A More Inclusive Classroom: Considerations for the Legal Research Professor Teaching Neurodivergent Students
Start Date
31-5-2024 1:45 PM
End Date
31-5-2024 3:15 PM
Document Type
Presentation
Description
This program will provide insights into the strengths neurodivergent students bring into the legal research classroom and the challenges they may face there, as opposed to the doctrinal classroom. This program will also provide possible solutions and best practices that legal research professors can implement in their classrooms to create a welcoming and accommodating learning environment for different types of thinkers, which will not only benefit neurodivergent students but also neurotypical students. Participants will be given time during this program to adjust an in-class assignment and an out-of-class assignment to be better suited for their neurodivergent students.
Speaker Bio
Mari Cheney is a Research Librarian at Perkins Coie LLP. Prior to becoming a law firm librarian in October 2023, she was an academic law librarian for 11 and a half years and a court law librarian for three years. Mari has taught Advanced Legal Research, Administrative Legal Research, and guest lectured in first-year legal research and many other clinical and doctrinal courses. She received her JD from American University, Washington College of Law, and her MLIS in Law Librarianship from the University of Washington. In her spare time, Mari enjoys traveling, listening to audiobooks during her kids various sporting events, and live music.
Annalee Hickman Pierson is the Head of Reference and Faculty Services at the BYU Law Library in Provo, Utah. She oversees both legal reference and faculty services, provides in-depth faculty research support, and teaches two courses of legal research to 1Ls. She enjoys presenting and writing scholarship that focuses on reference and faculty services services and legal research instruction. She received her JD from BYU Law School and her MLIS from San Jose State University. In her spare time, her favorite activity is wearing matching outfits with her two little girls.
A More Inclusive Classroom: Considerations for the Legal Research Professor Teaching Neurodivergent Students
This program will provide insights into the strengths neurodivergent students bring into the legal research classroom and the challenges they may face there, as opposed to the doctrinal classroom. This program will also provide possible solutions and best practices that legal research professors can implement in their classrooms to create a welcoming and accommodating learning environment for different types of thinkers, which will not only benefit neurodivergent students but also neurotypical students. Participants will be given time during this program to adjust an in-class assignment and an out-of-class assignment to be better suited for their neurodivergent students.