Documentations of Learning
Documentations of Learning (DLP's) are
portfolios which contains documentation of what the student has learned and
completed during a week.
DLP's should include:
- All home work and class work for the
week. Be sure to include notes you took on class activities, handouts you
marked up, and other assigned and evaluated work, excluding earlier DLP's.
- A narrative on what you gained in thought,
skills, experience or ideas from the assigned work and class activities.
The first paragraph of the
narrative should pinpoint where, when and why your learning took
place. For instance, don't just write "I learned that authors can use symbols
to increase meaning." Add to that what symbol you learned that from, where
you thought about it, and why you made the connection at this point in time.
The second paragraph
should detail instances and evidence of respect or disrespect in the class as
a whole and by actions and dialogue
specifically. How do we know we are showing respect and when and how did that
happen during the week's activities? And, if disrespect were shown, where, why
and how did that happen?
The third paragraph
should contain a discussion of what went well during the week, and a discussion
of what could have gone better. These paragraphs may be shared anonymously by
the teacher to highlight both the strong parts of the class and the things we
do that could be improved.
The last paragraph
in the narrative should be praise for efforts or accomplishments by individuals
in the class suitable for anonymous sharing by the teacher. I will read these
to the class when I have finished correcting all of the DLP's handed in that
week. The best praise is the most specific and detailed. General praise such
as "Everyone was great this week" sounds hollow and often insincere,
even if true.
The intent of
this documentation and narrative is to encourage students to actively reflect
on their learning and to identify its sources and instances. DLP's also allow
students to use critical thinking and communication skills, and students will
be evaluated on the quality of their DLP's content and form—both what
they learned and how well they express that learning.