Journal Writing for Teachers

I'm reading a book about teaching English as a foreign language (actually, I'm reading many books on this) and I found a part that is interesting and useful. I want to write it down here so I can keep a virtual copy of it with me all the time. The book is 'Teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language' by Jerry G. Gebhard:

Writing about Teaching
...we can explore teaching by writing in a journal or diary. The purpose of writing in a journal is to have a place to record our observations of what goes on in our own and other teachers' classrooms, write about our discussions, consider teaching ideas, and reflect on our teaching. However, journals are a place for us to raise doubts express frustrations, and raise questions. The following is a list of what some teachers include in their journals.

• Quickly written descriptions of classroom interaction collected in their own and other teachers' classrooms, as well as analysis and interpretations of these descriptions.
• Tally sheets, transcripts, sketches, and coding as a part of their description and analysis
• Photos (snapshots) and descriptions of what goes on in each photo
• Summaries and reflections on discussions with other teachers
• Lists of alternative ways to teach aspects of a lesson (e.g. different ways to give instruction)
• Stream-of-consciousness writing (to let ideas flow)
• Reflections on language learning experiences 
• Thoughts on their beliefs about teaching and learning
• Questions about teaching and learning
• Answers to their own questions
• Summaries and critiques of journal articles and books
• Lesson plans and teaching aides

...I encourage you to write entries soon after teaching, while the experiences are fresh. Finally, at the end of a period of time (for instance, two months), I encourage you to take the time to read your entries thoughtfully, look for patterns in your teaching and thinking about teaching, and write an entry on this analysis. Taking time to review past entries is important, as it is through this kind of reflection that we can see ourselves as teachers and view our teaching differently.