Journaling

Adults and young people involved in School Without Walls are asked to keep a journal – a place to record their thoughts and experiences. There are no rules about how to use your journal and what to put in, but there might be specific ‘journal time’ scheduled into the day. In previous residencies, adults have supported the young people’s journaling skills and introduced them to a variety of techniques. Journals are also a place to do specific pieces of exploration set up by an artist / educator.

“We carefully set up the journaling materials to inspire the children to use them…we invited the children to take five minutes to view the journals and choose one thing that they particularly liked to share. Soft classical music was played and the children were asked to choose from this silent activity or talk to Graeme (Educator) about the journals in a separate space. We then fed back things we had observed and enjoyed and with this inspiration continued journaling – developing what we had done.” Lucy (Artist)

“I found myself getting lost within my own journal, and again had a different working experience. It felt very relaxed and collaborative; with me and the children sharing ideas. My role as a teacher developed into more of a role of modelling and encouraging the children through their learning.” Matt (Trainee Educator)