1. (De)motivators of using interactive teaching methods
Luba Krasnitskaya
University of Bialystok, Poland

2. Is regular physical activity healthy?

3. Are you engaging in regular sport activity?

4. The goal of the session is to share the outcomes of the research project concerning the teaching methods applied by teaching staff of the law faculties in Poland and Belarus.

5. Research project
The research objective is to explore the teaching methods spread at the law faculties in Poland and Belarus.
method of the research is case studies;
a research tool is an individual interview
20 lecturers from Belarus
20 lecturers from Poland
With minimum 5-year teaching experience
About 50% of them are clinical supervisers

6. Statistic data of respondents
Gender balance:
13 men
27 women

7. Questions of the interview
What is the role of a teacher in the higher legal education?
What teaching methods do respondents know?
Where do law teachers learn the teaching methods?
Why do they apply active and interactive methods?
What are reasons of non-application of interactive methods?
How do law teachers develop their pedagogical skills?

8. Based on the direction of communication
Passive teaching methods
Active teaching methods
Interactive teaching methods

9. passive/active/interactive
teacher
student
teacher
student
teacher
student

10. passive/active/interactive
teacher
student
teacher
student
teacher
student

11. Awareness of a variety of methods

12. Where do law teachers learn the teaching methods?
Number of answers

13. Where do law teachers learn the teaching methods?
I am self-educated, no one taught me the teaching methods
My way of learning how to teach is based on trial and error, although there was a subject “Didactics in the higher education” during my doctoral studies.
In the beginning of my teaching career I applied the teaching methods by intuition. There were no courses or workshops like we have nowadays
I took part in the training course “Trainers of human rights” organised by the non-governmental organisation and apply the same methods in my legal classes
I learn methods from my colleague-psychologist. She is the best in the interactive methods

14. Legal Clinic as a source of knowledge
I learned the main teaching methods in the Georgetown University in 1997 when I took part in the 3-week training course for clinical teachers.
For a long time I cooperated with the Street law programme and spread its ideas in Asia. It was very helpful in learning about interactive teaching
In 2001 I participated in the establishment of the legal clinic at my university and read a lot of literature on the clinical methods.

15. Awareness vs Application
Do you regularly engage in sport activity?

16. Session of colleagues from Russia and the USA - Collaborating to Use Technology to Teach Students Skills, Values and Knowledge
Expected outcome of the project is to increase common understanding by Russian law faculties of the meaning and purposes of interactive teaching.
„The biggest challenge was to move the Moscow State University professors towards interactive teaching ideas. It was important to break the wall and motivate them to start doing interactive elements in their classes. […] After all trainings 10 teachers started using interactive elements in their classes and shared their ideas with each other”
Legal Education Exchange,
Prague 2017

18. What encourage you to use interactive teaching methods?
Great satisfaction of students from learning process
Passion for teaching when students tell me that it was the best classes of law
Care of my health – I don’t need to speak 6 hours in a row
time passes fast and interesting
My awareness of power of interactive methods stimulates their application
Legal clinic background: „I don’t know how to teach without interactive methods”

19. Self-development of teaching skills and unexpected surprises

20. What are reasons not to apply interactive methods?
Some teachers don’t know exactly how to apply them
I had a fear to use a new method in my class without my personal experience gained during e.g.Training for Trainers.
The description of interactive methods is in English. No all teachers know it
A lack of knowledge and skills how active and intercative methods work

21. What are reasons not to apply interactive methods?
These games are more for fun
If I saw super outcomes of these methods I would apply them with my students. So far I didn’t see the outcomes
A perception of interactive methods as funny games, but not a learning tool
Learners don’t understand what a teacher expects from them during interactive workshop
Our system of education train passive students from primary school
Curriculum defines how many lectures and practical classes must be organized. Lectures must be lectures
Blame others, but not myself

22. What are reasons not to apply interactive methods?
Interactive classes are time consuming. I have only 90 minutes
I prepared materials for my interactive classes during 5 years, the next 15 years I only updated the legal provisions. No every teacher will do it.
Laziness of teachers

23. Conclusions and recommendations
Teach teachers - teachers apply those methods which they understand and know how they work
Respect for academic freedoms
Student-centred education
Interactive methods work as for 15 min exercises as well for a few-day training
A complex of passive, active and interactive methods

24. Teaching the teachers - how to establish a methodology training for future law teachers
Magdalena Klauze
6 December 14:00