BY AMY L. JARMON
WE NEED TO PROCESS LEGAL
MATERIAL THOROUGHLY
IF WE ARE TO LEARN AND
RETAIN IT SUCCESSFULLY
HOW WE ORGAIZE THE
MATERIAL FOR LEARNING
IS DETERMINED BY OUR
INDIVIDUAL PROCESSING
LEARNING PREFERENCES.
(SEE THE FEBRUARY 2011
ADVICE FROM THE INSIDE
COLUMN FOR INFORMATION
ABOUT ABSORPTION
LEARNING PREFERENCES,)
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e
are
t
SomeI, strgths
Working logically through all of a topic's steps of analysis.
Organizing exam answers or papers before writing.
Spotting sub-issues as well as major issues in fact patterns.
Work
writh a
learning
specialist to
determnine an
indiveidualized
study
approach.
Intuitive learners deal well with
concepts, theories, policies, and abstractions. They tend to notice relationships among
ideas. These learners deal well with the ambiguity of "it depends.' They often realize a
problem's solution without consciously knowing how they got to it.
Somc stenth of, intuIIveIearners%
are
Working easily through complex policy issues.
Spotting similarities and differences among cases.
Dealing well with disorganized or randomly presented material
These learners like facts, details,
and practicalities. They want to know everything about a case or sub-topic. They are
interested only in ideas that have practical applications.
Some rengtso scnsing lanrsare:
Knowing the black letter law precisely.
Remembering case names and details of cases.
Knowing more details about the law than other students.
Learners are categorized as top-down (global and intuitive), bottom-up (sequential and
sensing), or middle-out (global and sensing or sequential and intuitive). Middle-out
learners are less common than the other two types.
Know the gist of a topic, but not have in-depth knowledge.
Learn rules at a superficial level without consistent recall of specifics.
Grasp the general concepts in fact patterns, but overlook details.
"Pick by gut" and fail to analyze multiple-choice options carefully.
Write essay answers that are disorganized or lack detailed analysis.
Alter fact scenarios unconsciously by changing, deleting, or adding facts.
Finish exams too quickly without in-depth analysis of questions.
These learners can
crc tir proble areas y:
Studying for deep understanding rather than just noting essentials.
Allotting additional memorization time to learn rules precisely.
Reading and analyzing fact patterns and answer options more carefully.
Dividing each essay question's time into one-third for reading, analyzing, and
organizing and two-thirds for writing.
Asking "why?" at the end of statements and giving in-depth analysis to "connect
the dots" for the reader.
Making organized, detailed notes while reading a fact pattern rather than juggling
information in one's head.
Using all the time given and dividing it among the questions proportionally by
the professor's points or suggested time limits.
u p lernr
ma h
d
ltis cuse they tend to:
Wait too late to consolidate material into the big picture.
Work too slowly and have trouble finishing all questions on an exam.
Have difficulty organizing conceptual course material.
Have difficulty remembering policy arguments.
Miss essential case concepts by being too focused on details.
Overwork on tasks by getting bogged down in minutia.
Concentrate on rote memorization to the exclusion of more global-intuitive
study tasks.
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American Bar Association
Read too much into exam questions.
Consolidating material at the end of every topic.
Sticking to a "time chart" dividing the exam time among the questions proportionally by the professor's points or suggested time limits.
Converting conceptual material into more linear structures using methodologies,
chronologies, or hierarchies.
Linking policy to the practical ways parties use it to support their positions.
Listing the essential concepts in cases at the end of one's briefs.
Setting deadlines for task completion rather than expanding work into the available
time.
Allotting specific time blocks for outlines and practice questions.
Avoiding "what if" or "how about" thinking during exams.
Because of greater variation in combinations and scores, middle-out learners
are more individualistic than the other learners. In a sense, the middle-out learner
organizes in two opposite directions at once. Consequently, each preference "balances"
some of the difficulties of the other preference.
Active learners want to "do
something" with information: talk about it; apply it to problems; create a flowchart. Reflective learners want to think about the information before they have to do anything with it.
Active learners think while they talk and may change their answers during their
responses to questions. Reflective learners pause before answering and complete some
of the analysis internally. Consequently,
they may not explain the full analysis out
loud when talking.
Reflective learners prefer an agenda for
study groups so they can reflect on topics
and complete assigned practice questions
before the meeting. Active learners will
prefer some "anything goes" discussion time
to ask things not on the official agenda.
Most law school academic support professionals can assist you in using your learning
preferences to advantage. By combining both
the absorption and processing preferences,
students can become more efficient and effective in their studying.
AMY L. JARMON (amy.jarmon@tu.edu, assistant dean for academic success programs at
Texas Tech University School of Law, is a professor and coeditor of the Law School Academic
Support Blog. She has practiced law in the United
States and the United Kingdom.
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