Teaching the Law

Teaching is a noble profession, respected since ancient Vedic era. Teaching is an art. This art can be acquired and mastered by practice. A person who has no aptitude towards teaching cannot develop this art. Teacher is an academic architect. He has a challenging role to play. ‘Teaching’ field should be the first and final choice of the candidate aspiring to become a law teacher. He should not be a person who is dragged to this field because he could not settle in advocacy. A teacher should be fully devoted to the job of teaching. Teachers are now well paid, have attractive service conditions and security of the job. Satisfied at the financial front and relieved of economic anxiety, they should put all their worth in their teaching job.

The letters of the law are dead and dull. The law teacher is expected to put life in these letters and make the topic interesting. ‘Easy go’ method of dictation of notes in the classroom should be avoided. The law teacher should endeavour to inculcate in the students importance of critical analysis of legal provisions, habit of original thinking, going at the root and genesis of a legal problem, understanding the legal provisions in the present economic, social and political perspective. Said Coke, “The reason of the law is the life of the law, for though a man can tell the law, if he knows not the reason thereof, he shall soon forget his superficial knowledge.”

Before going to the lecture, the teacher should have prepared for his lecture. A teacher should refer two or three books per subject for this purpose. He may draw notes and synopses for his lecture. Time required for preparation for 50 minutes’ lecture may vary from two hours to many hours. Teacher should strive hard to get mastery over the subject. He should acquire the knowledge in depth. He should gather knowledge of his subject through all possible avenues like reference books, periodicals, Law Reports, Internet. Teacher should keep on studying throughout his life and learn new things.

There may be interaction in the class for about 5-10 minutes. Ask some questions to the students to test whether they have understood the topic. Ask whether they have any difficulties relating to the topic taught and solve those difficulties.

Blackboard and chalk should not be the only tool of teaching. Teacher may use over-head projector. This will save wasting of time in writing on the Blackboard. When a teacher turns to the Blackboard for writing, the students often start whispering and that distracts the attention. Over-head projector also is becoming obsolete now-a- days. PowerPoint presentation is an interesting tool to teach law. The teacher should learn the techniques of using the computer and related gadgets in his teaching methods.

The lecture should not be dull, boring and monotonous. Some topics are really dull. But it is the pedagogical skill to make such topics also interesting. The lecture may be made interesting by giving examples, illustrations, analysing cases. Rarely, telling anecdote or jokes may be resorted to; but the joke should be relevant to the topic. Your lecture should reveal your enthusiasm. The lecture should cover the topic comprehensively and should be properly planned and presented. The teacher should analyse the legal provisions and explain the significance of the leading cases. Simple language should be used, easy diction should be followed; complex and difficult topics should be simplified. Teacher is not on the dais to exhibit his high level of oratory, brilliancy, talent and deep knowledge. He is there simply to communicate his knowledge to the students in the form and style easily understandable to the students. His role is of conduit pipe through which knowledge is to flow freely and unobstructed to the students. Many law teachers lose sight of this important thing and go on pouring heavy knowledge on the heads of the students without caring to know as to the quantum and the quality of the knowledge that actually is being absorbed and imbibed by the students. This type of knowledge-loaded lecture of a law teacher, at times is barren and in fact it is his self-praising and not an attribute of good law teaching. The teaching methods should be so improved that the students are attracted towards class-rooms like a moth towards a flame. There are such ideal, distinguished teachers, though few in number, whose lectures no students wish to miss. Such teacher should be a role model for other law teachers to copy.

English is the medium of teaching for law course. Teacher should acquire command over language. Pronunciation should be correct, spelling (while writing on the blackboard) should be correct. Speech and writing should be grammatically correct. If students find mistakes in your English, they will lose their respect for you. Increase your vocabulary and improve your English. Simple way to improve the English language is reading English newspaper daily at least for 15 minutes and watching English news on TV daily for half an hour.

The law teacher should keep himself abreast of recent developments in his subject, especially with respect to the amendments and landmark judgements of the apex court. The law teacher may innovate new method of teaching e.g. he may formulate a legal quiz on his subject and conduct that quiz in the class-room at least once in a month. This exercise inevitably creates interest in the students and polishes their memory. Teaching by ‘Case Method’, ‘Problem Method’ and ‘Discussion Method’ is also very useful in imparting knowledge of legal principles. Teacher should ask the students to read leading cases from original Law Reports. Then the teacher should bring about group discussion of that case in the class-room. The discussion would be on the facts of the case, ratio decidendi, obiter dicta, if any, in that case. The teacher should explain to the students if that case overrules or distinguishes any earlier case and possible repercussions of the case. The students should be asked to argue for or against the decision of that case.

Factors which have indirect favourable effect on the delivery of lecture are: Properly fitting dress, clean shaven or properly trimmed beard, fresh and confident looks, relaxed body and mind, punctuality and presence of mind of the teacher.

A law teacher should be quite familiar with the college library. He must know which periodicals, which Law Reports are being subscribed to, which text-books which reference books and which Law Lexicons are available in the library and in which cup-board these books are stored. A law teacher should enrich his personal library. A law teacher should purchase every five years revised editions of relevant text-books and reference books of his subject. This keeps his knowledge updated. Rich personal library is an asset to the law teacher.

It is said that a good teacher is a person who never teaches, but only creates an atmosphere favourable for learning!