Lecture Diary
General Instructions for writing a lecture diary
What is a lecture diary?
In short, a lecture diary can be defined as a text consisting of the main points of a lecture series or a seminar, as well as other important observations, personal interpretations and questions. Thus, a lecture diary is a sensible combination of borrowed and original text.
What does not count as a lecture diary?
A lecture diary is not the same as lecture notes. The notes are, however, needed in defining the main points and determining questions that are especially interesting. The purpose of the lecture diary is by no means to copy information from the lecture directly to the diary.
What is the purpose of the lecture diary?
A lecture diary is useful for two reasons. On one hand, the students are able to monitor their learning and comprehension of the lecture material, and on the other, they can process and further develop what they have learned. Furthermore, the teacher is able to evaluate whether the students have understood the content of the lectures. The most important aspect, however, is monitoring individual learning. Writing a lecture diary should enable better understanding of connections between concepts and relationships within information and thus make it easier to include the new information in each individual’s existing world view. (Lonka 1991, 74). This especially concerns the lecture series that deal with a multidimensional, sociologically interesting phenomenon, such as social problems.
What kind of a learning method is the lecture diary?
The lecture diary is based on the daily or weekly analysis and editing of ideas in writing. The contradictions and defects in individual thinking do not necessarily arise in ordinary conversation. Gaps in both the information and argumentation are best discovered in writing. Writing a diary has been found to be especially beneficial in situations that require the analysis of personal experiences and thoughts in relation to theoretical information. (cf. Lonka & Lonka 1996, 18.)
A lecture diary can either be private or public. A private diary is solely kept for the enhancement of individual learning and thinking. It is, first and foremost, a tool for self-assessment; through writing the diary, one can assess the development of individual thinking. Partially or completely public diary is interaction between the student and a group or between the student and the teacher. The primary purpose of the public diary, too, is learning through writing. (Lonka & Lonka 1996, 18.)
What is the best way to write the lecture diary?
It is recommended to write the diary at home after each study session during a lecture series or a seminar. If the actual writing is postponed until after the lecture series or seminar is over, there is a danger that the writing is left pending or possibly even neglected altogether. It is, naturally, wise to write additional notes, important observations and questions in the lecture or seminar notes whenever one feels they could be applied to the lecture diary later and elaborated further. There are several central issues that arise while writing the lecture diary; some of them concern information processing while others are connected to the content structure.
Ingredients for a well-balanced lecture diary (see Lonka & Lonka 1996, 19):
A) INFORMATION PROCESSING
Informative
- Reporting and description of the information
Reflective
- Understanding the information and paraphrasing it in the writer’s own words
- The ability to apply the acquired information to new situations
- The ability to make analyses based on the information
- The ability to produce syntheses based on the information
- The ability to analyse
B) CONTENTS
- An analysis of the information from books, theories and what has been learned during the course
- Application of common knowledge
- Dealing with personal experiences and observations
- Reflection of personal feelings and reactions
The ingredients of a balanced lecture diary are divided so that roughly a half of the issues discussed should be connected to A) information processing and a half to B) contents. Keeping this in mind, it is easy to see if the topics are overly or insufficiently emphasised in the diary, or whether the lecture diary mostly consists of emotional aspects or simply reporting facts. Using these criteria, it is also possible to consider whether to develop some thoughts further.
The informative method of information processing leaves out the reasoning and analysis behind the thoughts, and simply states the facts. Reflective information processing refers to further analysis of the topics that are written about: the presented topics are analysed in depth, and conclusions or reasons are often presented. The simple reporting of the information is reduced to a minimum while understanding the information and being able to paraphrase it in own words and applying it to new situations becomes more important. The analyses, syntheses and assessments should also all be equally dealt with.
An analysis based on content is mainly connected to information learned from books or lectures (i.e. book knowledge) and personal observations and experiences. It is also wise to rely on common knowledge. A clear difference must, however, be made between common knowledge and ostensible knowledge or misunderstandings. If the validity of the information is questionable, it is wise to confirm it with a reliable source.
What kind of a learning evaluation method is the lecture diary?
The lecture diary can occasionally be evaluated as a part of a course or instead of an exam. In this case, the teacher and students agree on the evaluation criteria in advance. Either specific or general instructions can be given on writing the diary depending on the purpose and the goals of the course. The students should always ask for a specific list of requirements for the lecture diary.
Literature:
Lonka, I. & Lonka. K. 1996. “Kirjoittamisen taito". In: I. Lonka & K. Lonka & P. Karvonen & P. Leino: Taitava kirjoittaja. Lahti: Helsingin yliopiston Lahden tutkimus- ja koulutuskeskus. 7-28.
Lonka, K. 1991. “Lukemiseen ja tenttimiseen liittyviä näkökohtia". In: K. Lonka ja I. Lonka (eds.): Aktivoiva opetus: Käsikirja aikuisten ja nuorten opettajille. Helsinki: Kirjayhtymä. 66-75.
Translated by Anu Autio