text:
Saturday, November 8, 2014

Being an Introvert in Law School

Law school attracts extroverts and in many ways is designed for them.  An astute law student must highlight their successes, be vocal participants in a Socratic classroom, and zealously advocate in order to thrive in the competitive law school environment.  However, being an introvert does not mean that an individual cannot excel in law school or contribute meaningfully to the practice of law.

There is a great TED talk by Susan Cain, a lawyer turned writer, who explores introversion and the value of quiet.   In this TED talk, she implores everyone to “stop the constant group work”, “unplug and get inside your own head”, and share your gifts with others.  Part of her manifesto includes a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”  How beautiful would it be for law school classrooms to honor the quiet introvert as much as the outspoken extrovert?  Is it possible to encourage “gentle shaking” in a law school doctrinal classroom?  Here are a few suggestions that will help introverts feel more comfortable speaking up and contributing in a sometimes intimidating law school classroom.

  • Rethink participation during class and provide alternative means to have students engage with the material or with each other.
  • See each student as an individual who expresses their ideas and knowledge in multiple and various ways.
  • Have students sign up to be the expert for a particular class period or for a particular set of cases.
  • Use think- pair-share prior to full classroom discussions about a topic, case, or set of problems.
  • Distribute or post discussion questions with the reading assignment prior to class.
  • Allow students to pass in class (within reason).
  • Teach students how to brief cases and prepare for class discussions.  This type of transparency will create more engaged students and lead to a more a dynamic discussion.
  • Do not call on students too quickly.  Let the question stew with the class and allow introverts more time to reflect and process.
  • Consider a flipped classroom so that students feel more prepared to discuss and/or participate during class time.
  • Use technology in the classroom.  Technology is ubiquitous, and can be integrated it into the classroom to provide added layers of participation and engagement- especially for diverse learners.
  • Create learning groups, which will help make a large law school classroom more accessible to introverts.
  • Reflect on your own learning style and personality.  How do they affect your teaching style and how is your delivery received by extroverts and introverts?  How can alter your style to be more inclusive?

(Lisa Bove Young)

November 8, 2014 in Advice, Learning Styles, Teaching Tips | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Friday, September 26, 2014

Working with Each Individual Student's Choices

I really enjoy my students.  It is a privilege to help them reach their academic potential.  With new strategies, encouragement, and regular support many of the students who were struggling can make a major turn-around.  When they stop by or email me to tell me about the high grade on a midterm, a positive critique on a paper, their first B grades in law school, and other triumphs, I share their joy.

Each student is unique in the combination of learning styles, personal and academic challenges, course difficulties, and more.  Although there are strategies that work for most students, those strategies may not be a match with others.

I discuss with my students that the materials that I give them will pull together strategies that have worked for many students - strategies that are based on memory and learning theory as well as other research.  I explain the reasons for the strategies and their relevance to grades, future bar passage, and ultimately to practice.  I also encourage them that if the strategies do not work for them as individuals that we need to explore what strategies will work for them.  We can work as a team to modify approaches or brainstorm new approaches that will work.

Most students are eager to become more successful learners.  They readily become part of the team to improve their academics.  They want to learn more deeply, to improve their skills, and to improve their later performance on the bar exam and in practice.  The meetings become a dialogue seeking the strategies that work best for them as individuals.  We discuss, tweak, and brainstorm together.

One challenge to a team effort is that some students are resistant to any change in their study habits even when their grades indicate that their past strategies have not been successful.  Change is frightening when the consequence of not making grades is dismissal from law school.  Change is stressful when they are struggling with the first bad grades in a lifetime and silently question whether  other law students are smarter.  Change is very uncomfortable when old habits feel so safe in comparison to new techniques.

With these students, I discuss strategies that will move their studies closer to success within their limited comfort with change.  As they see positive results with small steps, they are often willing to try additional small changes.  Unfortunately, because they limit the number and range of strategies, they often also limit their academic improvement compared to other students who are open to change.

