One of the best uses of journals is to have students think about their thinking. That is, it is a metacognitive exercise in which students look at their learning process and write about how they are learning, what is giving them problems, and what they can do to do better. Also, using journals to explain a process or a concept is a good test of how well students know something, and when it is done as part of a journal exercise it is relatively non-threatening to find that they have trouble being clear because they haven't learned the material well enough. This, too, becomes then a metacognitive exercise in which they learn about the extent of their own learning and how well established it is.
"Class, I want you to write in your journals today a one paragraph description of how photosynthesis works. Be as clear as you can be. When you are finished, I will ask you to read your description to a partner, who will tell you just how clear your explanation was to him or her."
--Dr. James Lee, Saint Joseph's University
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