TEACHING/LEARNING PROCESS THROUGH THE CASE METHOD IN THE LAW DEGREE
European University of Valencia (SPAIN)
About this paper:
Appears in:
EDULEARN15 Proceedings
Publication year: 2015
Pages: 2121-2125
ISBN: 978-84-606-8243-1
ISSN: 2340-1117
Conference name: 7th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies
Dates: 6-8 July, 2015
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Abstract:
Introduction:
The case method in legal disciplines should be something obligatory and necessary to achieve the highest levels of professionalism. Not only is based on having a solid legal knowledge, but also is essential to teamwork, negotiate, manage projects and time and have a critical thinking and communication skills. All these are requirements to face teamwork both law firms and the courts.
Objectives:
The objectives of this work are; 1- firstly, to get transversal integration of knowledge and 2- secondly, to apply this knowledge to the practical law reality. It is intended to seek an involvement of all the students in the continuous preparation of the subjects related to the case, thereby strengthening global learning with practical application to a particular case.
Method:
This teaching strategy is a model of learning to dotage, 4th year Law Degree students at the European University of Valencia, Spain, with specific tools to operate with ease in situations of some magnitude, having to do both individual work and teamwork by oral defense of a case. This consists of simulating a trial with a real case within the treated materials. For this purpose, the teacher provides a group of students a real court case assigning a role in this case (plaintiff, defendant, defense attorney, judge, prosecutor, accused lawyer, etc.), holding various tutorials with students to explain the case and the matter they should focus on. The exposure case consists of simulated celebration trial where each part has to defend the acquired profile, this requires having a compelling legal argument, knowing master communication skills and transmitting each legal basis.
Results:
The obtained results of this teaching strategy are:
1- The student acquires legal knowledge through solving real cases coming to get better grades than those obtained in just theory classes and with a greater involvement on their part,
2- The student shows a total involvement showing a high interest, and other skills related to cooperation with peers and coordinating groups;
3- Other external skills are developed, such as empathy to understand other perspectives, critical thinking, communication skills to explain, argue, defend, debate and motivation to be doing a project based on a real situation develop.
Conclusion:
The main conclusion of the project is the achievement of a total involvement by the student in the continuous preparation of the subjects involved in the project, strengthening a global learning with practical application to a particular case and with the acquisition of generic skills, transverse and specific linked to the subject.