ratemyprof: is organization key to successful teaching?

[justin gosling]

This article about what makes a good professor (from the Best Practices for Legal Education Blog) got me thinking about how my current professors compare with the article's version of "best" and "worst" professors.

The author (Justin Myers, a recent law school grad) has solid criteria to separate the cream from the crowd: good professors meet expectations set forth in course descriptions, move dialog along with a purpose, are knowledgeable (yet humble), and keep the class interesting. I'd like to add the quality of organization to the list of what makes a "good" law professor.

Organization is the biggest difference that separates my "good" and "bad" 1L professors. All of them know their material quite well, but the puzzle pieces do not necessarily fit together when the information is poorly organized.

My best professor in terms of organization — and coincidentally my "best overall" professor — is a pinnacle of organization. Every class is broken down into small pieces which are then assembled in a logical order that a student can easily digest. It makes learning and retaining the information super easy (not to mention that outlining is a breeze). Heck, I bet this guy organizes his grocery list in outline form. Oh, and speaking of outlines, there is a reason why students prepare for exams by organizing all of the class material into an outline: it's easier to consume.  So why not emphasize organization when teaching the class?

In contrast, my worst professor thus far suffers from the uncanny ability to take a group of uninformed students and leave them more confused then when class began.

At first I thought that the confusion might stem from the subject matter, but students with the same class but a different professor seem to have an easier time grasping the material than my sectionmates. The funny thing is that this professor suddenly becomes crystal clear once he abandons his trademark version of Socratic method that features lines of questioning that lead nowhere productive, and summarizes the subject at hand in an organized manner. Where were these manageable nuggets of information throughout the journey? Sometimes it seems like we are driving from California to Oregon by way of Hawaii. No joke.

A major need for quality organization comes from the nature of law school itself.

Legal professors have the unenviable task of teaching a subject where there are few straightforward answers. We're not memorizing the atomic weight of atoms or the number of state senators, for example.  We're memorizing ways to approach law and where gray areas exist. While other disciplines have constants, the law has general rules which are supplemented by lists of caveats, exceptions, and hypothetical situations that can get quite long (hence the need for making an outline to prepare for exams). Learning legal principles is a difficult task and professors can better assist their students by making efforts to enhance their organization of the material.

Comments

[1L Boaltie]

I completely agree! I am continuously frustrated by professors who are brilliant but fail to prepare their lectures with any structure or organization. My property professor organizes her lectures through powerpoint slides and it makes a world of difference, especially if I have zoned out for a minute or two and come back wondering where the class is in its discussion. If only more professors would realize that the white board is there for a reason--use it!

Not to mention, for the money we pay, why is buying a commercial outline practically a necessity for finals-prep?

[Justin Gosling]

Exactly. Speaking of commercial outlines, I've been using one in my "worst" professor's class and it is indispensable. The funny thing is that the professor wrote the damn outline! Come on prof., get with the program.

[jamesd]

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[jamesd]

Online Masters Degree

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