The document discusses using reflective blogs to improve writing skills. It proposes introducing students to blogging to allow reflection on writing topics outside of limited class time. Blogs provide opportunities for students to share ideas, receive feedback, and engage in a learning community. The proposal is to create a class blog where students reflect on assigned writing topics before drafting, view and comment on each other's posts, and can earn bonus marks for participation. This blending of in-class and online activities through an easy-to-use tool aims to develop students' reflective thinking and writing abilities.

1. Reflective Blogs: A Gate to Better Writing
Presented by
Hanan Oraby

2. Educational Goal
Constraints
Proposal
2

3. Why Reflection?
“A practice in which the writer describes a real
or imaginal scene, event, interaction, passing
thought, memory, form, adding a personal
reflection on the meaning of the item or incident,
thought, feeling, emotion, or situation in his or
her life..” Schön (1983)

4. Why Reflection?
This type of writing, as described by Schön, is exactly
what our learners need to practice before they start
their actual writing. When first come across a new
topic, they deceptively think, and many learners
actually do, that they can tell all about the topic, then
they are stricken by the fact that they cannot write
more than three lines about it. Essentially, they first
need to reflect on the topic. This offers them an
opportunity to trigger their prior knowledge, stimulate
hidden ideas and also discover what they miss.

5. Main focus
I aim at enhancing my learners’ reflective
thinking through reflective writing practices
before they actually start working on the drafts
of their writing assignments. Through these
practices, I want them to express themselves
and develop their knowledge supported by the
teacher's scaffolds and peers' reflections and
feedback. These practices can hopefully lead to
a genuine development which should be realized
in the content of their assignments.

6. Constraint (A)
Time
Teachers have to conform to a constraining
pacing guide which does not allow them the
time to implement such practices during
class time.

7. 7
Integrating a social software
tool, to be used outside the
classroom, with our f2f writing
practices as a necessity for the
development of the learners'
writing skills.
Suggestion

8. Constraint (B)
Technology Background
Other than chatting on their mobile phones
or posting comments on face book, most of
our learners are not acquainted with the use
of many other tools like blogs even as part
of their recreational activities (L1 or L2).

9. Proposal
A blog, if introduced tactfully and attractively,
can be the most uncomplicated and suitable
tool to be integrated with the traditional writing
practices with the purpose of preparing these
learners to be more reflective and to write
more effectively.

10. Reflective Blogs
Theory
 About blogs
 About reflective blogs
 Approaches of blogs
 How it works:
a. scaffolding tools
b. peer support
(feedback/audience)
Evaluation
Practice
 Creating a blog
 Inviting learners to
join the blog
10

11. About blogs
“Practical constraints of time and space prevent
students from sharing ideas as they occur in
classroom discussions. Blogs provide a
communication tool in which each student can
participate in that learning community, posting,
connecting, seeing, reading, thinking, and
responding in a contagious rhythm that leads to
greater participation within the thinking space of
the classroom.” Kajder, S. (2003).

12. About blogs
Exclusively, the affordances of blogging provide
opportunities for digital learners at all levels to
practise self-directed learning and to offer social
and cognitive support to their peers. Also, it
provides "the emotional support of peers which is
valuable to the novice learners and represents a
useful strategy for enhancing the experience of
the students" (Robertson 2011).

13. Elements of
reflective blogs

14. A. Scaffolding Tools
14
According to many theorists (e.g.
Vygotsky, 1978; McLaughlin, 1998;
McLaughlin & Oliver, 1998), scaffolded or
assisted learning can increase "cognitive
growth and understanding".

15. 15
In order to ensure the maximum benefit of the
blog, teachers should be selective in the type of
scaffolds they present:
a. The reflective practices are meant to prepare
learners for their in-class writing assignments.
Thus, tasks should tackle ideas which are relevant
to the topics of their assignments.
A. Scaffolding Tools

16. b. Tasks should develop personalization.
"Personalization will positively influence users'
perceptions of the value of a blog service" Pi &
Hsieh (2010). In order to do that, a reflective task
should for example focus on: the learners'
reactions to an event or experience, how the
experience or thought links with other experiences
and thoughts, what they have learned from the
situation or the prompt proposed, and what they
need to learn.
16

17. C. Visualization: Teachers can display
prompts in various forms by
embedding attractive tools in the blog,
e.g. videos, audios, photos, extracts
from magazines…etc.
17

18. About Reflective Blogs
Hall & Davison (2007) claim "Students are assumed to
approach a subject with a set of naïve concepts that need
to be challenged by the learning context. Through
reflection on this experience, students explore for
themselves the realities of the subject area. This leads to a
growth in their knowledge. The challenge for tutors is how
to encourage students to engage in deep, productive
reflection during their studies in order to bring about the
desired elaboration of their subject competence".

