{"id":750,"date":"2014-04-15T09:00:44","date_gmt":"2014-04-15T13:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/?p=750"},"modified":"2014-04-15T10:24:57","modified_gmt":"2014-04-15T14:24:57","slug":"law-professors-still-stuck-in-the-same-old-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/2014\/04\/15\/law-professors-still-stuck-in-the-same-old-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"Law Professors: Still Stuck in the Same Old Classroom?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last summer and fall, the Case Studies Program at Harvard Law School set out to learn more about what kinds of teaching methods and materials law school professors used. We sent out surveys to approximately 1,000 faculty and deans at law schools throughout the country and received about 290 responses. \u00a0We wanted to know whether the buzz about innovation in the legal classroom reflects reality. Are faculty using more participant-centered, experiential methods? Or are lectures, casebooks, and the Socratic method continuing to dominate?<\/p>\n

On first blush, we found what looked like a revolution. The chart below shows that class discussion was used far more than lectures and the Socratic method. An astonishing 98% of our respondents reported using class discussions frequently or occasionally versus 79% using lectures and 69% using the Socratic method frequently or occasionally. Although over 80% of our respondents reported that they “rarely or never” use the more innovative “flipped classroom” method, 79% used role plays, hypotheticals, and simulations and 73% reported using group exercises frequently or occasionally. Taken together, these findings seemed to point to a real change in how the law is taught.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

But a deeper look at the materials<\/em> used in the classroom shed more light on the methods<\/em> reported in the previous slide. For example, 63% of respondents reported using casebooks frequently, followed by 61% using problems, hypotheticals, and discussion questions found in casebooks, and 49% using lecture slides and handouts. Only 36% used discussion-based case studies frequently and only 23% used workshop-based case studies frequently. This leads one to infer that casebooks and case teaching continued to be the primary method for teaching legal doctrine. \u00a0We also theorize that the discussions and role plays being reported in the methodologies question are brief departures during a lecture-based class, rather than an entire class devoted to engaging students as participants in the learning process.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Based on these results, it seems that law professors are making room in their courses for student interaction through discussions, hypotheticals, and role plays, but there is still a long way to go before learning becomes a participant sport. And the more cutting-edge innovations such as workshops and flipped classrooms are rare indeed. This supposition is even stronger when one considers that most likely those who chose to respond to our survey are more interested and engaged with experiential learning.<\/p>\n

Another finding from the study was that, by far, the most common source for experiential materials was the professors themselves, with 90% reporting that they used self-written materials. Other reported sources were other professors and schools (nearly 40%) and online resources (nearly 30%).<\/p>\n

The vast majority of respondents self-identified as professors (including associate and assistant professors). Most taught doctrinal courses, with a few teaching clinical, LRW, skills, or a combination.<\/p>\n

We are still collecting data through our survey. \u00a0If you would like to take part, go to this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last summer and fall, the Case Studies Program at Harvard Law School set out to learn more about what kinds of teaching methods and materials law school professors used. We sent out surveys to approximately 1,000 faculty and deans at … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4538,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[88580],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-case-study-program-blog-posts"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4CR8M-c6","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1011,"url":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/2015\/08\/11\/improving-first-year-doctrinal-classes\/","url_meta":{"origin":750,"position":0},"title":"Improving First-Year Doctrinal Classes","author":"Elizabeth Moroney","date":"August 11, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"by E. Scott Fruehwald, Contributing Editor at Legal Skills Prof Blog While legal scholars have written a great deal on improving legal education by adding experiential classes to the second and third years of law school, it is equally as important that law professors make changes in how they teach\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1236,"url":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/2017\/11\/13\/meet-our-new-case-writers\/","url_meta":{"origin":750,"position":1},"title":"Meet our New Case Writers!","author":"morourke","date":"November 13, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Brittany Deitch (left) and Rachel Gordon (right) have both recently joined the Harvard Law School | Case Studies team. Brittany, a recent JD graduate, was sworn into the bar in September 2017. Her role involves writing cases tailored to the JD curriculum. Brittany was inspired to get involved with pedagogy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Experiential Learning and the Case Study Method"","block_context":{"text":"Experiential Learning and the Case Study Method","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/category\/experiential-learning-and-the-case-study-method\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Image of our new case writers, Brittany Deitch, left, and Rachel Gordon, right, in front of large office window","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/files\/2017\/11\/Case-Writers-3-500x338.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":632,"url":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/2013\/10\/17\/the-1l-as-lawyer-spotlight-on-university-of-denver-sturm-college-of-law\/","url_meta":{"origin":750,"position":2},"title":"The 1L as Lawyer: Spotlight on University of Denver, Sturm College of Law","author":"Elizabeth Moroney","date":"October 17, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"In the first-year Lawyering Process Program at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, students are encouraged to \u201clean forward\u201d while learning and jump into their identities as lawyers. Beginning in the early 1990s as a basic legal research class taught by adjunct professors, the Program has evolved into\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Legal News and Debate"","block_context":{"text":"Legal News and Debate","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/category\/legal-news-and-debate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1200,"url":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/2017\/03\/16\/using-case-study-method-law\/","url_meta":{"origin":750,"position":3},"title":"Why and How: Using the Case Study Method in the Law Classroom","author":"Lisa Brem","date":"March 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Photo by: Brooks Kraft Post by: Jackie Kim and Lisa Brem Why should legal educators use case studies and other experiential teaching methods, such as role plays and simulations, in their classes?\u00a0 Hasn\u2019t the Langdell method served legal education well these last 140 years?\u00a0 Certainly creating and using experiential materials\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"person walking by langdell","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/files\/2017\/03\/2237550-R6-019-8-1024x659.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/files\/2017\/03\/2237550-R6-019-8-1024x659.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/files\/2017\/03\/2237550-R6-019-8-1024x659.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":479,"url":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/2013\/07\/09\/summer-reading-legal-educations-9-big-ideas-part-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":750,"position":4},"title":"Summer Reading: Legal Education\u2019s 9 Big Ideas, Part 1","author":"Elizabeth Moroney","date":"July 9, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Taking Cues from Science and Technology Last week\u2019s blog post\u00a0made it seem as if the end of traditional legal education is near.\u00a0 But, as the saying goes, every ending is a new beginning. Scholars and practitioners are proposing solutions to the crisis in legal education that draw on the successes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Legal News and Debate"","block_context":{"text":"Legal News and Debate","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/category\/legal-news-and-debate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/files\/2013\/06\/800px-EPA_GULF_BREEZE_LABORATORY_CHEMISTRY_LAB._THE_CHEMIST_IS_TESTING_WATER_SAMPLES_FOR_PESTICIDES_-_NARA_-_546277-500x338.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":974,"url":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/2015\/05\/26\/top-challenges-for-case-study-programs\/","url_meta":{"origin":750,"position":5},"title":"Top Challenges for Case Study Programs","author":"Elizabeth Moroney","date":"May 26, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"What gets in the way of case study adoption? The Case Studies Affinity Group, a consortium of Harvard-affiliated case programs, took up this question during its quarterly meeting on May 12. The Affinity Group welcomed as panelists Carolyn Wood, Assistant Academic Dean\u00a0& Director of SLATE and the Case Program, Harvard\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4538"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=750"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/750\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":783,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/750\/revisions\/783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/hlscasestudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}