2006 Mid-Year Meeting
Conference on New Ideas for Law School Teachers: Teaching Intentionally
June 10-14, 2006
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
 |
Program
Saturday, June 10, 2006 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Sunday, June 11, 2006 8:45 - 9:00 a.m. |
Over 75 proposals for presentation were submitted for the Conference on New Ideas for Law School Teachers. Because the submitted proposals were so diverse and interesting, AALS would like to facilitate their wider distribution. This document contains all of the submitted proposals, except those whose authors did not wish them to be posted on the Web site. |
Introduction
Lauren K. Robel, Indiana University-Bloomington, Chair, Planning Committee for AALS Conference on New Ideas for Experienced Teachers
9:00 - 10:30 a.m.
A Century of Learning about Learning: Lessons for Law School Teaching
Dr. James R. Davis, Dean, University College, Professor, Higher Education and Adult Studies, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado
10:30 - 10:45 a.m.
Refreshment Break
10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Small Group Discussions
12:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.
AALS Luncheon
2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
What Are the Questions We Need to Ask Before We Teach
Penelope J. Pether, Villanova University
This presentation advocates for developing and institutionalizing approaches to legal education that improve student learning in law. It seeks to explore whether, why and how such approaches can be employed in the teaching and learning environments presently characteristic of U.S. J.D. programs, making suggestions for change that range from modest strategic interventions to paradigm shifts. It will consider three main topics: (i) Creating Goals; (ii) Who Are Our Students, and (iii) How to Facilitate All Students Meeting Goals.
3:30 - 3:45 p.m.
Refreshment Break
3:45 - 5:00 p.m.
Small Group Discussions
5:15 - 7:00 p.m.
AALS Reception
Monday, June 12, 2006
Theme: Innovative Teaching
9:00 - 9:45 a.m.
Creating a Classroom Where Deep Learning Occurs: Participatory Learning
Derrick A. Bell, Jr., New York University
Professor Bell will discuss his Constitutional Law class which gets students actively involved in the learning process by having them share in the teaching responsibilities. He will address the workload requirements both on the professor and students and the high degree of satisfaction that participatory learning brings to all involved.
9:45 - 11:00 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions
• Collaborative Exercises
Roberto L. Corrada, University of Denver• Enhancing Teaching with PowerPoint
Raleigh Hannah Levine, William Mitchell College of Law• Tailoring Teaching to Class Size
Jennifer Lorraine Rosato, Brooklyn Law School• Talking About Controversial Topics
Kevin R. Johnson, University of California at Davis• Theory and Models of Actual Legal Work in the First Year
Steven David Schwinn, University of Maryland• Valuing and Nurturing Law Students through Multiple Intelligence Pedagogy
Kirsten A. Dauphinais, University of North Dakota
11:00 - 11:15 a.m.
Refreshment Break
11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions
• Developing a Teaching Philosophy
Michelle Arnopol Cecil, University of Missouri – Columbia• Drafting Exercises in Civil Procedure
Nancy S. Marder, Chicago-Kent College of Law• Legal Skills and Substance in Family Law
Nancy Elizabeth Dowd, University of Florida• Opportunities for Active and Engaged Learning
Kenneth G. Dau-Schmidt, Indiana University-Bloomington• The Straight Mind in the Law
Jose M. Gabilondo, Florida International University• Teaching Abortion
Kimberly M. Mutcherson, Rutgers University, Camden
12:15 - 1:45 p.m.
AALS Luncheon
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions
• Dispelling Misconceptions
Angela Mae Kupenda, Mississippi College• Innovative Methods for Teaching Ethics and Professionalism
Clark D. Cunningham, Georgia State University
Sally Evans Lockwood, Executive Director, State Bar of Georgia, Georgia Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism, Atlanta, Georgia
Patrick E. Longan, Mercer University
Robert M. Wilcox, University of South CarolinaProfessor Cunningham is the Director of the National Institute for Teaching Ethics & Professionalism (NIFTEP) and chairs the Selection Committee for the National Award for Innovation and Excellence in Teaching Professionalism, awarded annually by the ABA Standing Committee on Professionalism and the Conference of Chief Justices. Mahoney, who teaches business ethics, received his PhD in philosophy after a successful career in accounting and finance; he is part of the team that grades the Chartered Financial Analyst examination administered worldwide. Berry is the Chair of the ABA Standing Committee on Professionalism; he received the ABA Michael Franck Award for achievement in lawyer ethics in 2001 and is the former director of the Center of Professionalism at the University of Florida College of Law. The session will summarize innovative teaching methods from three sources: the inaugural NIFTEP workshop in 2005; the past three years of applications for the national award for teaching professionalism; and a survey of all American law schools on teaching professionalism conducted recently by the ABA Standing Committee on Professionalism.
