John P. Joergensen, Rutgers University School of Law (Newark): “Scaffolding”
John Joergensen is the Associate Dean for Information Services at Rutgers University School of Law – Newark. Professor Joergensen explains how a teacher can effectively communicate with students in his presentation, “Scaffolding.” He presented this in the Applying Learning Theory Pod at the 2014 Igniting Law Teaching conference, hosted by LegalED. Good teachers are well organized, empathetic, and effective; they instinctively understand how to connect with students and simulate learning. Professor Joergensen explains that this is done because of effective scaffolding, and by engaging students within their Zone of Proximal Development. He asserts that understanding these two concepts and applying them consistently is an extremely useful too in consistently good teaching. It makes great teachers consistently great, and provides a framework for the rest of us to understand exactly what we need to do to be better.
As the Associate Dean for Information Services, Professor Joergensen teaches Advanced Legal Research and is best known for developing digital library collections. He received the 2007 Public Access to Government Information Award from the American Association of Law Libraries for his work with digital library collections. In 2011, he was named to the Fastcase 50 as one of the country’s “most interesting and provocative leaders in the combined fields of law, scholarship, and technology.”
LegalED aims to harness the power of the internet for legal educations. It facilitates blended or flipped learning – by migrating lectures to the web, LegalED frees up classtime for active learning that challenges students to learn the essential lawyering competencies while they are in law school. Professors may assign the videos in any combination for students to view outside of the classroom for active learning that challenges students to learn the essential lawyering competencies while they are in law school. LegalED seeks to develop and maintain a vibrant online community of teachers and students of the law, creating a central hub for the community. Through the video collection, teachers can be inspired to borrow, adapt, and bring great teaching moments into their own courses. With an internet platform, LegalED opens up formerly isolated classrooms by sharing showcasing, celebrating and inspiring innovative teaching. Simply put, the vision of LegalED is to inspire innovation in legal education. Join the movement!
The LegalED 2015 Igniting Law Teaching conference will take place on Friday, March 20th, from 9am to 6pm. Register to attend in person or live stream the event.