Observing legal lecturers in 2014 I reached a conclusion: Legal lecturers are in love with their own voice. Enough is never enough. They love being the center of action in the classroom. Showing their stuff gives them a sense of accomplishment. Nothing beats the thrill of performance.
In fact, teachers preferred hearing their own voice so much more thatn facilitating their learner’s learning processes. Simply said, it is hard to move from being the sage on the stage to become the guide on the side.
However, the uncomfortable result was that learners might have been listening to the lecturers but they learned little. Cause: During listening the learner’s minds remained passive. This lack of learner’s activity made that presentations were neither effective nor engaging. Mind however that the lecturers’ ego was raised.
Is lecturing fatal to learning?
Extensive research has shown that learning requires a mind in action. Listening to a lecturer lacks such action.
A learning mind is a mind that is challenged, is actively struggling to build meaning. If the mind does not show such activities, nothing will remain from the lecturer’s inputs. No enduring changes will have taken place in a brain.
There is simply nothing to be retrieved when faced with a challenge at work. The learner simply did not have enough opportunity to “build understanding”.
Rock the boat
TrainWell decided that action is needed. Therefore, in 2015 clients will benefit from the launch of “Activating Minds” The idea behind this initiative is the most frequently observed mistake made by lecturers in legal learning: confusing “listening” with “learning”
Activating Minds propagates the reduction of the role of traditional lecturing in legal instruction. That will benefit its effectiveness. In addition it will often also increase the learners’ engagement.
What to expect?
Activitating Minds will enable traditional legal lecturers to learn the tricks of the trade in moving the learners’ brain into action. TrainWell will give its clients the best support in activating the minds of their learners. As a result both learners and lecturers will reap benefits.