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.

Memory

A SCARY STATISTIC

We forget 80% of what we learn within 2 weeks if we do not review regularly.

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

Time Management

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.

Procrastination

SAPADIN’S SIX TYPES:

Perfectionist Overdoer Crisis-Maker Worrier Dreamer Defier

Learning Styles

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.