Learning about law lecturing

Phil Thomas, Cardiff University

This guidance note, published in 2000 by the National Centre for Legal Education, is now out of print, but you may download the full text at the bottom of the page.

Learning about law lecturing draws on both research and first hand experience of teaching, offering practical hints on how to make the most of the lecture environment. It aims to provoke thought about the purpose and effectiveness of teaching methods and to help individuals to plan, conduct and review the learning and teaching process.

The guidance note addresses two main concerns:

• the place of the large lecture format in the struggle for resources, considering the relationship between educational practice and legal theory as well as the relationship between content and method

• how to lecture (rather than why and what), including a comprehensive bibliography

Sections cover the law lecture in context, how lectures can help students learn, preparation and delivery, interactive and experiential learning and using the equipment. A review section outlines how to get feedback on your lectures, including questions and a checklist for self-evaluation, a teaching observation form and a questionnaire to obtain student feedback.

Appendices give examples of the description of degree classes and of levels of achievement at undergraduate level. An example is also provided of lecturer’s notes for a lecture on employer’s liability.

Last Modified: 4 June 2010