Playing with Ruleplay

What is ruleplay? This a neologism I use to describe the exploration of rules systems as a way of understanding legal and regulatory theory. Law has much in common with other rules systems and we can expand our understanding of regulation by comparing practices in law, sport, games and other rule-oriented contexts such as computer programming or even the following of patterns and instructions. Further, the idea of play, is an important aspect of rule-oriented activity, we test the limits, look for loopholes, find inconsistencies and develop strategies for engaging in rules environments. There is a pleasure associated with understanding, navigating and being fluent in rules.

Learning Module: Logic and legal problem solving

Download the module here.

I have a friend with a maths degree who gets enraged when anyone suggests that she must like Sudoko. It may use numbers as logical symbols but it is not maths. It is, however, logic. Logic is a subject which has fallen by the wayside with the disappearance of the Hogwarts style classical education or, rather, the expansion of academic opportunities to those who don't come from elite schools. I don't know, they may still teach logic at Eton, but who cares, really.

Teaching tip: using video in lectures

Many of us like to support our lectures with documentary or films that support learning activities, give students a different way to apply knowledge and afford them a break from listening to us rabbit on. But how do students respond to this?

Making the most out of feedback

Getting better at any activity is contingent on good quality feedback. Unfortunately, in the tertiary teaching context, we rely heavily on the bluntest of tools, the student feedback survey. While these defects are well known to those who are clued in on teaching and learning issues, they are often used by administrators and bureaucrats who don't understand how to interpret the data, especially for the purposes of promotions. Worse, some unis want to use these surveys to performance manage staff or even want to publish them like ratemyteacher.com.

Teaching tip: Attendance dropping off?

This is a common issue, once week seven or eight rolls around and all the assignments are due, it can be hard for students to get motivated to attend. Even attendance/participation marks seem to be little motivation, and many unis prohibit their use as it can be difficult to verify and moderate.

Learning Module: Household Dilemma

Download the module here.

This one is an oldie, but I think a good one. Using the scenario of conflict resolution in a student household, students step into the role of different legal theorists to answer questions about law and justice. Rather than alienate students at the start (ugh, not theory!), each of the positions is presented as a different student character - Thomas Aquinas is just Tom the theology major, Karl Llelwyn just Karl the busines student.

The Changing Face of Legal Education

It's always a little puzzling when people talk about 'traditional legal education' because legal education has always been in such flux, any equilibrium has been so temporary. It seems that those who like to use the term are a) complaining about something new being different from when they were at law school or b) use it as a straw devil, thinking that their fantastic new teaching idea is going to shake the foundations of the grey beards' orthodoxy. Take the long view and legal education as a collective effort has been changing and evolving, embracing new technologies and approaches as the law itself evolves. Common law method equips you with tools for change.