The Need for Diversity in Teaching Law

Teaching law is normally depicted with students seated in a largelecture theatre with the professor in law who lectures in the traditionallecture method feeding students with the content of law. This content isfaithfully taken down by students as notes while trying to make sense ofthe professor’s lectures. This was the norm of teaching law some 20 yearsback during the author’s student time and still is the practice because thelecture method is the most efficient means to cover the vast subject contentof law. Furthermore, it is opined that it is easier to expound one’s viewsthan to ask penetrating questions which rarely provoke the activity oforiginal thinking. As such, law students are inundated with substantive andprocedural law. Little thought is given to the learning process. The corpusof learning the law becomes less significant. Emphasis is on teaching thelaw. The traditional teaching norm of lecture method is so innate that thetraditional method of teaching law is perpetuated, dragging the studentsinto a dry and boring journey of studying law. Even though the study oflaw is daunted as a serious one, but equal significance should be givento provoke the cognitive thinking of the students. Law students should betaught to think like a lawyer. Additionally, some form of creativity can bean added value in teaching law which makes learning law more vibrant.This article laments that the traditional pedagogy of teaching law merelyimparts knowledge, whereas law students should be taught to learn the law,stimulate critical thinking and ignite their cognitive skills. Keywords: law, diversity, teaching pedagogy