Another challenge to a team effort is that some students are not invested in their academics to a level that allows them to live up to their true academic potential.  For a few, the reality is that responsibilities and circumstances outside of law school limit their time for studying.  Examples of these aspects would be care for elderly parents, serious medical illness in the family, personal illness, or financial problems.  For other students, the extra hours that law school requires to get high grades does not seem worth the effort.  They are content with studying enough hours to keep their grades above the academic standards but not more than that amount.

With these students, I work together to get more results from the time invested.  Where time is being consumed by study methods that get little oomph, it can be boosted by more effective strategies.  Often undergraduate study methods can be modified for law study to get more traction. These students can still improve some - though again the reality is that their improvement is likely to be less than students who have more hours to invest in effective study.

Throughout the process, I try to encourage students, to read between the lines as to what is going on with them, and to be supportive.  Each student has to make a decision as to what strategies are feasible to implement within the personal framework of that student.  The individual's parameters will determine the student's overall success in academics.  I can be a guide and a partner in the process.  The student has to make the final choices as to time and effort.  I have to respect their choices even when I recognize that they will not meet their full academic potential.  (Amy Jarmon)

September 26, 2014 in Learning Styles, Miscellany, Study Tips - General | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Quick Tips for Visual Learners

If you learn through visual methods, consider the following study techniques:

Use easy visual strategies that allow you to see material better:

  1. Bulleted or numbered lists
  2. Bold, italics, underlining, all caps, etc.
  3. Color coding for rules, policies, important case names.
  4. Indentation to show organizational hierarchy.
  5. Graphic organizers: timelines, tables, Venn diagrams, spider maps, etc.

Buy a whiteboard so that you can organize material as you think about it and then convert it to hard copy.  A large whiteboard can be used at home; a small whiteboard can be kept in your carrel at school.

Check out the variety of visual organizers you could use by visiting these websites:

Turn facts into visual images in your mind (mental motion pictures or photographs) to remember examples of when a rule applies and when it does not or when an element is met and when it is not.  The visuals help with issue spotting.

Memorize information through visual images.  For negligence: duty is a soldier standing at attention, breach is a tank breaking through a wall, etc.

Use index cards tacked on a bulletin board to arrange information visually to see the inter-relationships.  Different colors of index cards can be used to indicate categories or importance.

Purchase one of the software packages that makes it easy to create visuals.  One example can be found at - but many products exist.

If someone else's visual is too complex, deconstruct it.  Start with the basics and then build the visual one layer at a time so that you can understand it.

Check out various study aids to see which series with visuals is most helpful to how you see information: Crunch Time, Gilbert's Outlines, Kaplan PMBR Finals.

As a visual learner, determine what strategies work best for you.  Although visual learners have some commonalities, each individual has favorite techniques that work for that person but not everyone.  (Amy Jarmon)

September 6, 2014 in Learning Styles | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Study Groups: Make Them Work for You

Working with others to prepare for exams can be an uplifting and productive experience.  However, it can also cause frustration and waste valuable study time.  Therefore, as you begin to prepare for your final exams, reflect on whether a study group could be a beneficial or whether you should steer clear of them.  If you decide to move forward with a study group keep these considerations in mind:

  • Think about your study goals and your expectations for the study group before agreeing to work with others.
  • Be thoughtful about the group size, meeting times, and purpose.  Explicitly agree to all of these parameters.  A larger study group that meets at night may not be the most effective for you if you are not a night owl and prefer small groups.
  • Have each group member identify their learning style.  If 3 out of 4 are read/write learners and you are aural, it may not be the right group for you.
  • Establish a start time and an end time for your study group sessions.  Time is of the essence and you do not want your study group to take over all of your free time.
  • Try to keep open lines of communication.  End each session with a recap and reflection to discuss whether the session was productive.  Or, follow up via email with suggestions for the next group meeting.
  • Create an agenda that will help each member of the study group come to the meeting prepared.  Knowing what to expect will help retain the focus of the group meeting and help everyone stay on task.
  • Give everyone in the study group a chance to take on a leadership role like: drafting the agenda, leading the discussion, providing handouts or examples, or scheduling the sessions.  When everyone plays a part in the process, a more cohesive group will develop.
  • When you leave you study group sessions, how do you feel?  If you feel positive, that is a good sign.  But, go one step further.  List the top five things you learned during the session.  You want more than a warm and fuzzy feeling after meeting with your study group.  Revisit your personal goals for the group session and make sure that you assess whether you are consistently meeting those goals.

