How Dialogue Journals Build Teacher-Student Relationships
How Dialogue Journals Build Teacher-Student Relationships WHAT ARE DIALOGUE JOURNALS? A dialogue journal is any kind of bound notebook where students and teachers write letters back and forth to each other over a period of time. This is very similar to the kinds of journals described in Smokey and Elaine Daniels’ book, The Best Kept Teaching Secret , but since Galarza has had such powerful experiences with these journals, I thought another post was merited. In Galarza’s class, students purchase whatever kind of journals they want, “as long as it’s going to withstand a year’s worth of back and forth,” she says. “Most of them use the marble composition notebooks. I ask them to decorate with pictures or quotes, and it really does show their personality.” HOW DIALOGUE JOURNALS WORK THE FIRST ENTRY In the first few days of school, Galarza gets to know her students through intake forms (not included in the journals) where she asks students to tell her five thi...