping is a pedagogical process of establishing a routine writing workout, and connecting reading with writing on the one hand, and enabling the English teacher to deal with the growing demands on the English teacher on the other hand. Research has shown that methodology, training and concept alone will not make a teacher competent enough to train students at college level to meet their requirements but a reflective practice could serve the ever growing needs of the English language learner and teacher by integrating both theory and practice (Lakshimi 2009:). This paper is designed as an investigative study on the potential of journal keeping development tool for equipping students with the necessary skills for their day-to-day expedition in the classroom.

Keywords: Journal Keeping, ESL Classroom, Reading and writing Connection