Ultimately, a study group can be a great way for you to grasp difficult legal concepts and to review for final exams.  Additionally, a study group can provide a great support network and can help you avoid procrastination.  Good luck on your finals!

(Lisa Young)

December 5, 2013 in Exams - Studying, Learning Styles | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Solving Study Group Problems

Some of my law students avoid study groups because of prior problems they had with group work during undergraduate study.  You know the problems:

  • a slacker who let everyone else do the work on the group project but got the same good grade
  • the student recounting the story did all the work for the group so it was done right
  • a dominating person who demanded things be done the way s/he said
  • an unpleasant person who sneered at or put down the others in the group
  • a disorganized group that took longer than necessary on every task
  • a totally confused person who slowed down the group's progress
  • a group meeting that degenerated into a social occasion every time

Some of my law students avoid study groups because of prior problems with law school study groups.  The problems were usually law variations of the above problems.

Here are some tips for making study groups positive experiences with good results:

  • Realize that study group is somewhat of a misnomer.  The purpose is not to study together every day (as in read and brief every case together).  The groups are typically tied to review and application tasks.
  • The size of the group often correlates to the number of problems that a study group will have.  The highest number range that generally works well is three or four students.  Group dynamics and logistics become more difficult as the number of people increases beyondthat number.
  • The group needs to have agreement on the purposes for the group.  Examples: Will the group make outlines together?  Will the group members instead share their own outlines?  Will the group review topics/subtopics in depth each week?  Will the group do practice questions together?
  • The group needs to have agreement on how often it wants to meet and whether it wants a set day and time to meet each week.
  • The group needs to have agreement on the etiquette for the group.  Examples: Does everyone have to agree for someone to be added to the group?  How will the group handle someone who is a slacker? How will the group curtail rudeness, arrogance, or other negative dynamics?  Will the group share group-generated materials with non-group members?
  • The group needs to recognize different learning styles and structure itself in a way that facilitates learning for everyone.  All learning styles have merit: global processing, intuitive processing, sequential processing, sensing processing, reflective thinking, active thinking, visual, verbal, aural/oral, kinesthetic/tactile, etc.  Some examples of how differences can be acommodated and honored are:
  1. Globals and intutivies focus on breadth; sequentials and sensors focus on depth.  All four processing styles are legitimate.  Each student prefers two of the four styles.  All four styles used together will allow students to look at material from 360 degrees for better learning.
  2. Reflective thinkers will learn more from the experience if each meeting has an agenda for most of the time so they can prepare and reflect ahead of time (we will cover depreciation and do problems 1-3 in the practice question book at the next meeting).  Active thinkers can usually tolerate an agenda as long as a portion of the group time is open-ended (we can bring up any question or topic after the structured part of the session).
  3. Aural (listening) learners may listen quietly rather than participate in the discussion or may summarize at the end of the discussion.  Oral (talking) learners may ask lots of questions or learn by explaining material to the others.
  4. Visual learners may want the group to work on flowcharts, spider maps, or other visual organizers.  Verbal learners may want the group to use acronyms to condense rules or concepts.
  5. Kinesthetic learners will need some breaks within a long study group session.  Tactile learners will stay more focused during active learning such as practice problems.
  • If a study group is having difficulties with group dynamics, decisions about purposes or etiquette, or using its time well, the academic success professional at the law school may be able to make suggestions on how to correct or minimize the problems.
  • Some students will prefer to choose one study partner rather than have a study group.  This option is fine.  The important thing is getting at least one other perspective on the material outside one's own head.

If used well, study groups or study partners can be a positive boost to learning.  (Amy Jarmon)

October 3, 2013 in Learning Styles, Study Tips - General | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Memorization: The Final Week of Bar Prep

During the final week of bar prep, memorization is paramount.  Overlearning the law is the best way to conquer the bar exam.  MBE success requires quick recollection and MEE success requires depth of knowledge- both of which rely on memorization.

