(De)motivators of using interactive teaching methods Luba Krasnitskaya University of Bialystok, Poland

Is regular physical activity healthy?

Are you engaging in regular sport activity?

The goal of the session is to share the outcomes of the research project concerning the teaching methods applied by teaching staff of the law faculties in Poland and Belarus.

Research project The research objective is to explore the teaching methods spread at the law faculties in Poland and Belarus. method of the research is case studies; a research tool is an individual interview 20 lecturers from Belarus 20 lecturers from Poland With minimum 5-year teaching experience About 50% of them are clinical supervisers

Statistic data of respondents Gender balance: 13 men 27 women

Questions of the interview What is the role of a teacher in the higher legal education? What teaching methods do respondents know? Where do law teachers learn the teaching methods? Why do they apply active and interactive methods? What are reasons of non-application of interactive methods? How do law teachers develop their pedagogical skills?

Based on the direction of communication Passive teaching methods Active teaching methods Interactive teaching methods

passive/active/interactive teacher student teacher student teacher student

passive/active/interactive teacher student teacher student teacher student

Awareness of a variety of methods

Where do law teachers learn the teaching methods? Number of answers

Where do law teachers learn the teaching methods? I am self-educated, no one taught me the teaching methods My way of learning how to teach is based on trial and error, although there was a subject “Didactics in the higher education” during my doctoral studies. In the beginning of my teaching career I applied the teaching methods by intuition. There were no courses or workshops like we have nowadays I took part in the training course “Trainers of human rights” organised by the non-governmental organisation and apply the same methods in my legal classes I learn methods from my colleague-psychologist. She is the best in the interactive methods

Legal Clinic as a source of knowledge I learned the main teaching methods in the Georgetown University in 1997 when I took part in the 3-week training course for clinical teachers. For a long time I cooperated with the Street law programme and spread its ideas in Asia. It was very helpful in learning about interactive teaching In 2001 I participated in the establishment of the legal clinic at my university and read a lot of literature on the clinical methods.

Awareness vs Application Do you regularly engage in sport activity?

Session of colleagues from Russia and the USA - Collaborating to Use Technology to Teach Students Skills, Values and Knowledge Expected outcome of the project is to increase common understanding by Russian law faculties of the meaning and purposes of interactive teaching.   „The biggest challenge was to move the Moscow State University professors towards interactive teaching ideas. It was important to break the wall and motivate them to start doing interactive elements in their classes. […] After all trainings 10 teachers started using interactive elements in their classes and shared their ideas with each other” Legal Education Exchange, Prague 2017

What encourage you to use interactive teaching methods? Great satisfaction of students from learning process Passion for teaching when students tell me that it was the best classes of law Care of my health – I don’t need to speak 6 hours in a row time passes fast and interesting My awareness of power of interactive methods stimulates their application Legal clinic background: „I don’t know how to teach without interactive methods”

Self-development of teaching skills and unexpected surprises

What are reasons not to apply interactive methods? Some teachers don’t know exactly how to apply them I had a fear to use a new method in my class without my personal experience gained during e.g.Training for Trainers. The description of interactive methods is in English. No all teachers know it A lack of knowledge and skills how active and intercative methods work

What are reasons not to apply interactive methods? These games are more for fun If I saw super outcomes of these methods I would apply them with my students. So far I didn’t see the outcomes A perception of interactive methods as funny games, but not a learning tool Learners don’t understand what a teacher expects from them during interactive workshop Our system of education train passive students from primary school Curriculum defines how many lectures and practical classes must be organized. Lectures must be lectures Blame others, but not myself

What are reasons not to apply interactive methods? Interactive classes are time consuming. I have only 90 minutes I prepared materials for my interactive classes during 5 years, the next 15 years I only updated the legal provisions. No every teacher will do it. Laziness of teachers

Conclusions and recommendations Teach teachers - teachers apply those methods which they understand and know how they work Respect for academic freedoms Student-centred education Interactive methods work as for 15 min exercises as well for a few-day training A complex of passive, active and interactive methods

Teaching the teachers - how to establish a methodology training for future law teachers Magdalena Klauze 6 December 14:00