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Evaluation ViewAttendees 17

Teaching + Training

Words Matter: Incorporation of "Wise" Techniques in Critical Feedback for Better Learning Outcomes in Legal Research Curriculum

Monday, July 17, 2023
3:30pm – 4:30pm EDT
Location: Hynes-210
Law school is hard. It can be especially difficult for students that have diverse backgrounds and characteristics which may have negative or false stereotypes attached to them. What if librarians, teaching or otherwise, could simply change the words they use when giving critical feedback and make law school a more rewarding experience for these diverse students? What if these small changes could lead to a more diverse and inclusive profession as a whole?

This program introduces the concept of stereotype threat and provides concrete methods, known as Wise Feedback, to reduce the prevalence of stereotype threat for diverse students when receiving critical feedback.

This program is sponsored by the Academic Law Libraries SIS.

Target Audience:

The main audience for this proposed session is academic law librarians who engage in classroom instruction, specifically those who teach 1L legal research or lawyering skills. However, the content of the material can transfer to all academic law librarians who have student engagement. In addition, law firm librarians can implement these techniques in training diverse associates, new and summer, and even paralegals and paraprofessionals. The same concept applies to court librarians that facilitate research with law clerks.

Takeaways:

  • Participants will learn that critical feedback can be especially harmful to students with diverse characteristics and backgrounds due to stereotype threats.
  • Participants will learn the simple, three-step technique known as Wise Feedback to decrease the potential for negative outcomes.
  • Participants will practice the technique and be ready to implement it in their teaching immediately, which hopefully leads to better learning outcomes and a more inclusive community.