Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Mitchell Hamline Law Review
Publication Date
2016
Volume
42
First Page
185
Abstract
(Excerpt)
As law schools downsize their faculty to offset falling student enrollment, faculty members will likely face greater teaching loads and increased pressure to produce graduates who can not only pass the bar, but are “practice ready.” Formative assessment, prompt and individualized feedback, mentoring, and one-on-one conferences are all integral to achieving those goals. As a consequence, faculty will need to rethink their approach to teaching so that they can meet these new expectations. This is particularly true in legal writing courses, where students are researching and writing throughout the year, and the demand for practice writing opportunities and feedback is high. Teaching assistants are an underutilized resource available at most law schools that could greatly assist legal writing faculty in preparing students for the practice of law.
This Article argues that legal writing programs should incorporate teaching assistants into their teaching model. To the extent legal writing faculty already rely on teaching assistants to teach research and citation, or provide general instruction in predictive and persuasive writing, they should assess whether they are maximizing their use to improve first-year students’ performance in these essential skills. Teaching assistants should be used more purposefully as well as in more varied ways. Thus, this Article proposes a contemporary legal writing instructional model whereby teaching assistants help in all areas of instruction. They will teach, provide feedback, and mentor students throughout. With the professor’s guidance, teaching assistants will reinforce what students have learned in class and expand on that knowledge and experience by leading small group sessions.
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Available at: https://open.mitchellhamline.edu/mhlr/vol42/iss1/12/