D5: Starting Off on the Right Track: Avoiding Mistakes Common to New (and Not-So-New) Instructors Meg Butler, margaret.butler@nyls.eduKate Irwin-Smiler, irwinsc@wfu.eduSara Sampson, sas235@law.georgetown.eduJoan Shear, joan.shear@bc.edu

Goals

•Discuss common mistakes made by instructors

•Provide tools & techniques to counter these mistakes

•Common Mistakes ▫Relying on one method

of teaching▫Ineffective guidance of

in-class activities▫Lack of concrete

learning objectives▫Worrying too little or

too much about student evaluations

▫Poor classroom management

Exclusive One Method of TeachingLecture Activities

Convey large amounts of information quickly

Less information conveyed

One-way information flow

Information flows from instructor, other students, and self

Passive learning Active learning

Enables “coasting” Requires student engagement

Less information retained

Greater student retention

Activity: Administrative Law

•What is this resource?•What legal information is included here?•How can you use this resource?

Example

Example: CFR

•What is this resource? Codified federal regulations, on a website

•What legal information is included? Regulations governing agency activity, past & current

•How can you use this resource? Browse through titles, perform a keyword search, pull up by citation; get to the text and page image of the regulation

Activity: Administrative Law

Activity: Administrative Law

•Pair up with a neighbor•Share your answers •Explain what you found to the rest of the

class

Pedagogy

•See one-Do one-Teach one▫Medical school methodology▫Teaching forces a greater level of

understanding•Think-Pair-Share

▫Face saving for shy students▫Requires the students to discuss and

defend their assessments

Insufficiently Guiding Classroom Activities•Decide on your objective•Set up the framework for an activity•Provide clear instructions (preferably written)

▫Test the instructions just like you would test an assignment

▫Preferably guide through an example•Allow time to complete the activity•Be available to assist when there are questions

▫There WILL be questions

Lack of Concrete Learning Objectives•Identify learning goals or objectives for

▫the whole course▫each class session ▫each assignment or activity

•Ready-made objectives

Example of Assignment Objectives

Legislative History In-Class ExerciseLegal Research Skills for Practice

 Objectives: Students will locate a Public Law when given the P.L> number.Students will locate the references to the law’s legislative history and the

legislative history documents in USCCAN.Students will recognize that while USCCAN is an important source of

legislative history, it is not the comprehensive source that the CIS Index is.

Students will use LexisNexis Congressional to locate references to legislative history when given a Public Law number.

 Directions: Work in groups of 2 or 3 to answer the questions below. First, find

the text of P.L. _________________ in USCCAN online or in print. If you use the print version, be sure to use the legislative history materials as well. If you use the online version, you may not be able to find some of the answers – when that happens, note that the information is unavailable.

Legal Research Course Objectives: Legislative History

•Students should be able to▫Explain the general federal legislative

process▫List the types of documents produced during

the legislative process▫Identify the most important and persuasive

type of legislative history document▫Locate prior versions of a statute▫Use LexisNexis Congressional to generate a

comprehensive list of legislative documents when given a statute citation.

Evaluations

•Don’t over or under estimate how important these are.

•Tips▫Get a copy of your school’s evaluation form

before you begin teaching. ▫Do additional evaluations

Index card- 3 things you like/ 3 you don’t Mid-course corrections

▫Read your formal evaluations

Subject Matter Organization & Clarity

Interaction Enthusiasm

Spend more time on terms and connector searching - going through difficult examples.

Ran class well

She was so helpful when I went to her with questions I had about the assignments.

She created a friendly andsupportive environment in which to learn these essential skills.

I wish we spent a little more time on researching cases. I felt that we went a little too fast through this portion.

Did an excellent job explaining multiple methods of achieving our goals.

Very approachable

She made me feel more comfortable as a researcher.

Schemata from: Karron G. Lewis, Making Sense (and use) of Written Student Comments.

Mid-course evaluations• What has been taught that is still confusing or

unclear and do you feel it needs more coverage in class?

• How would you rate the learning climate in class? • What’s going right? • What should change? • What would help you get more out of this course? • What aspect of the class has been most useful for

helping you learn the material? • What aspect of the class has been least useful for

helping you learn the material?

Classroom Management•Be Prepared•Be yourself (don’t adopt a persona)•Set clear expectations

▫Syllabus as contract•Be reasonable and consistent

▫Extensions & lateness•Seek advice when dealing with difficult

students▫Dean of Students- troubled students▫Academic Support- struggling students▫Colleagues- difficult or demanding students

I forget what I was taught. I only remember what I have learnt.- Patrick White

A Learning Exercise

•7 8 5 5 3 4 4 6 9 7 8

Reinforce and Review

•Don’t be afraid to repeat yourself; what may seem old to you is still new to your students

•Stop assuming that students can jump from specific to global knowledge.

•Help students make connections to gain a deeper understanding

Use Multiple Teaching Methods

•Match the method to the material, not to personal preferences – yours or your students

•Teach the facts of legal bibliography

•Challenge your students to do some actual legal research – not all learning takes place in the classroom

Use classroom time productively•Planning is key

▫Clearly articulated goals

▫Clear instructions

▫Clear examples

▫Ample time

•Provide meaningful feedback

Articulate Learning Objectives

•Adult learners need to know why they should learn something

•Students should be able to gauge their own learning (or lack thereof)

•Include both▫lower order learning – memorizing facts,

e.g. legal bibliography ▫higher order learning – making connections

between things, e.g. applying techniques to new situations and research effectively

Feedback Improves Performance•Don’t think of it as an evaluation, think of

it as an opportunity to better teach your students

•Supplement school’s evaluations with your own

•Read evaluations critically

It’s Your Classroom

•Each class has its own personality

•You are still the most important factor in establishing tone, respect, and the level of learning that goes on in your classroom

•Be true to yourself

Contact Information

•Meg Butler, margaret.butler@nyls.edu•Kate Irwin-Smiler, irwinsc@wfu.edu•Sara Sampson,

sas235@law.georgetown.edu•Joan Shear, joan.shear@bc.edu

•Slides available at SlideShare.com: #AALL2010