Recommended reading on teaching legal research

Very little has been written specifically on the skill of teaching legal research. The select list of further reading below focuses on books which explore the instructional techniques already described, in more detail. Some books provide the theoretical and research basis upon which the techniques have been founded. The emphasis of the list is on sources which provide practical guidance, ideas and methods, not just theory.

Librarianship journals in the UK occasionally contain articles describing the legal research instructional programmes provided at particular universities and colleges or in law practice. I have included a selection which provide information which may be of interest to those considering the development of a legal research skills course for the first time.

General guidance on the teaching process

• Brown G and Atkins M (1990) Effective teaching in higher education London: Routledge (Outlines the results of recent research into teaching methods, with practical guidance and ideas on how to put them into practice. Covers a range of learning situations, including lectures and small group work. Aimed specifically at university and college level teaching.)
• Cannon R and Newble D (2000) A handbook for teachers in universities and colleges (4th ed) London: Kogan Page (Practical explanations covering how to plan a course, prepare and use teaching materials and assess students’ work. Frequent use of step by step explanations.)
• Davies (1981) Instructional technique London: McGraw-Hill (Practical introduction to instructional techniques, especially in the design and development of training programmes. The standard work on the subject.)
• Fry H, Ketteridge S and Marshall S (2003) A handbook for teaching and learning in higher education (2nd ed) London: RoutledgeFalmer (A book of readings intended for inexperienced teachers in higher education.)
• John P (1993) Lesson planning for teachers New York: Cassell Educational (Provides practical guidance based on theory, especially in lesson design. Includes illustrations and practical examples.)
• Kyriacou C (1998) _Essential teaching skills _(2nd ed) Cheltenham: Stanley Thornes (Reviews the key skills in successful classroom practice. Although primarily for the secondary school teacher, early chapters on planning and preparation are relevant.)
• Laurillard D (2002) Rethinking university teaching: a framework for the effective use of educational technology (2nd ed) London: Routledge (A thought provoking exploration of the potential of technological media to improve student learning and teaching efficiency.)
• Mager R (1990) Making instruction work or skillbloomers London: Kogan Page (Popular text on how to analyse, design and implement instruction. Although the book takes manufacturing industry training as its context, the principles can be applied in higher education.)
• Perrott E (1983) Effective teaching London: Longman (Introduction to the basic techniques and procedures to help improve teaching skills. Aimed at primary and secondary school teachers, but chapters on planning, presentation and communication are relevant in higher education.)
• Ramsden P (2003) Learning to teach in higher education (2nd ed) London: Routledge (Practical discussion aimed specifically at teaching undergraduates.)

Designing lesson materials

• Johnstone R (1996) Printed teaching materials: a new approach for law teachers London: Cavendish. (Aims to provide law teachers with a way of thinking about appropriate ways of developing and using printed materials, together with examples of how this has been achieved with materials for both private study and classroom use.)

Presentation skills

• Bradbury A (2000) Effective presentation skills (2nd ed) London: Kogan Page (Practical advice and tips.)
• Kirkham J (1997) Guidelines for effective presentations (2nd ed) Marlborough: Ramsbury Books (Good, practical advice rather than theoretical analysis.)
• Stott R, Young T and Bryan C (eds) (2001) Speaking your mind Harlow: Pearson Education (Introduction to becoming aware of the audience and the context when speaking, with practical activities to develop these skills.)_

Questioning

• Morgan N and Saxton J (1991) Teaching, questioning and learning London: Routledge (Provides help for teachers in developing their questioning skills as an aid to sharing the process of inquiry.)

Virtual learning environments (VLEs)

Accessibility

• ALERT project – Accessibility in Learning Environments and Related Technologies (HEFCE project run jointly by Durham and Bournemouth Universities. Case studies include several law students.)
• Doyle C and Robson K (2002) Accessible curricula: good practice for all TechDis (A practical guide to the diversity aspects of course design. Section 7: Assistive technology (pp44-47) and Section 9: Web accessibility (pp52-60) particularly apply to VLE design.)
• University of Cambridge Computing Service (nd) Accessibility information (Provides links to SENDA related websites, accessibility related tools and other technical issues.)

