As part of the ongoing work of consultation and sharing practice in the delivery of skills teaching we held a workshop in March with lecturers from provider colleges who are significantly involved in the student acquistion of skills. The workshop was opened by Deputy Director, Simon Askey, who spoke on Challenges of the Skills Agenda. This session involved a detailed examination of how we provide Skills training in the context of the Laws Benchmarks ( QAA, 2007) and the JASB statement ( 2002). Delegates considered what aspects of the outcomes would need to be assessed by way of the portfolio and which were covered in other parts of the curriculum- in particular within Common Law Reasoning and Institutions (CLRI). Discussions also included how we deliver legal research training and what more could be done. The proposed ‘Skills Bridging course’ was seen as a possible way to deliver training in legal research as was the Online Library Induction course recently launched. Ultimately it was suggested that the three areas which should remain in the portfolio were: sources and research, communication and literacy and working in teams or groups.
Patricia McKellar, Senior Lecturer in Learning and Teaching, led an interactive session on oral presentations with delegates considering what makes a good presentation and sharing aspects of their teaching practice. The session included an examination of areas where oral presentations by students could be improved e.g. students shouldn’t read the presentation and should identify an issue or focus rather than just repeating what is said in a text book. Delegates also discussed tips on confident body language and confidence in speaking. New resources are now available to support students completing their oral presentations.
The day was completed with a session from Ian McLeod, Education Consultant, on embedding skills in the curriculum and a discussion of the report he completed for the Laws programme.