Review Sessions: Proceed Productively
by
Louis J. Sirico, Jr.

Near the end of every semester, my Property students ask me if I plan to conduct a review session. I think they want me to deliver a performance beyond my ability. However, by thinking about teaching methodology, I have come upon a way to meet their needs.

First, it is helpful to review traditional review formats. Consider the method often used in liberal arts courses. If I were teaching such a course, perhaps my students would be satisfied if I touched on the main themes I covered and "pulled it all together." However, while highlighting the themes of a course is certainly valuable, it is not enough. The students also need to understand the sophisticated technical and policy analysis that goes to the heart of a substantive legal course such as Property.

The alternative method is to focus only on the specific questions that are troubling the students. The difficulty here lies in determining which questions the students want me to answer. I could simply make an educated guess. I could ask students to submit questions in advance. I also could respond to questions that students raise during the session. Yet, in none of these scenarios could I be sure that I was addressing the topics that were bedeviling the majority of students.

These traditional formats are terribly inefficient for students. In each format, the student listens to the instructor discuss themes or respond to questions. If the student already understands the theme or knows the answer to a question under discussion, the student is wasting time. Even if the instructor answers a question that puzzles a student, the answer is designed for the entire class and not particularly tailored to the student's individual needs. If the instructor fails to reach questions on which the student needs help, the student loses a significant amount of valuable study time.

My alternative format seems to work better. It is more interactive than the traditional method and more tailored to the needs of the individual student. However, success depends on two requirements. First, the student must engage in some class review and bring questions to class. Second, students must be willing to help their colleagues.

This is how I describe the format to my students:

Here is how it works. You come to class. I break you up into groups of about six. You take turns answering one another's questions. When you run into insurmountable disagreements, you ask me to come over to your group. I come over and do my best to straighten you out. Then, I move over to another group seeking my assistance. Of course, you are always more than welcome to talk with me outside of class.

This format has proven successful. About two-thirds of the students come. Presumably the remaining one-third either is insufficiently prepared to take part or does not believe that the session will benefit them. During the session, I am quite busy moving from one group to the next. The groups seem willing to wait until I can get to them. When a group deals with all the questions before it, its members quietly depart. The session usually takes one hour.

This format has four special benefits. First, the participating students get all their questions answered. Second, a student's questions get particularized attention either from other students or from me. Third, students learn to help one another in groups. The experience may open them up to the possibility of engaging in team work and joining or revitalizing study groups. Fourth, because participating requires preparation, the format may motivate students to begin serious study of notes and outlines at an earlier stage.

This format satisfies the realistic goals of a review session. To condense the entire course into a one-hour lecture is an unrealistic goal. To conduct a session in which I intentionally drop hints about the contents of the forthcoming exam would be an inappropriate goal. The only realistic, appropriate goal is to deal with the questions that students have at a specific stage of their exam preparation. This review format deals with those questions in a way that is responsive and interactive.