When studying this week, above all, try to understand your learning preference(s).  Listening to your inner voice and sticking with what works best for you is the best way to be successful with your memorization.  However, if you are still looking for other ways to memorize, here are a few ideas:

  • Find creative ways to interact with the material and keep it fresh.
  • Use a study partner or significant other to test you on your knowledge with flashcards or just talk out a subject together.
  • Create tables, flowcharts, or diagrams to illustrate difficult rules or concepts.  Even drawing pictures can help you create a memorable visual.
  • Use other memory devices such as: flash cards, sticky notes, white boards, or a tape recorder.
  • Create mnemonics that have meaning to you or use ones that have been created by your bar prep.
  • Explain the main points of a subject or essay to someone else (a family member, friend, or roommate).  Or, talk to yourself- it's ok, you are studying for the bar!
  • Color code, use different fonts, or hand-write rules over and over in order to individualize the material and make it more memorable.
  • Read your lecture notes or outline/study-aid aloud, record it, play it back and listen to it.
  • Study while you move- walk, ride a bike, bounce on an exercise ball, or use an elliptical.

Good luck on your memorization this week!

July 23, 2013 in Bar Exam Issues, Bar Exam Preparation, Bar Exams, Exams - Studying, Learning Styles, Study Tips - General | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Why Global-Intuitive Students May Mistake Superficial Analysis for the Real Thing

Global processors are always looking for the big picture, the overview, or the roadmap in learning - they want to know the essentials and the end result.  Intuitive processors are curioius about concepts, abstractions, theories, and policies and seek out relationships among ideas - they are synthesis peole.  When these two breadth-processing styles combine as strong preferences, the learners can sometimes assume they know a course when they only know the gist of a course.

These processors are more tempted to take shortcuts in learning: skim a case, read the canned brief, produce a cursory outline, and write conclusory memos.  They often come out of exams with comments like "I guess I didn't know Torts as well as I thought."  They are shocked when reviewing an exam to see that they never analyzed element three even though they knew the analysis.  The analysis stayed in their heads instead of making it to the paper for the professor to grade.

Global-intuitive students tend to make mistakes on exams that stem from their breadth of learning without sufficient depth of learning, thinking, and organizing.  For example, on fact-pattern essay exams, they leave out the steps of their analysis because they think the professor will know how they got from point A to point D without having to lay it out.  It is true that the professor knows how to get there, but the professor needs to know that the student knows how to get there (rather than a lucky guess) to give points on the exam.  On multiple-choice exams, they tend to pick by gut rather than carefully consider every answer option.  Consequently, they look at the options that match their conclusion (guilty, admissible, liable) and miss the best answer that is not guilty unless, inadmissible unless, or liable only if.  Alternatively, they may not know which of two better answers is best because they do not know the nuances of the law on which the question turns.

There are several ways that global-intuitive students can help themselves to develop more in-depth understanding of the law and gain more points on exams:

  • Avoid shortcuts that tempt one to only know the gist of a course: canned briefs, scripts, outlines of other students.
  • Spend time memorizing the precise wording of the rules, definitions of elements, and other law so that one is not fuzzy on elements, factors, variations. or other items.
  • For essay exams: Write out fact-pattern essay answers instead of just thinking about them; get feedback from professors, teaching assistants, or classmates on the depth of analysis.
  • For multiple-choice exams: Complete lots of practice questions and read the answer explanations in the book to learn the nuances of the law rather than just the gist of the law.
  • Take the time to read, analyze, and organize an essay answer.  The rule of thumb is to use 1/3 of the time for a question to do these steps and then 2/3 of the time to write the answer.
  • Use a chart to organize the essay answer rather than hold information in one's head.  Rows can indicate the parties to the dispute.  Columns can indicate the elements or factors that need to be discussed.  One can enter facts, cases to be mentioned, and policy arguments in the appropriate cells as a careful read of the fact pattern is completed.
  • When writing the essay answer, change the audience one writes to - instead of writing to the professor, write the answer as though explaining the law to a non-lawyer (your cousin, grandmother, little brother).  Connecting the dots is easier when writing to a lay audience.
  • When writing the essay answer, ask "why?" at the end of each sentence.  If an explanation for the statement is not there, keep writing and add the "because" to the sentence.
  • Carefully weigh each answer choice on multiple-choice tests; look for the best answer rather than the superficially right answer.
  • Slow down in exams and use all of the time given.  Global-intuitives tend to finish early which often indicates that they missed smaller issues, did not fully analyze the arguments, or did not read the questions carefully enough.