19. Approaches of reflective blogs
The socio constructive
Sun (2010) states that "the pedagogical use of blogging is grounded in
Vygotsky’s theory of social constructivism.". The Vygotsykian views of
learning maintain the fact that a reflective blog can be the best choice for
these learners. They touch more on how the cognitive development occurs
as learners use the context and the resources given to take control of their
own learning. Vygotsky has a unique view of learner's reflection:
According to his (1978) concept of the zone of proximal development
(ZPD) (1978), he views reflection as "the transferral of argumentation from
a social level to an internal one". Reflection then can be a self-regulation
which a learner achieves after a number of learning practices supported by
learning resources within the ZPD.

20. In view of that, if a reflective blog can present the social
support and the resources to the learner, it could be the
right context which gradually transforms the learner's
cognitive development from teacher-regulated to self
regulated. According to Fong (2012), "a constructivist
teacher creates a context for learning in which students can
become engaged in interesting activities that encourages
and facilitates learning".
20
Approaches of reflective blogs

21. Creating A Blog

25. Inviting learners
2

26. 1

32. 2
3
1

34. Context
 Foundation-year Saudi Female students - English Language Institute (ELI)
- King Abdul Aziz University
 A four-module general English course (7 weeks each module)– integrated
skills- different teachers
 It’s a prerequisite course with 6 credits that students need to obtain to
start a major at the university.
 A placement test is required before taking the course.
 Typically 25 students of a consistent level of English proficiency.
34
•Context
•Puzzle
•Proposal
•Approach
•Examples
•References

35. 35
 Course books are provided with an LMS that only contain exercises
that tackle reading, and listening skills in the form of MCQ and a CD with
exercises that tackle vocabulary and grammar skills.
 Each module has 2-MCQ exams tackling grammar, vocabulary,
listening, and reading, 2 writing assessments and 2 speaking
assessments
 18 hours/week of f2f instruction ( 3- 4 hours a lecture).
 A Data show device connected to the teacher’s computer + Internet
connection.
•Context
•Puzzle
•Proposal
•Approach
•Examples
•References
Context

36. Puzzle
36
•Context
•Puzzle
•Proposal
•Approach
•Examples
•References
-Limited f2f instruction that allows learners to
reflect on and exchange ideas about the
writing tasks in the curriculum
-Very limited technology background
Developing Reflective Writing

37. Proposal
Blending traditional f2f instruction with an easy access tool (a blog) where
learners are invited to:
a. reflect on the writing topics assigned in their curriculum (as a pre-writing
task). “Practical constraints of time and space prevent students from sharing
ideas as they occur in classroom discussions. Blogs provide a communication
tool in which each student can participate in that learning community,
posting, connecting, seeing, reading, thinking, and responding in a
contagious rhythm that leads to greater participation within the thinking
space of the classroom.” Kajder, S. (2003).
b. view and exchange ideas, comments so they feel their ideas are appreciated
(from teacher or colleagues). To decrease the teacher’s control and develop
learner-learner’s liability.
c. gain bonus marks for participation in the blog.
37
•Context
•Puzzle
•Proposal
•Approach
•Examples
•References

38. A blog not a wiki?
 1st
experience with blended learning (not to be lost in the wiki space)
 Members of the blog can comment on a post, no one is able to change a
comment or post made by another.
38
•Context
•Puzzle
•Proposal
•Approach
•Examples
•References

39.  Blogs are a good forum for individuals to express their own opinions.
(Understanding the Pedagogies of Blogs, Wikis and Discussion Boards)
Hani A. Weshah , Jordan (2012)
 ‘Frequent writing improves writing’, ‘Writing for an audience improves
writing’, ‘Writing that matters improves writing’, and ‘Writing on a
computer improves writing’. Bernstein (2004)
39
About blogs ...
•Context
•Puzzle
•Proposal
•Approach
•Examples
•References

