Enhancing Law Students' Skills Through Self-Assessment and Interactive Teaching Methods
Explore how Anita Jowitt implemented a self-assessment strategy for 300-level law students, focusing on building self-awareness and meta-cognition. The integration of pre-class online activities, interactive teaching, and post-class assessments helped students improve their skills and deepen their learning experience.
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Presentation Transcript
300 level law students self-assessment of skills Anita Jowitt Staff seminar July 2015
Sharing Flipping the classroom /blending the classroom Pre-class online activity Integration with teaching Post class activity 300 level students self-assessment of skills Building self-awareness/meta-cognition
Howards question: Why build interactivity? Interactivity to build community Concern that students do not work through material properly Interactivity to increase feedback To students and to lecturer Interactivity to increase deep learning
Teaching process Pre-class interactive activity I used a questionnaire Could also be a poll, quiz, forum posting Feedback on activity in the class Tied to the skills activities in the seminar Post-class forum Thread topic decided in class
Topic 1 content Course overview Learning outcomes assessments Workload expectations Policies topics Skills refresher
Questionnaire Question # 1 How would you rate your skills in the following areas (1 being really weak to 5 being excellent) Question # 2 Which areas would you like to have refresher teaching on (check all that apply) Question # 3 What other skills you would like me to cover in this course? (Critical analysis of the content of the course is built in.)
Skills self-ratings (29/40) 1 = very weak 5 = excellent Public speaking 3.5 Managing your individual work 3.8 Managing group work 3.7 Writing: using correct English 3.8 Writing: correctly referencing using the School of Law Referencing Guidebook 3.7 Essays: doing an essay plan/skeleton outline 3.7 Essays: how to structure an essay 3.6 Research: using PacLII 3.9 Research: finding laws from your country that are not on PacLII 3.5 Research: finding academic journal articles 3.3 Research: keeping up with current events 3.4 Research: finding primary and secondary material from other jurisdictions 3.3
English & referencing 1 2 3 4 5 Writing: using correct English 0 1 (3%) 10 (34%) 13 (45%) 5 (17%) Writing: correctly referencing using SoL style 0 0 13 (45%) 13 (45%) 3 (10%)
In class, as prepared: Writing and editing Take 5 minutes to write a paragraph (on computer or on paper), in perfect English, that summarises the good writing process Keep all rough draft/planning copies Swap your paragraph, and rough drafts, with your neighbour Take 5 minutes to correct/improve Post answers into the assessed forum thread
In class, as taught: Writing and editing Take 5 minutes in a group to discuss the good writing process and, if you have time, begin to organise points into an outline for a 1 2 paragraph summary After class post your answers onto the assessed forum thread Students encouraged to Do google-research in class Start to type up answers if they have computers
The thread By Monday 24 posts First post immediately after class Immediate feedback from me Same day response from first student By Sunday 11/40 students had responded 3/16 online students 8/24 Emalus campus students Compared to how many would fully prepare/actively participate in an on-campus tutorial is this good? Passive participation in forum as a whole: (Tuesday 8 am) 718 assessed discussion forum views (14/16 online students; (13/24 on campus students)
Students response: T 2 questionnaire HOW DID YOU FIND THE THREAD ON THE WRITING PROCESS? Response Percentage Really useful - I like the direct feedback I get and seeing others feedback as well 71% Useful but intimidating - I am shy to see comments/editing on my own work 29%
Metacognition: why Ertmer & Newby, The expert learner: Strategic, self-regulated, and reflective (1996) 24(1) Instructional Science 1 (preview only) USP LLB Outcomes Graduates of the Bachelor of Laws will be able to collaborate and independently manage their work in a manner which demonstrates understanding of the principles of professionalism and ethics. Explanation Students competence in professionalism & ethical behaviour will be assessed in the following areas Use of self reflection and external feedback as appropriate to support personal and professional development
Metacognition: how Schraw, Promoting general metacognitive awareness (1998) 26 Instructional Science 113 Knowledge of cognition (declarative, procedural, conditional) Regulation of cognition (planning, monitoring, evaluation) To build metacognition teachers should: discuss the importance of metacognitive knowledge and regulation concerted effort to model their own metacognition find time for group discussion and reflection, despite the many pressures from jam-packed curricula
Using moodle to find time? Activity starts in class Activity finishes in moodle Allows me to give more feedback Does it make students go more in-depth?