  (Amy Jarmon)

April 2, 2013 in Learning Styles, Reading, Study Tips - General | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Monday, April 1, 2013

Why Sequential-Sensing Students May Mistake Class Preparation for the Ultimate Goal

Sequential processors focus on the individual units before them (cases, subtopics, topics) rather than look at the bigger picture (how these units combine into a whole).  Sensing processors focus on details, facts, and practicalities rather than look at ideas or synthesis (the inter-relationships of concepts, subtopics, etc.).  When these two depth-processing styles are combined in a student as strong preferences, the students can become too focused on pieces and detail and miss the broader view, inter-relationships, and policy arguments.

Several strong sequential-sensing learners have mentioned to me in the last few weeks that they feel that the only time they are focused on what really matters is when they are reading and briefing for class.  When they are outlining, reviewing their outlines, or doing practice questions (all of these steps are in their weekly schedules), they fear that they are not expending their energies on what really counts.

After several of these comments came close together, I decided to step back and analyze why these issues were surfacing after I thought we had discussed what one is trying to accomplish in law school courses.  I realized that for these individuals we had not yet fully formulated what one does in law school versus what one will do in one's specialty in practice.

These students saw their job in law school as learning all the law in a course so that they were ready to practice that legal area later.  They had missed the fact that they are learning topics for a course (but not all of the law for that specialty) to gain critical thinking and writing skills and general knowledge to solve new legal problems (for exams).  Once they are in practice, they will focus on learning all they can about their own practice area(s).  However, law school does not expect that level of in-depth study; it expects familarity with a variety of areas of law and application of the concepts to new legal scenarios.

Sequential-sensing students feel more secure in preparing for class because they mistakenly think that memorizing everything about individual cases is the most important task.  Because synthesis and big-picture thinking are more uncomfortable for them (especially if policy is involved), they feel less convinced that outlines, review, and practice questions are full-fledged studying.

Once these students realize that class preparation is important but not the be-all and end-all, the light-bulb comes on for them.  They are still less comfortable with the synthesis and big-picture thinking that lead to application, but they can see those broader study tasks as legitimate.  By releasing themselves mentally from having to know every minute detail in each case and each sub-topic and each legal area, they begin to make the transition to the additional levels of learning that will allow them to succeed on exams. They push themselves to synthsize the material and fit it into the bigger picture.  They realize that practice questions assist them in this process and help them to apply the law on exams.  (Amy Jarmon)

April 1, 2013 in Learning Styles, Reading, Study Tips - General | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Leave Your Point of View at the Fact Pattern Door: Part 2 of 2 (Guest post by Seth Aiken, UMass Law)

In the first installment of this post, I suggested that for some law students, life experience and a strongly held point of view can get in the way of law school success. “Older” students, having lived and worked and experienced a little more than most of their peers can tend to let their own point of view and perceptions about the world interfere with legal reasoning. Rather than seeing the legally significant issues in a fact pattern, they focus on the implausibility of the facts and how unlikely or unfair a scenario seems in the context of their own experience or personal values.

With these students, my strategy is to have them start by adding a phrase to the beginning of the first sentence of every essay question, “On an island that you’ve never been to and where no visitors ever go…(essay question begins). I want them to remember that a fact pattern is a closed universe and that adding facts or injecting personal insights into it will only derail their best efforts.

