tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797548749870864034.post8156271493111377547..comments2024-03-17T02:41:07.351-05:00Comments on Advocacy Teaching Blog: Administering a Trial Advocacy Program: Adjunct CoordinationChris Behanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09758408764783435612noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8797548749870864034.post-64326087792420561392010-09-06T08:48:06.942-05:002010-09-06T08:48:06.942-05:00Tom's approach to training adjuncts and gettin...Tom's approach to training adjuncts and getting everyone in the same page is, I think, absolutely critical to running a sound advocacy program. Few things are as distressing to law students as hearing mixed messages on advocacy skills. This is particularly true when they are receiving a grade in the course. <br /><br />As Tom points out, it isn't enough to sweep up all differences under the heading of "style." It's important that everyone understand the approach for the course and agree to teach the same concepts and support each other.<br /><br />A few years ago, one of my colleagues had a pair of adjuncts who openly undermined her teaching approach in the classroom. Since all of our classes at the law school are taped, it was an easy matter to prove that this was indeed taking place, and the dean fired the adjuncts.<br /><br />It would be far better to avoid this sort of thing by holding a Tom-Stewart-style conference and getting everything ironed out at the beginning of the semester. If we're all in it together, pulling in the same direction, the course will be much better.<br /><br />This is not to say that all advocacy instructors in a course must be clones of each other. To the contrary, students benefit from different style and personality approaches. For that matter, so do instructors. I love watching colleagues teach and learning how to improve my own performance as an instructor.Chris Behanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09758408764783435612noreply@blogger.com