Implementing Best Practices and Educating Lawyers
Session 3 Workshops

Tuesday, June 23, 2009 – 1:15-2:30 p.m.

[A] Techniques to Improve the Analytical Skills of Students in Large Required Classes

Ruth Jones, McGeorge Law School, University of the Pacific)

Learning the various modes of legal analysis is often an invisible educational objective to students. This workshop explores how to more explicitly teach the various modes of legal analysis in large required classes. Using materials I prepared for my criminal law and criminal procedure courses, I will describe how I have integrated a more explicit focus on identification and application of analytical skills in my courses and lead participants in brainstorming ways to adapt class hypos, simulations and other class materials and procedures to emphasize legal analysis skills.

[B] Experiential Exercises with Flowcharts Facilitate Learning Law

Hillary Burgess, Hofstra Law School)

This workshop will provide concrete examples of how to incorporate interactive exercises into the law classroom using flowchart specific and general experiential exercises. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in specific flowchart exercises that demonstrate several interactive techniques. Among these flowchart exercises are puzzle flowcharts, pair and share peer teaching, fact pattern navigation, human hopscotch, and treasure hunts. All of these techniques will be grounded in educational psychology literature that empirically validates the effectiveness of the techniques.

[C] Feedback on Feedback – A Two for One in Fostering Skill Development through Exam Conferencing while Increasing Student Outcomes

Karol Schmidt, Phoenix School of Law

Exam grading and exam conferencing can present an optimal learning opportunity for both the law professor and the law student. This workshop will identify the objectives and benefits of feedback for students and professors through graded exams and exam conferencing. In addition, examples of best practices in feedback will be illustrated, including those of the law professor and self-regulated, self-directed opportunities for the law student. The goal of the workshop is to introduce a variety of feedback methods to increase student outcomes.

[D] Festival of Damages Arguments: An Exercise for a First Year Torts Class

Paul Figley, Washington College of Law American University

This workshop will demonstrate a problem-oriented exercise for teaching first year Torts students to think quantitatively about damages. It will address life expectancy tables, accounting for inflation, and assessing non-economic damages. In their exercise students develop, present, and decide appellate arguments on: the value of lost future income of a 42-year-old dentist; how to account for inflation in assessing those damages; the value of lost future income of a high school student who planned to become a dentist; and the value of her pain and suffering prior to death.

[E] Interdisciplinary Instruction in the Millennial Age: Journalism & Law Students Blog the W.R. Grace Criminal Trial

Andrew King-Ries and Beth Brennan, University of Montana School of Law, and Nadia White, University of Montana School of Journalism

This teaching workshop will share lessons from the Grace Case website. Blogging a live trial provides a modern, interdisciplinary way to teach students about substantive law, evidence, trial practice, and professionalism. The presenters will discuss how they developed the website in their law and journalism classes, how to use similar technology at other schools, and teach you how to post on blogs and Twitter.