Then I give my students five steps for looking at a fact pattern and drawing out the legally important issues:

  • Call of the Question – Start at the end of the exam and read the call of the question so you understand what you are being asked to do.
  • Acts – Rather than trying to spot and analyze whole issues, start instead by reading the fact pattern sentence-by-sentence and highlighting any act or failure to act by a party – anything someone in your fact pattern says, does, or chooses not to do.
  • Resist Judgment – You do not have enough information yet to know whether any of these acts give rise to a legally significant issue. Resist making any judgment about whether the act is relevant, worthwhile, good, bad or otherwise because all you know right now, is that somebody said or did something.
  • Elements – Assuming you studied and know all the elements of every issue you might be tested on, go to each act and consider if it could be one element of an issue. Remember, don’t skip or overlook an act just because it seems like a little thing. The seriousness or severity of the action doesn’t matter. Whether you think the action would lead to a legal action in real life doesn’t matter. What matters is whether that act in the fact pattern, taken at face value could satisfy one element of something you are being tested on. On the other hand, you don’t want to force an issue that simply isn’t relevant. Some facts ARE there to tempt you into a time-wasting, grade-crushing wild goose chase. In order to stay on target, ask:

a) Is the issue you’re thinking about within the testable universe? (i.e. DO NOT analyze a Criminal Law issue in a Torts exam.)

b) Is this issue relevant to the call of the question? (i.e. DO NOT discuss the rights of B vs. C when the question is asking only about the rights of A vs. B.)

c)  Are there other facts that satisfy each of the other necessary elements to make out this issue? DO NOT speculate about other elements based on your common sense or some past experience.

Success vs. Relevance – This is the fifth and final step I ask my students to think about because I want the word “success” to trigger a few different cautionary flags.

The success of the issue: Just because a complaining party has a weak case (weak elements) and is likely to lose doesn’t mean the issue isn’t worth raising. If you can make a good faith, “straight-faced” argument that each of your elements is supported by some fact or facts, it is probably a relevant issue, win or lose. In fact if you can make a good faith argument that MOST of your elements are supported by facts, you should raise the issue. Weak facts or a missing element bear on the success of an issue, but are never a reason to not raise it. Being able to explain to your professor why an issue fails is just as important as being able to show why an issue succeeds.

The successes a student brings into the exam:  You are walking into the exam with a point of view based in your life experience.  Your successes and accomplishments have equipped you to identify and solve many challenging problems, to relate to people and empathize with their circumstances. HOWEVER – here in this exam, you must leave those successes and accomplishments behind. Relating to the people in your fact pattern and empathizing with their circumstances will distract you from seeing what is relevant and keep you from engaging in effective legal analysis.

Seth-Thomas Aitken, UMass School of Law - Dartmouth

February 24, 2013 in Advice, Diversity Issues, Exams - Studying, Guest Column, Learning Styles, Teaching Tips | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Friday, February 22, 2013

Leave Your Point of View at the Fact Pattern Door: Part 1 of 2 (Guest Post by Seth Aiken, UMass Law)

For some law students, life experience and a strongly held point of view can be immense stumbling blocks to law school success.

I began to think about this last semester working with several students in my 1L class. Relative to the majority of law students, these students were older, which is to say they had lives after undergrad – careers, families, mortgages and other “grown-up” milestones. Each came to law school with a clear point of view, seeing his or her world through a lens of experiences, beliefs and ideals accumulated over years. One student had been a nurse and another was a university librarian. One had struggled with substance abuse and one student, already a working mother of four young children had recently earned her undergraduate degree.  When I met these students it was clear that each was rightfully proud of where they had been, or at least what they had overcome to get here. They remained very mindful of and connected to the lessons learned in former lives and seemed hesitant to loosen their grip on those memories for fear of losing themselves in the disorienting new world of law school.

As I worked with these students on ways to approach hypothetical fact patterns, I noticed that many had great difficulty issue-spotting. They focused rather on the implausibility of the fact pattern and how unlikely or unfair a scenario seemed in the context of their own experience or personal values. Most often, talking with a student about why he or she didn’t raise a certain important issue in his or her practice answer, I would find out that the student saw the issue, but chose not to raise it, deciding that in “real life” nobody would seriously go to court over those facts, or that it didn’t make sense to spend time discussing an action that would be obviously unsuccessful. Years of engaging in moral reasoning and practical life decision-making seemed to have handicapped these students’ ability to engage in effective legal analysis.