40.  A positive impact on learners’ writing fluency and increased their
motivation to write for a broad audience. Peer feedback on the content
prompted further discussion, whereas linguistic feedback from the
instructor encouraged focus on form for language accuracy. (Lee 2010)
 “The commenting feature of blogging is good for feedback, critiques,
participation, and discussions for educational purposes. He emphasized
that “a blog can be a strong tool for collaborating online” (p.
324).Stauffer (2002)

40
About blogs ...
According to Kent (1999), writing is not centered on the process but in
the communication, and students should focus on language use as the
content to be communicated.
•Context
•Puzzle
•Proposal
•Approach
•Examples
•References

41. Socio-Cognitive Approach
41
•Context
•Puzzle
•Proposal
•Approach
•Examples
•References
A reflective blog proves to have a potential impact on
constructing the learner’s knowledge and thinking, especially if
it is used efficiently.
“Effective use of weblogs promoted the constructivist models
of learning by supporting both cognitive and social knowledge
construction, and by reinforcing individual accountability in
learning.” (Du, 2007)

42. Type of blog activities or tasks
Activities/Tasks should:
 Relate to upcoming topics that will be written or discussed during class
time.
 Foster genuine interaction
“Encourage real interaction with peers could include using “real” readers
who are individuals the writers know from real social encounters
(friends, roommates, colleagues, other classes, etc.). These types of
assignments bring writers into direct relation and communicative
interaction with others” (Ewald,2002; G. Olson, 2002; Reiff, 2002).
 Develop personalization: helping learners to relate the new prompt or
content proposed by to their real life issues.
Other tools such as, videos, pictures, journals, newspaper extracts are
embedded in the blog to ensure authenticity and increase motivation.
•Context
•Puzzle
•Proposal
•Approach
•Examples
•References

43. 43
Example of the blog posts
Today, in class, we talked about the
advantages and disadvantages of
getting older . Now it’s time to
watch a video about a 105 year-old
American woman talking about her
past and present experiences in
life, revealing the secrets of
happiness.
Task One:
Comment briefly on her ideas and
concepts in life
Task Two:
Discuss to what extent her ideas
agree or disagree with yours and
which part she mentions you found
most inspiring.
•Context
•Puzzle
•Proposal
•Approach
•Examples
•References

44. A writing blog: A technology or A gate
to technology?
Due to the superficial engagement of this group of learners to learning
technologies, the proposed weblog is meant to offer them an opportunity
to reflect on their knowledge of the world, practice sharing it and benefit
from the interaction that takes place, a learning aspect that is not much
practiced within limited class time.
Oliver Wrede (2003) presented a paper on Weblogs and Discourse at a
conference in Vienna, entitled “Weblogs as a Transformational
Technology for Higher Education and Academic Research.” He stated,
“Weblogs are not special because of their technology but because of the
practice and authorship they shape” (p. 2).

45. References
 Bernstein, M. (2004). Do weblogs improve writing? Retrieved January 29, 2005, from
http://markbernstein.org/Jan0401.html#note_35302
 Kajder, S. (2003). Scaffolding for Struggling Students Reading and Writing with Blogs Sources
Scaffolding for Struggling Students. 31, 4.
 Hall, H. (2007). Social software as support in hybrid learning environments: The value of the blog as a
tool for reflective learning and peer support
 Jones, ShJ. (2006): Blogging And Esl Writing: a Case Study Of How Students Responded To The Use
Of Weblogs As A Pedagogical Tool For The Writing Process Approach In A Community College Esl Writing
Class
 Lee, L. (2010). Fostering reflective writing and interactive exchange through blogging in an advanced
language course. ReCALL, 22, pp 212-227. doi:10.1017/S095834401000008X.

Hs, Du. (2007).Learning With Weblogs: Enhancing Cognitive and Social Knowledge Construction
 Weshah , H. (2012) . (Understanding the Pedagogies of Blogs, Wikis and Discussion Boards)
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•Context
•Puzzle
•Proposal
•Approach
•Examples
•References