Visible Learning: Adapting Primary and Secondary Pedagogical Approaches to Legal Education
Document Type
Law Review Article
Publication Date
1-2025
Keywords
educational psychology and metacognition, teaching methods
Abstract
Students of Generation Z bring a unique set of characteristics, values, and expectations to legal education. The “norm” this generation experienced as children was fundamentally different from that of anyone before them—a digital world that operated at speed, scale, and scope. This cohort of students grew up learning in elementary schools with web-based tools and learning management systems, simulations, and other online methods. At an early age, they developed an early facility with digital tools that allowed them to be self-reliant, pragmatic, and highly collaborative. This generation has also been able to access peers, trends, and news from all over the world—developing a greater appreciation for diversity and finding their own unique identities.
Like their predecessors, Generation Z students arrive at law school with diverse life, professional, and academic experiences, as well as varied learning strategies. Recognizing that “learning is not a one-size-fits-all experience,” many legal educators are willing to adapt their teaching methods to maximize student outcomes. In other words, dedicated professors are deeply invested in their students’ success.
As we welcome students of Generation Z into our law school classrooms, could gaining an understanding of their prior educational experiences provide us with additional insights? Could examining how our students have previously learned help us better strategize and inform our pedagogical approaches moving forward?
In this Article, I argue that law professors can draw inspiration from pedagogical approaches in primary and secondary education to increase law student outcomes and promote successful learning. In Part II, I describe Visible Learning, an instructional approach which has had a significant impact on K-12 classroom practices today. In Part III, I explore ways in which teaching is unclear and how Visible Learning can help law professors overcome clarity problems to improve learning. Lastly, in Part IV, I propose a conceptual framework which situates Visible Learning within the context of legal pedagogy and provide several examples law professors can use to adapt to their law classrooms.
