The Challenges of 'Innovative' Teaching

Abstract

Despite the call for reform in legal education, law professors often struggle to modify their teaching methods, with good reasons. Teaching in a different style than other professors can feel risky and isolating, even when the material demanded different teaching methods. Innovative professors can receive bad reviews from students, colleagues, or the administration, despite implementing teaching methods grounded in educational research that address some of the most common student complaints and calls for best practices. Many of the challenges innovative teachers face result from the current culture about teaching and learning in the legal academy. This article serves to normalize the experience of the innovative educator.

Keywords: carnegie, best practices, teaching by design, pedagogy, law, teaching, innovat