Instruct your students to consider their purpose. Keeping a reflective diary faithfully will likely prove easier if a student fully understands his purpose in doing so. By taking time to think about the purpose before beginning reflective diary keeping, the student will develop a better understanding of the purpose behind his diary writing and will likely be more committed to the task.
Students must select a diary entry form. If they are composing a reflective diary for a class, they must follow the form provided by the teacher. If not, they should select whatever form they wish. Generally, it is best if this form includes the date and then lists the prompt, if any was given. Whatever form is selected must be followed faithfully to create cohesion in the diary.
Taking notes is vital. Explain to students that writing their reflective diary entries will prove much easier if they have notes to look back upon. As they move through the activity from which they will later write in their diaries, have them jot down notes so they can use them to refresh their memories later.
Have students take time to compose their entries. As they write each entry, instruct them to clearly reflect back upon the topics about which they are composing the entries. As each topic is explored, they should describe the events in chronological order, doing more than just reporting them objectively, but also commenting upon them and reflecting upon their importance.
Have students reflect upon past entries in future entries. Periodically, they should reread some of their entries. As they write their next entries after this entry revisiting, they should discuss the previous entries, building upon them and reflecting again upon their previous reflection to make their diary writing a truly meta-cognitive task.