Constructing Gaia: using journals to foster reflective learning

Learning journals are used to help advanced-level undergraduate students co nstruct a personal understanding of Gaia Theory. In this context, students like the journal technique and consider it appropriate to the course. They also agree that writing journals contributes to promoting subject learning, introspection and self-awareness of their own learning processes. For the instructor, the journals provide detailed insight into the development of s tudent learning and students' interactions with the other components of the curriculum. The journals highlight which instructional devices work, which have problems, who is affected and what learning strategies they adopt. Th ey provide a better perspective on the extent of students' reading and refl ection than is obtainable from more formal scripts. The chief problem in th e use of learning journals is their bulk and the time required for assessme nt and analysis. The journal technique has also helped demonstrate how the Gaia Theory may provide an appropriate curriculum for the practice of const ructive learning. The unorthodox ideas and contradictions of Gaia Theory su ccessfully challenge students to think deeply, critically and self-consciou sly about their prior understanding of the world.