Teaching Law Practice Across the Curriculum
Session 3 Workshops

Thursday, June 17, 2010 – 1:15-2:30 p.m.

[A] Games Law Teachers Play: Teaching Legal Thinking Through Interactive Games (Room 100)

Kris Franklin, New York Law School

Participants in this session will sample games designed to teach legal reasoning skills. Together we will demonstrate some of the kinds of games that can be used as learning exercises and discuss how they can be used most effectively in the classroom setting. We will explore the theoretical underpinnings of designing interactive games and interactive exercises, then collaborate to create a new game that participants can use in their own teaching. A playful spirit is an absolute prerequisite.

[B] Principles in Practice – Applied Ethics and Professionalism in Negotiations (Room 106)

Franciscus Steyn Haupt, University of Pretoria Law Clinic
Lourens Botha Grové, University of Pretoria Law Clinic

When teaching practical law and applied consultation and negotiation skills in clinical settings, students make certain mistakes, regardless of theoretical lectures. Students often inadvertently breach principles of ethics and professionalism. Therefore exercises were developed to address these problems. For the purposes of this workshop, the focus will be on negotiation skills, and attendees will play the role of students and thus also experience the exercises from a student's perspective. Some potential (and encountered) problems, considerations and recommendations regarding the use of these exercises will be discussed. Attendees will be supplied with a set of notes, exercises and an adaptable teaching methodology.

[C] Best Intentions, Worst Results: The Pitfalls and Rewards of Innovative Teaching (Room 119)

Nancy Soonpaa, Texas Tech University School of Law

This workshop is built around a cautionary story that a frustrated colleague shared when her attempts at innovative teaching were not well received. The purpose of the session is to discuss some of the potential pitfalls and ways that innovative teaching may fall short of its intended mark and how to either manage those pitfalls or minimize/eliminate them. The workshop will identify four to six examples of teaching innovations and discuss how to anticipate and help to prevent problems with their implementation. The audience will then work as a group to share ideas.