Elon Law Professor Antonette Barilla recently presented scholarship at regional and international conferences on the benefits of classical instruction in rhetoric within legal education and on teaching techniques for increasingly diverse graduate program classrooms.
At the Western Regional Writing Conference at Stanford Law School, Barilla presented “Inspiring Great Writing in Law Students,” addressing law school professors from around the country on how models of classical instruction in rhetoric can be used to support law students in developing sound writing skills.
“When it comes to law school writing, there are blueprints for nearly every type of composition – from case briefing and exam writing, to the design of legal memoranda and the outline for an oral argument,” Barilla said. “These methodologies are critical to the efficient and successful practice of law. However, it is imperative that students learn not only writing that is formulaic, but also writing that reflects a facility with, confidence in, and treatment of, language that is at once evident and stirring. I propose that working with archetypes and exemplars of excellent writing, (i.e., writing that does more than convey information, but compels the reader to both pay attention to and to respect the author’s position) is imperative to professional success.”
At the 11 annual conference of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Quebec, Canada, Barilla presented “The Globalization of Higher Education.” Barilla addressed undergraduate and graduate professors from around the world, discussing how increasingly diverse populations in classrooms necessitate change in teaching methodologies.
“Education journals and leading news magazines alike note the dramatic change in graduate student populations,” Barilla said. “This population shift necessitates a critical transition in the way we teach. Teaching practices that may have been effective for students with the same language background are not as effective with classrooms of students with varying language and cultural experiences. Law schools, business programs, medical schools, and other graduate level institutions devoted to student success must be prepared to adopt teaching methodologies that take into account the challenges posed by classrooms of diverse, non-native speakers. Educators must address the three main challenge areas – socio-cultural parameters, culture-based learning preferences, and diverse writing constructions – in order to engage students and successfully facilitate the development of knowledge and understanding. I propose a variety of teaching techniques, traditionally untapped at the graduate level, be employed including the identification of learner characteristics, the use of explicit language concepts and strategic instruction, employment of classroom routine and patterning models, extensive use of team based learning groups, conferencing, and feedback, and differentiated instructional strategies, giving students multiple options for taking in information, making sense of ideas, and effectively expressing what they learn.”
Barilla is director of academic and bar support, and assistant professor of law at Elon. Born in Italy and fluent in English, Italian and Spanish, she has broad experience in the practice of international law and in legal education. Information about Elon Law Professor Antonette Barilla is available here.