In Writing and Drawing in the Naturalist’s Journal: Reviving the
Tradition of the Naturalist’s Journal as an Effective Learning
Tool, biologists Joseph M. Dirnberger, Steven McCullagh, and Tom
Howick describe the value of naturalist journals as a learning
tool in today’s classrooms and in informal learning
environments. In a world of climate-controlled environments,
Dirnberger et al. (2005) are passionate advocates for getting
students outside and engaged in recording their observations in
words and pictures. Concerned that climate-controlled
environments and prepackaged electronic content has made the
outdoors irrelevant and foreign, Dirnberger et al. (2005) have
written an informative resource for teachers who may want to
incorporate journals into their classrooms. Dirnberger et al.
(2005) have found that naturalist journals engage students with
nature, increases student familiarity with and understanding of
nature, and establishes a sense of ownership over content that
only moments before was unknown to th