dr. amy l. jarmon, texas tech university school of law lsac attw denver 2012
TRANSCRIPT
TEACHING STUDENTS TO BECOME BETTER LEARNERS
Dr. Amy L. Jarmon, Texas Tech University School of LawLSAC ATTW Denver 2012
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT OUR STUDENTS Recent statistics on law school
applicants Grades in colleges and universities Time management and study skills Generational differences Other characteristics
THE APPLICANT POOL
Drop in law school applications Applicants with the highest LSAT scores
have decreased The meaning of the undergraduate GPA
varies with school and major Expectation that trend will continue for
the near future
GRADES IN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES Rojstaczer and Healy: Where A is Ordinary: The
Evolution of American College and University Grading, 1940-2009, Teachers College Record, 2012. Data from 135 schools with 1.5 million students
enrolled On average, A’s represent 43% of all letter grades
An increase of 28% since 1960 An increase of 12% since 1988
On average, B’s represent 34% of all letter grades Less than 10% of grades are D’s or F’s Private schools give more A’s and B’s than public
schools
PREPARING FOR CLASS
National Survey of Student Engagement 2011 Hours spent by seniors preparing for class
ranged 14-19 hours per week; average was 15 hours
Of those who spent more than 20 hours per week, 14-22% said they often or very often went to class without completing assignments
PREPARING FOR CLASS
Law School Survey of Student Engagement 2012 On average, 17 hours per week reading and 10 hours
per week on other preparation For 1L students, 21 hours per week reading and 11
hours per week on other preparation For 2L students, 17 hours per week reading and 10
hours per week on other preparation For 3L students, 13 hours per week reading and 9
hours per week on other preparation 7.3% of 1L students came to class unprepared often
or very often; 15.6% 2L students; 22.4% 3L students
GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES
Howe and Strauss characteristics versus other researchers on Millennials Special vs. narcissistic Sheltered vs. dependent Confident vs. extended adolescence Team-Oriented vs. social networked Conventional Achieving vs. anxious trophy kid
OTHER CHARACTERISTICS
Diversity of law students Variety of disabilities Outside issues
Financial Medical Family Personal
AND THEN THERE IS LAW SCHOOL . . . Reading assignments are long and dense. Cases need to be understood and not just
read. Professors expect students to prepare the
basics so they can expand beyond those basics in class.
Many professors use the Socratic Method. Outlines are needed to condense material
for exam success.
MORE ON LAW SCHOOL . . .
Students need to apply the material and not just memorize it.
Students need to complete practice questions in order to do well on exams.
There will be only one grade for most courses.
Students cannot cram for exams and do well. Students need to study smarter not harder
to live up to their academic potential.
USING MEMORY TO ADVANTAGE
Working memory – a messy desktop Cram and dump Test and forget
Long-term memory – a filing cabinet Retention for the bar exam Retention for practice
HOW CAN STUDENTS SELF-MONITOR? Ask lots of questions when reading Switch up the facts of cases to apply the rules Answer questions silently in their heads in class Discuss material with other students Possibly do charts, mind maps, or other visuals Ask questions of the professors, tutors, TF’s Complete lots of practice questions Get feedback on outlines and practice questions
WHAT TYPES OF REVIEW DO STUDENTS NEED TO COMPLETE?
Cover-to-cover outline review Intense review of an outline “slice” Memory drills Practice questions Study aids – optional
BASICS OF BUILDING A WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Plan to study 50 – 55 hours per week outside of class to get As and Bs consistently
Each week complete the following tasks: Reading and briefing cases Reviewing before class Reviewing class notes within 24 hours Adding to course outlines Reviewing course outlines Completing practice questions Working on Legal Practice assignments Other study tasks: flashcards, graphic organizers, study
group, tutor sessions
BASIC TASKS #1
Reading and briefing cases Time will vary for each course Time will lessen as you become more efficient and
effective Review before class – spend ½ hour per course Review of class notes – spend 20 minutes per
course Fill in gaps Note questions that you have Condense in preparation for outlining
BASIC TASKS #2
Outlines for each course Time will vary for each course 1Ls will need to wait 2-3 weeks to start outlines Add weekly to each outline
Review each outline every week throughout the semester
Complete practice questions at the end of each topic or subtopic review
Begin LP assignments as soon as received
STARTING TO BUILD A SCHEDULE
Add repeating items first: Classes Tutoring Review before class Getting up during the weekdays Bed time Church, workout, dinner with grandma, etc. Obvious meal times Other commitments
“TWO DAY BEFORE” READING SCHEDULE
Saturday for Monday classes Sunday for Tuesday classes Monday for Wednesday classes Tuesday for Thursday classes Wednesday for Friday classes Do not get more than 40 pages ahead of the
professor if class slows down If a professor only gives reading assignments
the day before, then read one day before in that class
WHY USE THIS SCHEDULE?
You will read for understanding if you are not hurried.
You will start out the week with 2 days of reading already completed.
You will open up Thursday and Friday for other tasks: LP assignments, adding to outlines, outline review, practice questions, etc.
You will have free time without guilt because you will have completed all of your tasks.
TWO TYPES TO THINK ABOUT:
Absorption: Verbal Visual Aural/Oral Kinesthetic/Tactile
Processing: Global Sequential Intuitive Sensing
THE CYCLE OF SUCCESS
Evaluate study habits for the good, bad, and ugly at the end of each semester.
Review exams with the professors for any course with a grade below a B. Patterns for multiple-choice exams Patterns for fact-pattern essay exams
Review legal practice work with the professor for any grade below a B.