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Not to be confused with Dialogue (journal).

A dialogue journal is an ongoing written interaction between two people to exchange experiences, ideas, or reflections. It is used most often in education as a means of sustained written interaction between students and teachers [1][2] at all education levels. It can be used to promote second language learning (English and other languages) and learning in all areas.[3]

Dialogue journals are used in many schools as a form of communication between teachers and students to improve the life that they share in the classroom[4] by exchanging ideas and shared topics of interest, promoting writing in a non-evaluative context, and promoting student engagement with learning. They are also used between teachers and teacher trainers to provide professional development opportunities and improve teaching.

Dialogue journal interaction occurs in notebooks, letters, email exchanges, and audio journals. The important feature is that two people are communicating with each other, about topics and issues of interest to both, and the interaction continues over time.

Dialogue journals are a teacher-developed practice, first researched in the 1980s in an ethnographic study of a sixth grade American classroom with native English speakers,[5] supported by a grant from the National Institute of Education (NIE), Teaching & Learning Division. Applications to other educational settings developed quickly as a way to enhance writing development and the teacher-student relationship across linguistic and cultural barriers, with increasing use in second language instruction, deaf education, and adult literacy education. Since the 1980s, dialogue journal practice has expanded to many countries around the world.[6]

History of Dialogue Journal Use and Research

The use of dialogue journals as a classroom practice was first documented in the early 1980s, with an in-depth study of its use in a sixth grade classroom in Los Angeles.[5] The teacher, Leslee Reed, wrote daily throughout the school year with each of her students in a dialogue journal (a small notebook) to promote personalized, ongoing, supportive communication.

The first study of Mrs. Reed's classroom of all native English speakers (1979-1980) was followed by a second study (1981-1982) of the same teacher teaching a 6th grade class of students from other countries, all learning English as a second language (ESL), again for an entire year.[1]

The practice spread to deaf education in 1982, with the invitation from William Stokoe at the Gallaudet University Linguistics Research Laboratory to Jana Staton to conduct research and work with teachers at all levels on the Gallaudet University campus.[7]

With the publication of research on the sixth grade ESL students, use of dialogue journals with ESL students and research on the practice and outcomes began growing through the 1980s and 1990s.[8] The practice is now used in educational settings and classrooms at all age levels, from kindergarten through university courses, in adult education programs,[9] and in teacher education programs, to promote open communication, connections among teachers and learners, knowledge sharing, and reading and writing development.[10]

Key Concepts and Key Features

Research on dialogue journal use at all age levels—with native speakers of the language of the writing, first and second language learners, deaf students, and teachers—has identified key features of dialogue journal communication that set it apart from most writing in educational settings: authentic communication, collaborative learning and knowledge building, critical thinking, personal voice, critical pedagogy, reciprocal discourse, zone of proximal development, literacy as an interactive process, relationship building, and counseling.

A dialogue journal allows students and a teacher to together use authentic communication (including questioning, complaining, complimenting, apologizing, and requesting) to communicate honestly and openly and “get things done”.[11][12] This distinguishes it from most student writing assignments, which are restricted to monologic description, explanation, or narrative. This aspect of everyday language use is known in philosophy as speech acts (John Searle)[13] and in linguistics as pragmatics. (J.L. Austin)[14] Dialogue journal conversation, unlike academic writing, opens up opportunities to use almost the full range of these natural functions of language.

By engaging in interactive and functional interactions in a private context, dialogue journal partners in educational settings are engaged in collaborative learning and collaborative knowledge building about the topic or task they are working on, each other's experiences and background, and perceptions and thoughts about shared topics.[15][16] In a classroom setting, the teacher is able to learn about each student's interests, concerns, fears, and experience within and outside the school.[17]

Dialogue journals have been studied by a number of researchers for their value in developing students' critical thinking by providing opportunities for students to practice self-reflective awareness and to critique classroom practices, teaching assignments, and social contexts, in both first[15] and second language acquisition settings.[18] Practice with critical thinking in exploring their own worlds and the worlds of others, with the words that they have at their disposal,[19] results in students experiencing personal empowerment and expressing a personal voice—the unique expression of the self that seems like hearing that particular person speak[20] in their writing.[18]

Critical pedagogy in dialogue journal writing creates contexts for students to think critically, often in collaboration with the teacher, and develop communicative language abilities as well as critical understanding and awareness of the language and the world.[21][22][23] When critical pedagogy is used in language teaching and in interactive writing, learners have the opportunity to use the language in context, use it in writing to consider authentic situations, and think and act as critically conscious beings.[24]

