Journal

1. You will be required to keep a journal in a notebook or on computer this year.
2. Usually you will write your journal at home, but sometimes I will give you a special journal assignment in class.
3. You will need two notebooks because I will keep one to respond to while you are writing in the other.
4. You should submit your journal every week, either by e-mail (dixonfdm@tokoha-u.ac.jp) or by sending it with one of the staff from the satellite campus during the week.

Purposes:

A journal is not busy work. One of the important ways of learning to write, is to write frequently. In your journals you will practice writing extensively, i.e., writing a lot, to develop fluency in writing.

Other purposes include:

• To practice writing more quickly and easily without worrying about mistakes.
• To write to me and tell me what you think, or to ask me questions.
• To play with new forms of writing.
• To keep interesting words or sentences you have read or heard.
• To keep a list of your mistakes and corrections each week.
• To write down ideas.
• To give you a written record of your study in graduate school.

Journaling Topics and Techniques

• The most basic topic is, "What did I do today?" "What was the most significant thing that happened?" "What was unique about the day?" The following supplementary questions will help you include sensory information that will enable the reader to also experience the events of the day.

1. What did you see?
2. What did you smell?
3. What did you hear?
4. What did you taste?
5. What did you feel?

• Write your reactions to events that happened during the day. A dry list of events lacks interest, but by saying how you felt about what happened, you can fill even a simple day's events with life.
• Write down conversations. Attempting to write down exactly what was said is good practice at writing dialogue. Be careful not to write down anything too private.
• Jot down questions you think of during the day. These can be:

1. Practical questions
2. Direction in your life
3. Questions about relationships
4. Philosophical questions

• Memories. Sometimes you smell, see or hear something during a day that triggers a memory. Record it in a journal entry.
• Insights into something that has been bothering you or that you've been thinking about.
• Joys. Focus on the good things in life. Ask "What were the most joyful events of the day?
• Achievements and failures. Where have you succeeded in what you want to do? Where have you failed to achieve what you want? What can you learn from your failures and achievements?
• World events and your reactions to them.
• Reading. What are you reading? What do you think about it?
• Quotations. These can be from reading, lectures, television or radio programmes.
• Interesting things you have learned in your other classes.
• Drawings, clippings, or photos may also be included in order to illustrate the written portions of the journal.
• See the Journal Topics page for more ideas about what to write about in your journal.

Marks:

1. I will read your journals but will not correct mistakes, but if you have a question about a word or group of words, mark it with a "?" and I will check it. I will read and comment on what you say or answer questions.
2. The word journal was brought into English from Middle French where its meaning was "daily". Therefore, I would encourage you to write every day; however, the least you should write is 10 lines 3 times a week.
3. Be sure to put the day and date for each journal entry.
4. Remember: Because other students and I will be reading your journal, do not include any very personal information you do not want us to read.