• Race Cases & Their Stories
Rachel Moran, University of California, Berkeley• Strategies for Teaching Law Students With Auditory and Visual Processing Disorders
Carol C. McCrory, Stetson University• Teaching Practitioner Research
Randy J. Diamond, University of Missouri-Columbia• The Theory and Practice of Pedagogical Fun
Tom W. Bell, Chapman University
3:00 - 3:15 p.m.
Refreshment Break
3:15 - 4:15 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions
• Beyond Cultural Diversity to Cultural Justice in the 1st Year Curriculum
David Dominguez, Brigham Young University• Effective Use of Technology
Sydney Beckman, Charleston School of Law• A Theoretical Framework for Handling Sensitive Situations in the Classroom
Patti Alleva, University of North Dakota
Laura L. Rovner, University of Denver• Health Lawyer’s Survival Test
David F. Chavkin, American University• Integrating Non-Litigation Oriented Writing and Research in the Curriculum
Celia R. Taylor, University of Denver• Maximizing Learning; Creating Classroom Environments that Respond to Different Learning Styles
Andrea Loretta McArdle, City University of New York
Deborah Zalesne, City University of New York• The Clock is Ticking: Maximizing Your Limited Instructional Time with Students
Michael H. Schwartz, Charleston School of Law
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Theme: Assessment
9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Assessment & Feedback During the Course
Dorothy Andrea Brown, Washington and Lee University
Charles R. Calleros, Arizona State University
How do we know whether students are making progress during the course? What types of developmental feedback help students learn? Professors Brown and Calleros will demonstrate and discuss methods for assessment and feedback both in and out of the classroom. Topics will include the use of the student responder (clicker) system, monitoring an internet course site discussion board, giving weekly or semi-weekly quizzes, and preparing students for essay exams with exam workshops.
10:00 - 10:15 a.m.
Refreshment Break
10:15 - 11:15 a.m.
How to Assess if Goals Have Been Met: Test What You Teach
Steven I. Friedland, Nova Southeastern University
Sophie M. Sparrow, Franklin Pierce Law Center
How can we do a better job of testing and grading? Are there ways to ensure that students are focusing on what we want them to learn, and we are evaluating them on what we taught? Professors Friedland and Sparrow will discuss these issues, including identifying what students ought to be learning in a course, designing instruments (rubrics) that reflect those learning goals, and then applying those evaluative instruments to student work.
11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Small Group Discussions
12:45 - 2:00 p.m.
AALS Luncheon
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Student Evaluations
Arthur Best, University of Denver -view example evaluation forms-
3:00 - 3:15 p.m.
Refreshment Break
3:15 - 4:15 p.m.
Peer Evaluations
Dr. James R. Davis, Dean, University College, Professor, Higher Education and Adult Studies, Denver, Colorado
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Theme: Take It Home
9:00 - 9:45 a.m.
Faculty Development Data and Principles
Sophie M. Sparrow, Franklin Pierce Law Center -view handout-
What types of faculty development activities do law teachers employ to enhance their teaching? How do those activities improve teachers’ knowledge about teaching and learning principles? Their enthusiasm and passion for teaching? Do teachers implement significant changes in their teaching practices as a result of those activities? How can law schools design effective faculty development programs to enhance teaching? This session addresses these questions in the light of empirical research on faculty development in higher education, including legal education.
9:45 - 10:30 a.m.
Small Group / Guided Questions (Personal – How Are You Going to Implement?)
10:30 - 11:45 a.m.
Small Group / Guided Questions (Institutional)
11:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Encouraging Colleagues to Implement New Teaching Ideas
R. Lawrence Dessem, University of Missouri – Columbia -view handout- -view outline-
Law professors who are committed to teaching excellence often return from AALS teaching conferences inspired to try some of the “new ideas” that they have learned. Once at home, however, they often find it much more difficult to persuade their law faculty colleagues to attempt similar experiments. This closing session will allow us to discuss how we might effectively encourage colleagues to commit the necessary time and energy to implement “new ideas” about teaching in their own courses.
 |