The dialogue journal's reciprocal discourse structure is often cited as the motivation for both teacher and student to continue their engagement with each other over time without external coercion.[25][26] The reciprocal nature of the discourse provides multiple opportunities to develop an understanding of the other person's world, culture, and experiences, and thus learning occurs for both. The power to question, challenge, and complain becomes equally shared by both writers.[11][12]

Dialogue journals visibly record how learning occurs in the zone of proximal development, a key concept in the psychology of Lev Vygotsky.[27][28] According to Vygotsky, learning takes place in the space or "zone" that a child or learner is working in when solving a problem or accomplishing a task. The teacher or more competent peer assists, "scaffolds," the child's actions or behavior by working collaboratively with the learner. This is different from the learner's actual abilities when working independently on the same task or goal. This concept captures the nature of dialogue journal communication, in which the goal of understanding is achieved by a collaborative effort, with the more competent partner ensuring its accomplishment[29][30]

Authentic written communication in a first or second language over time develops learner competence in expressing oneself in the language and understanding the statements of the other person.[31][32] Thus, in dialogue journals, written literacy learning is an interactive process, which moves from conversation to text.[33][34][35][36][37] Opportunities to participate in authentic written communication in a new language, in contrast to the restrictions of formal written assignments, is perhaps the major reason that teachers of second languages, particularly of English, have adopted this practice in classrooms around the world. (See section on Dialogue Journal Use in International Settings.)

While the descriptions here focus on interactive writing as a way to promote student learning, improved student-teacher relationships can also promote the health and success of students, especially more behaviorally challenged students.[38] In a non-threatening, private context,[39][40] real issues and personal problems can be discussed and resolved.[41][42]

