Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 39, Number 18, July 26, 1976.
'Socratic Sanity - '77?
' Socratic Sanity - '77?
1. Unconstructive pressure in one course, whether for reasons of 'filtering' or a dogmatic belief in a particular teaching 'style', can and does [ unclear: puce] adverse stress in the student which affects the work in that course, [ unclear: a en] work in other courses in which [ unclear: iously] satisfactory results were bring obtained.
2. Law is an introduction and skill not only for practice, but also for commerce, administration, and as a valuable mental framework for other social science disciplines.
Law faculty should set its standards, ther aim to have, and encourage, as many students as possible to pass.
It is the student's responsibility to find a job, whether in private practice. Government legal departments, administration, or commerce, etc.
Law passes should not be governed by the fluctuating fortunes of private firms' conveyancing.
Law skills of analysis, distinguishing, constructing and criticising legal arguments are something that needs on-going instruction - not just the Legal System "lick-anda-promise". And encouragement - not mere unconstructive criticism or abuse.
4. No discipline has one, 'received', theory. The insistence on students 'discovering' their lecturer's view of theory, and falling into line with it, offers neither time nor opportunity to theorise for oneself, and have those theories constructively argued. The non-constructive criticising acts as a "clobbering machine".
5. Lecturers are still students. Even the least knowledgeable, least sophisticated, present student has some insight to contribute. The skillful, professional teacher is the one who can create the sympathetic climate to encourage that student to make that contribution. [Education: to draw out from].
6. Finally: " Stress Teaching is Mess Teaching". Mass teaching we must put up with, both students and lecturers. Mess teaching neither of us need.
[ unclear: -] Tim Hart