ABSTRACT

Finally, I have found that the diary notes are helpful in the assessment process

generally. With such a detailed record of not only the student’s activities but of how

the student’s experiences have been processed, it is possible to track developmental

shifts in the student and, perhaps more importantly, for students to review their

own learning and development. With such a record, writing a report (whether at

interim or final stage) becomes far less a matter of two subjective impressions

hopefully coinciding and more of a collaborative process drawing on the student’s

own material, which is available to both of us. When a student is going to fail a

placement, she/he will also be less likely to argue that the evidence for a pass was

available and that the practice teacher was simply unable to see it. Diary notes,

although not sufficient in themselves, can thus be part of the triangulation of

evidence with other sources, including discussions in supervision, direct observation,

process recording and case records, feedback from other agency staff and from

service users.