References

  1. ^ a b Peyton, J.K., & Staton, J. (1993). Dialogue journals in the multilingual classroom: Building language fluency and writing skills through written interaction. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
  2. ^ Staton, J. (1988). An introduction to dialogue journal communication. In J. Staton, R. Shuy, J. K. Peyton, & L. Reed (Eds.), Dialogue journal communication: Classroom, linguistic, social, and cognitive views (pp. 1-32). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
  3. ^ Peyton, J.K. (2000)."Dialogue Journals: Interactive Writing to Develop Language and Literacy". Retrieved 13 January 2016.. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.
  4. ^ Staton, J. (1980). Writing and counseling: Using a dialogue journal. Language Arts, 57(5).
  5. ^ a b Staton, J., Shuy, R., Peyton, J.K., & Reed, L.(1988). Dialogue journal communication: Classroom, linguistic, social, and cognitive views (pp. 1-32). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
  6. ^ Peyton, J.K., & Staton, J. (2000). Dialogue journal bibliography: Published works about dialogue journal research and use. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. http://www.cal.org/adultesl/resources/bibliographies/published-works-about-dialogue-journal-research-and-use.php.
  7. ^ Staton, J. (1990). Conversations in writing: A guide for using dialogue journals with deaf post-secondary and secondary students. (GRI Monograph Series B, No. 4). Washington, DC: Gallaudet Research Institute, Gallaudet University
  8. ^ Peyton, J.K. (Ed.) (1990). Students and teachers writing together: Perspectives on journal writing. Alexandria, VA: TESOL.
  9. ^ Peyton, J.K., & Staton, J. (1996). Writing our lives: Reflections on dialogue writing with adults learning English. McHenry, IL & Washington, D.C.: Delta Systems & Center for Applied Linguistics.
  10. ^ International Research Foundation. (2014). Dialogue Journals in Language Learning and Teacher Preparation: Selected References. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  11. ^ a b Shuy, R.W. (1984). Language as a foundation for education in the school context. Theory into Practice, 167-174.
  12. ^ a b Shuy, R.W. (1987). Research currents: Dialogue as the heart of learning. Language Arts, 64(8), 890-897.
  13. ^ Searle, J. (1969). Speech acts: An essay in the philosophy of language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  14. ^ Austin, J.L. (1962, 1975). How to do things with words. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  15. ^ a b Staton, J. (1984). Thinking together: Interaction in children’s reasoning. In C. Thaiss & Charles Suhor (Eds.), Speaking and writing, K-12. Champaign, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
  16. ^ Ashbury, J.E., Fletcher, B.M., & Birtwhistle, R.V. (1993). Personal journal writing in a communication skills course for first-year medical students. Medical Education, 27, 196-204.
  17. ^ Peyton, J.K. (1990). Dialogue journal writing: Opening the door to effective student-teacher communication. In A. M. Padilla, H. H. Fairchild, and C. M. Valadez (Eds.), Bilingual education: Issues and strategies (pp. 184-194). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
  18. ^ a b Ghahremani-Ghajar, S., & Mirhosseini, S.A. (2005). English class or speaking about everything class? Dialogue journal writing as a critical EFL literacy practice in an Iranian high school. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 18(3), 286-299.
  19. ^ Freire, P., & Macedo, D. (1987). Literacy: Reading the word and the world. London: Routledge & Kegan Press.
  20. ^ Elbow, P. (2007). Voice in writing again: Embracing contraries. English Department Faculty Publication Series. Paper 7. http://scholarworks.umass.edu/eng_faculty_pubs/7
  21. ^ Crookes, G., & Lehner, A. (1998). Aspects of process in an ESL critical pedagogy teacher education course. TESOL Quarterly, 32(2), 319-328.
  22. ^ Norton, B., & Toohey, K. (2004). Critical pedagogies and language learning: New York: Cambridge University Press.
  23. ^ Walsh, C.E. (1991). Literacy as praxis: Culture, language, and pedagogy. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
  24. ^ Graman, T. (1988). Education for humanization: Applying Paulo Freire's pedagogy to learning a second language. Harvard Educational Review, 58(4), 433-448.
  25. ^ Dolly, M.R. (1990). Integrating ESL reading and writing through authentic discourse. Journal of Reading, 5, 360-365.
  26. ^ McWhirter, A.M. (1990). Whole language in the middle school. Reading Teacher, 43(8), 562-565.
  27. ^ Vygotsky, L.S. (1962). Thought and language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
  28. ^ Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
  29. ^ Lindfors, J.W. (1988). From helping hand to reciprocity to mutuality: Dialogue journal writing with Zulu students. Journal of Learning About Learning, 1(1), 63-85.
  30. ^ Nassaji, H., & Cumming, A. (2000). What’s in a ZPD? A case study of a young ESL student and teacher interacting through dialogue journals. Language Teaching Research, 4(2), 95-121.
  31. ^ Shuy, R.W. (1981). A holistic view of language. Research in the Teaching of English, 15(2),101-112.
  32. ^ Shuy, R.W. (1988). Sentence-level language functions.Chapter 6 in J. Staton, et al (Eds.), Dialogue journal communication: Classroom, linguistic, social, and cognitive views (pp. 107-142). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
  33. ^ Hidi, S., & Klaiman, R. (1984). Children’s written dialogues: Intermediary between conversation and written text? In A.D. Pelligrini & T.D. Yawkey (Eds.), Advances in discourse processes, Vol. 13. The development of oral and written language in social contexts (pp. 233-241). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
  34. ^ Peyton, J.K. (1984). Dialogue writing: Bridge from talk to essay writing. Language Arts, 61 (2), 141-150. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41405149?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
  35. ^ Staton, J. (1981). Literacy as an interactive process. The Linguistic Reporter, 24(2), 1-5.
  36. ^ Staton, J. (1983). Dialogue journals: A new tool for teaching communication. ERIC/CLL News Bulletin, 6(2), 1-6. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED227701
  37. ^ Staton, J., & Shuy, R.W. (1988). Talking our way into writing and reading: Dialogue journal practice. In B.A. Raforth & D.L. Rubin (Eds.), The social construction of meaning (pp. 195-217). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
  38. ^ Anderson, D.H., Nelson, J. A.P., Richardson, M., Webb, N., & Young, E.L. (2011). Using dialogue journals to strengthen the student-teacher relationship: A comparative case study. College Student Journal, 45(2), 269-287.
  39. ^ Mosle, S. (1995, September 18). Annals of childhood: Writing down secrets. The New Yorker, 52-61. http://www.unz.org/Pub/NewYorker-1995sep18-00052
  40. ^ Staton, J. (1980). Writing and counseling: Using a dialogue journal. Language Arts, 57(5).
  41. ^ Sclafane, J. H. (2013). What would your journal say if it could talk back? Using dialogue journals as a technique in adolescent HIV/STI prevention and sexual health promotion programs. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 8(3), 160-171. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4058998/pdf/nihms516162.pdf
  42. ^ Young, T.A, & Crow, M.L. (1992). Using dialogue journals to help students deal with their problems. The Clearing House, 65(5), 307-311.

Further reading

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