We Should Teach Research More Like We Teach Writing

Legal Writing Institute Biennial ConferencePhiladelphia, PA, June 30, 2014

Beth Hirschfelder Wilenskywilensky@umich.edu

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My Focus

How should we provide feedback to our students on their research?

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Traditional Approaches

• Writing: Feedback loop consisting of draft, written and/or oral feedback, rewrite, more written feedback.

• Research: Review of research log and/or list of authorities; in-class discussion.

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Problems with Traditional Approaches to Feedback on Research

1. Difficult to figure out what student did.

2. Really difficult to figure out what student didn’t do.

3. Not real-world work product.4. Research too divorced from its use.5. Students don’t revise their research.6. Not individually-tailored.

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Research: A Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Novel

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The Solution

1. Provide students individual feedback on their research itself, not just on log/list.

2. Require students to use feedback to improve research on that assignment.

Incorporate fundamentals of writing feedback model into research feedback.

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Adapting The Writing Feedback Model to Research

1. Research conferences on written assignments.– Mid-research, outline stage, draft stage.

2. Oral conferences on research analysis.3. Student research groups.4. In-class research workshops.

– At start of major assignments.– On free-standing topics.

5. Office hours in the library.

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Key Benefits

1. Your students learn to research more effectively.

2. You learn to teach research more effectively.