School of Languages at XJTLU Conference 2024

This presentation investigates the use of dialogue journals as a practical tool to connect students and teachers in promoting reflective practice while developing metacognitive awareness of language development. The design and implementation of dialogue journals: shared, student-led logs offering collaborators space to describe, probe, and interrogate their cumulative experiences, will be presented as applied to a service-learning course. Peyton and Reed (1990) suggest that with this student–centered form of writing, teachers avoid formal evaluation and encourage their students to perceive the exercise as a “conversation” with a partner, often determining the topic, register, and length of entries. An examination of select case studies will be explored before detailing their application via cloud-based document editing platforms is offered, blending the practice with contemporary tools. Attendees will analyze and critique varied uses of dialogue journals, examining their effectiveness across a range of teaching contexts, purposes, and proficiency levels. The demonstration will also emphasize the significance of instructor interaction and the customization of feedback within the framework of dialogue journals. By the session’s end, participants will gain practical insights into incorporating this practice in their classrooms, enabling them to empower students to build autonomy in their linguistic development and foster meaningful, authentic engagement with their instructors.