Ted Afield, associate clinical professor of law and director of the Philip C. Cook Low Income Taxpayer Clinic at Georgia State University’s College of Law, has been named chair of the Section on Teaching Methods for the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), a position in which he will advise AALS on best practices in the classroom.
He’s hoping to show other schools how to use Georgia State’s clinical teaching methods as a model for student success. The College of Law has three on-campus clinics where professors share space and ideas. Afield will be moderating a panel on co-teaching at the AALS annual meeting, Jan. 2-5 in Washington, D.C.
“We have developed a method of providing practical instruction and supervision to over 20 students in a semester from two full-time faculty members, one full-time supervising attorney and two seasoned practitioners who serve as part time volunteers,” Afield said. “This takes a tremendous amount of coordination and collaboration to pull off.”
In addition, his section will sponsor two panel discussions, “The Unequal Workplace while Being You is At Stake” and “So You’re a New Professor, Now What? What We Wish We Had Known.”
Afield says his involvement with the section has enhanced his skills as an instructor.
“While our students still handle their caseloads individually,” he said, “we have incorporated more opportunities for them to discuss case strategy with each other in group settings, which has been very beneficial for their progression.”