Goodbye Christopher Columbus Langdell?

June 2013
Citation:
43
ELR 10475
Issue
6
Author
K.K. DuVivier

The call of this Article was to take “A Prospective Look” at Environmental and Natural Resources Law for the next 40 years with a special focus on law school teaching. Daunted by the hubris involved in prognosticating so far into the future, this piece more modestly explores three areas in which law school teaching is currently changing: I. Methods of Presentation; II. Use of Skills Exercises; and III. Influence of Digital Technologies and the Internet. To add an empirical component, the author canvassed AALS members about pedagogies they used both in class and outside of classroom time, as well as teaching tools they have employed, ranging from traditional exams or writing assessments to electronic devices, online teaching tools, and social networking. The Article summarizes the results of the survey as well as relevant research on effective teaching to provide glimpses into the law school classroom of the future.

K.K. DuVivier is a Professor of Law, University of Denver Sturm College of Law

Article File