5-Min Pro · Reflective Teaching Journals: A Practical Start
Promise
After this 5-minute lesson you can start a reflective teaching journal that you will actually keep: one question, every week, for a month.
Audience: English teachers, including adults teaching in Réunion; plain English A2–B1.
Time to read: 5 minutes · Format: web page
Before you start
You will be able to: choose one weekly question and write about it for five minutes.
Three words you need first:
- reflective journal — short notes about your teaching and what you learn from it.
- pattern — something that happens again and again.
- sustainable — you can keep doing it for a long time.
You need: a blank page and a 5-minute timer.
In my words (the original 5-minute lesson, unchanged)
The idea — Reflective journals become abandoned documents because people start too ambitiously. Three paragraphs per lesson is not sustainable. One question per week is.
In practice — Pick one question and return to it every week for a month: ‘When did learners talk most today, and why?’ The pattern that emerges across four weeks is more useful than four separate essays.
One-minute task — Write your question for this week at the top of a blank page. Set a 5-minute timer. Write without stopping. Stop when it rings.
Segment 1 — One question, four weeks
Visual 1 — Timeline
What it shows: the same question over four weeks.
How to draw it: Draw four boxes in a row, one per week, all with the same question.
The point it makes obvious: The value is in the pattern across weeks, not in one long entry.
Question: "When did learners talk most today, and why?"
Week 1 [ 5 min ] -> Week 2 [ 5 min ] -> Week 3 [ 5 min ] -> Week 4 [ 5 min ]
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PATTERN: what you notice after 4 weeks
EXAMPLE (teacher in Réunion): Week 1: learners talked most in pair work about cyclone season. Week 3: again in pair work, with a real topic. Pattern: real local topics plus pairs make them talk.
Check 1: Why is one question per week better than three paragraphs per lesson?
Show the answer
Worked example — your first entry
The task: Write your first 5-minute entry.
| Step | What happens | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Write the question at the top of the page. | The question keeps the entry short and focused. |
| 2 | Set a 5-minute timer. | A limit makes it easy to start. |
| 3 | Write without stopping, then stop at the bell. | You do not edit; you notice. |
Self-explanation prompt: Why stop when the timer rings? So the habit stays small enough to repeat every week.
Your turn (guided): Choose your question now. Step 1: start it with “When…” or “Why…”.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Why it happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Starting too big | Motivation is high at the start. | One question, five minutes. |
| Changing the question every week | New ideas are exciting. | Keep it for a month. |
| Only writing problems | Bad lessons stay in the mind. | Also note what worked. |
Glossary
| Term | Plain definition | Where first used |
|---|---|---|
| reflective journal | short notes about your teaching | Segment 1 |
| pattern | something that happens again | Segment 1 |
| sustainable | possible to keep doing | Segment 1 |
Quick review
- Why are journals often abandoned?
- How often do you write?
- How long do you keep one question?
- How long is each writing time?
- What is more useful than four separate essays?
Show all five answers
2) Once a week.
3) For a month.
4) Five minutes.
5) The pattern that emerges across four weeks.
Status: rewritten in lecture-notes style on 28 October 2026. Not tested with readers.