E-learning

• Grantham G (2003) Frequently asked questions on virtual learning environments Coventry: UK Centre for Legal Education
• LTSN Generic Centre (2003) e-Learning Series York: LTSN Generic Centre
• Mayer R (2001) Multimedia learning New York: Cambridge University Press (Mayer suggests seven principles based on his own research; for example, Modality principle: students learn better from animation and audible narration than from animation and on-screen text (p135).)
• Moallem M (2003) ‘Applying learning styles in an online course’ Academic Exchange Quarterly 7 (4): 209-215

Effective VLE use

• Stiles M (1999) Effective learning and the virtual learning environment (Paper originally delivered at EUNIS 2000: the 2000 European Universities Information Systems Congress, in Poznan, Poland)

Case studies and templates

• Business, Management, Accountancy and Finance Subject Centre (nd) Good practice guides Oxford: BMAF
• LTSN Generic Centre (nd) LEAP Case Studies York: LTSN Generic Centre (In particular see case studies 7 and13 relating to using discussion board activities in relation to teaching law.)
• INFORMS project
• Manchester Metropolitan University (nd) InfoSkills Manchester: MMU Library

Assessment

• Anderson T (2004) ‘Teaching and learning in an online learning context’ in T Anderson and F Elloumi (eds) Theory and practice of online learning Athabasca, AB: Athabasca University (Terry Anderson examines in detail the work of both Susan Levine and Nada Dabbagh in relation to setting an assessment framework for bulletin board participation (asynchronous learning)).

Digital copyright

• Pedley P (ed) (2005) Managing digital rights: a practitioner’s guide London: Facet Publishing (A practical guide to the legal issues surrounding the use of content in digital form, such as how to manage copyright clearances, e-journal licensing agreements and DRM (Digital Rights Management) systems.)

Technical standards and tools

• CETIS – Centre for Educational Technology Interoperability Standards
• Lewis B, MacEntee V and Youngs-Maher P (2002) ‘Software compare and contrast: Blackboard, WebCT and Lotus Notes: a panel discussion’ InSITE June 919-931
• Netmechanic
• University of Iowa (2003) ‘Blackboard 6 and WebCT 4: what are their similarities? Their differences?’ ITS Academic Technologies 3 December

Assessment

• Brown S and Knight P (2004) Assessing learners in higher education London: RoutledgeFalmer (Able discussion of the theory and practice of assessment, with many examples and illustrations.)
• Rowntree D (1987) Assessing students: how shall we know them? London: Kogan Page (Examines issues underlying assessment procedures, leading to the development of working principles. Parts of only the final chapter will be of relevance to legal research skills.)

Information skills training in general

• Webb, Jo and Powis, Chris. (2004) Teaching information skills: theory and practice. London: Facet Publishing.
  Comprehensive introduction to learning theory with many practical tips and case studies on information skills training.

Legal research skills programmes

• Blankson-Hemans L (1997) ‘Legal research training at Clifford Chance’ The Law Librarian 28(3): 173-174
• Brayne H and Breakey P (1996) Legal Practice Course research skills: teaching competence or raising awareness? Web Journal of Current Legal Issues 3
• Clinch P (1991) ‘Legal research skills: development of an undergraduate course’ The Law Librarian 22(2): 77-85
• Clinch P (1994) ‘Practical legal research the Cardiff way’ The Law Teacher 28(3): 270-280
• McLaurin N and Presser P (2004) ‘Educating the MTV generation: legal information skills online’ Legal Information Management 4(1): 37-43
• Migdal S and Cartwright M (1991) ‘Student-based learning: a polytechnic’s experience’ The Law Teacher 25(2): 120-131
• Tooms E (1991) ‘Halsbury’s and all that: the development of a user training programme at Allen & Overy’ 22(2) The Law Librarian 22(2): 73-76

Last Modified: 4 June 2010