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Expert Learning for Law Students
Expert Learning for Law Students is designed to help law students build the analytical skills necessary to succeed in law school, on the bar exam, and in law practice. This book reveals how successful law students and lawyers plan, monitor, and implement their work, and it provides detailed guidance regarding individual student personality types and learning styles. The accompanying workbook includes questions and exercises to assist students in practicing the concepts explained in the text.
The second edition includes greater emphasis on students personalizing all strategy suggestions by adapting strategies to their individual learning styles, personality types, and, most importantly, their results and their evaluations of the causes of those results. It includes additional materials designed to help students deal with law school stress and offers insights for ameliorating that stress developed within the Humanizing Legal Education movement. Tips on time management and avoiding procrastination; a revised discussion on case reading reflecting recent research; a new section on using color as a memorization tool; and a revised discussion of how to apply rules to facts and how to apply and distinguish cases are also provided.
The second edition includes greater emphasis on students personalizing all strategy suggestions by adapting strategies to their individual learning styles, personality types, and, most importantly, their results and their evaluations of the causes of those results. It includes additional materials designed to help students deal with law school stress and offers insights for ameliorating that stress developed within the Humanizing Legal Education movement. Tips on time management and avoiding procrastination; a revised discussion on case reading reflecting recent research; a new section on using color as a memorization tool; and a revised discussion of how to apply rules to facts and how to apply and distinguish cases are also provided.
- GenresLawNonfiction
304 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 1, 2018
A really great reference for reading comprehension in any field, though it is using reading material from the field of Law. I am absolutely using this book to help articulate parts of what I am using for an upcoming speed reading course I'm producing.
The book offers some information that I think is less relevant and other parts that are more relevant. For example, the Myers Briggs stuff, while true I think is less relevant than the author believes. It's very relevant, however to those that are teaching different students and for managers of people who must get their staff to learn in a variety of ways. I'm glad that Schwarz included it for that reason. But I sadly suspect that it will miss the mark for many readers. After all, the entire concept that people are different is so hard for a lot of folks. Moreover, it almost doesn't matter what type of learner you are in law school, you're going to have to get a few very basic skills down whether you like it or not.
Past that, the intricacies of really understanding different personality types and then knowing how to properly motivate a certain type of reaction is likely too advanced. I mean, I barely see it in most managers and seasoned execs. Also, on Pg 58, he has the wrong numbers or perhaps he's using a citation I'm not familiar with. For example, INFJ's are typically cited at 1%, ENTJ's are closer to like 6%, doesn't seem like much, but it is because of the nature of where they show up in different careers. You're more likely to get an ENTJ in legal field, whereas the INFJ's are just rare in general....etc.
P. 97 The Reading strategies portion is really great. So often this is just presented as purposeful reading. Instead, the idea that different types of reading might require a different framework or wholesale be written in a format that differs and that purpose is going to map to strategy is pretty well explained here.
P. 103 I don't totally agree with the WHY of pre-reading, but I do like the what and how of it. I think pre-reading is necessary if you're not a speed reader, but if you are one, then your speed reading is the pre-reading and then what is actually the Reading is a second reading with a new set of purpose questions that came out of the original ones, but, you know... we have different rationale for what we're on about... so I still am glad this section is here.
P. 135. I like this post-class activities concept. I think he can be even more articulate about the role that reviewing your notes after class has. This idea of reflection post taking info in is actually under-described and under utilized by many. It's a true professional asset for those that excel at doing this.
Starting P. 160, this discourse on outlines is excellent. Most people think they can outline. THey don't realize that outlining is a skill that continues to be refined or that there are different types of outlines for different types of things. Well described, Schwartz!!
P. 173 - The 5 memorization strategies is really nicely articulated: 1) connecting new learning to the student's prior knowledge, 2) Clustering & Chunking 3) Using associational Techniques 4) rehearsal recall 5) Elaborate learning. Earmarked these for long term memorization for some of what I need for my projects.
The book offers some information that I think is less relevant and other parts that are more relevant. For example, the Myers Briggs stuff, while true I think is less relevant than the author believes. It's very relevant, however to those that are teaching different students and for managers of people who must get their staff to learn in a variety of ways. I'm glad that Schwarz included it for that reason. But I sadly suspect that it will miss the mark for many readers. After all, the entire concept that people are different is so hard for a lot of folks. Moreover, it almost doesn't matter what type of learner you are in law school, you're going to have to get a few very basic skills down whether you like it or not.
Past that, the intricacies of really understanding different personality types and then knowing how to properly motivate a certain type of reaction is likely too advanced. I mean, I barely see it in most managers and seasoned execs. Also, on Pg 58, he has the wrong numbers or perhaps he's using a citation I'm not familiar with. For example, INFJ's are typically cited at 1%, ENTJ's are closer to like 6%, doesn't seem like much, but it is because of the nature of where they show up in different careers. You're more likely to get an ENTJ in legal field, whereas the INFJ's are just rare in general....etc.
P. 97 The Reading strategies portion is really great. So often this is just presented as purposeful reading. Instead, the idea that different types of reading might require a different framework or wholesale be written in a format that differs and that purpose is going to map to strategy is pretty well explained here.
P. 103 I don't totally agree with the WHY of pre-reading, but I do like the what and how of it. I think pre-reading is necessary if you're not a speed reader, but if you are one, then your speed reading is the pre-reading and then what is actually the Reading is a second reading with a new set of purpose questions that came out of the original ones, but, you know... we have different rationale for what we're on about... so I still am glad this section is here.
P. 135. I like this post-class activities concept. I think he can be even more articulate about the role that reviewing your notes after class has. This idea of reflection post taking info in is actually under-described and under utilized by many. It's a true professional asset for those that excel at doing this.
Starting P. 160, this discourse on outlines is excellent. Most people think they can outline. THey don't realize that outlining is a skill that continues to be refined or that there are different types of outlines for different types of things. Well described, Schwartz!!
P. 173 - The 5 memorization strategies is really nicely articulated: 1) connecting new learning to the student's prior knowledge, 2) Clustering & Chunking 3) Using associational Techniques 4) rehearsal recall 5) Elaborate learning. Earmarked these for long term memorization for some of what I need for my projects.
April 12, 2009
The ideas in the book are so theoretical they cannot be practically applied. To be honest, I would give it under one star if I could. I think it did more damage than good reading it.
August 19, 2020
Some good tips for sure, but most of it is fear-mongering with unrealistic, idealistic game plans that would require 16 hours in a day to accomplish.
May 26, 2019
More important for law professors than for students in my view. According to the author, success in law school is a function of becoming a Self-Regulated Learner than arriving with greater talent or higher IQ. While this is likely true, it is highly doubtful that someone who is not already a Self-Regulated Learner could become one just by reading this book. The guidance of a dedicated professor or educational support staff is probably a necessary catalyst.
March 31, 2019
If I could rate this lower I would. Firstly, the amount of typos and grammatical errors in this book is ABSURD. Second, this book is beyond condescending and an absolute waste of time. I learned nothing from this book and I would NOT recommend this to incoming law students.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews