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AdamCarlis-SecondPaper 9 - 03 Apr 2008 - Main.GideonHart
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I am going to delete the LSAT stuff for now, but will return if this paper flames out. Thanks for the comments. | |
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> | I made a few comments on areas that either confused me a little, or that could use a little more detail so the reader doesn't think you overlooked anything. I really like how the paper reads, and the types of changes in classroom instruction that it advocates. - Gideon, Apr 3 | | | Teaching Lawyers | | | I have spoken with each of my professors about their approach to teaching. Only one has mentioned concrete things they want their students to be able to do at the end of the semester. Vaguely, professors have articulated broad goals around critical thinking, speaking, and information synthesis, but no concrete things students will accomplish. Their focus is on coverage of content not depth of understanding. | |
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- The main issue that comes to mind for me when reading the paper is a question of class size. I think it needs to at least be acknowledged that the large class size in most (all?) 1L classes is a reason, I suspect, for professors merely leaning on on coverage rather than individualized learning. I think any learning system is far more effective, the smaller the number of students, and economics (or the administration) may be undermining efforts to revamp teaching before they even begin.
| | | Assessment is almost uniformly disastrous. Despite daily opportunities for informal assessment, syllabi are adjusted only due to time constraints. Where teachers should be determining student mastery and adjusting course, they are, instead, going through the motions of the Socratic Method, student by student, until they reach the end of their list. Calling on students becomes an exercise in holding student attention rather than information gathering.
As for planning, the syllabi we receive are not roadmaps from ignorance to content mastery, but checklists covering various topics within a doctrine. We are taking survey classes as if they were Sunday drives: this is not mission driven education. Having students conform to a generic plan, rather than adapting instruction to student needs, prevents the majority of students from maximizing their achievement. The “read the next three cases in the casebook” approach to curriculum mapping is not mere laziness, but evidence of a misunderstanding of purpose. | |
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- Is your paper only directed at 1L courses? If so, I would characterize it as an entirely accurate description of the teaching here. However, I think some of the changes you are calling for are probably already in place, at least partially, in upper level seminars and clinics.
| | | I am not saying our professors don’t care. Quite the opposite is true. Almost without exception, each of my professors has been interested in my learning. They want us to do well and they want to help, but they don’t seem to know how. The first step would be to support those professors who are leaders in other aspects of their lives to apply those skills to their classrooms while developing leadership in our professors who are “dormant leaders.”
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Second, the class curve masks teacher effectiveness. If every class has the same grade distribution, outcomes are not tied to teacher input. Instead, student grades should reflect how close they came to meeting ambitious classroom goals and they should be treated both as a reflection of student ability and teacher performance. Such a change would encourage teachers to ensure that every student reached their maximum potential without sacrificing the precise knowledge about individual student achievement they rely on to make judgments about a particular student’s work. | |
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- I agree with Andrew's comment below. I think this is one of your paper's strongest moments, but it leaves the reader wanting some concrete idea of the type of assessments that you envision.
| | | Finally, the law school community must reward successful teachers as they do successful academics. Professors who mentor students into a successful career that suits their interests and desires should be celebrated. | |
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> | | | | Conclusion |
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