This challenge posed a difficult conundrum.  In order to support my students, I needed to connect with them, earn their trust and demonstrate that I sincerely understood and valued who they were and where they had come from to get here. On the other hand, I had to ask them to look past those valuable former-life lessons and experiences in order to develop the analytical flexibility required to succeed in the law.

So my compromise solution has been to adapt an essay exam strategy that capitalizes on the likelihood my students would focus on the story and the actions of the parties in a fact pattern before recognizing the legally significant issues.

I start with one general instruction:  Always, always always add a single phrase to the beginning of the first sentence of every essay question, “On an island that you’ve never been to and where no visitors ever go…(essay question begins).  I remind them that fact patterns exist in isolation, as if on an island. No facts can be added and no additional facts are needed. They must also be mindful of the island’s inherent hostility and distrust toward visitors, outside opinions or new perspectives. A student’s point of view and common-sense life lessons, while personally valuable and hard-won, will prove confusing and unwelcome if brought to the island and applied to the facts.  With this simple, starting prompt, I hope to remind students, whether they are prone to mix life experience with legal reasoning or not, to keep an objective mind about the fact pattern so that they, in turn, don’t  lose the objective of the exam.  The additional tools I give students to avoid this pitfall and others will follow in a later post.

Seth-Thomas Aitken, UMass School of Law - Dartmouth

February 22, 2013 in Guest Column, Learning Styles, Teaching Tips | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

How Do I Memorize All These Rules?

Law students have a large number of items to memorize so that they can state the law precisely, know the exact definitions, use the correct steps of analysis, ask the right questions to analyze a topic, or connect the right policy arguments to a topic.  At times the volume of information to remember can be daunting.

Here are some things that can be helpful when students are considering how they want to do memory drills:

Memory drills usually work best in shorter bursts of 30 minutes or less.

The number of memory drill time blocks per week will depend on the number of rules or other items that must be memorized.  A course with lots of rules will need more drill blocks than one with fewer rules.

Because the brain can only memorize a few chunks of information at a time, memory work should be distributed throughout the semester rather than crammed in at the end of the semester.

Memory techniques should be matched to what works for an individual student - how did one successfully memorize material in the past, for example.

A combination of memory techniques may be needed by one student while another student has one memory technique that always works.

Possible ways to memorize material include:

  • Flashcards: some students learn more by handwriting their own than using software
  • Writing a rule out multiple times
  • Reciting a rule aloud multiple times
  • Drawing a spider web, mind map, or other visual of the rule
  • Acronyms: taking the first letter of each word (for example the elements) and remembering them with a silly sentence (duty, breach, causation, harm becomes DBCH and then becomes Debbie's boa constrictor hid).
  • Rhymes or sayings: assault and battery are like ham and eggs.
  • Storytelling: coming up with a story that weaves together the words (for example, the soldier was on DUTY when a tank BREACHed the wall of the fort, etc.)
  • Peg method: combining a numbered list with rhyming words (one bun, two shoe, three tree, four door, etc.) and then a visual image combining the item (bun, shoe, etc.) with the word that needs to be remembered (example: one bun duty is a sticky bun with a soldier saluting it; two shoe breach is a man's business shoe with a tank tearing apart the toe as it drives out, etc.)

Every student has to put in the time memorizing the material.  However, remember that memorization alone will not garner a high grade.  It is the beginning of learning.  One has to understand what is being memorized and be able to apply the material to new legal scenarios on the exam with a thorough analysis.  (Amy Jarmon)

September 26, 2012 in Learning Styles, Study Tips - General | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Thursday, August 23, 2012

The Beloit Mindset List

Thank you to John Edwards at Drake for reminding us that it is the time of year for the Mindset List.

Beloit College has published its latest list which explores the world view of entering college freshmen (Class of 2016).  I have included a link to it here for all of you who want to know what to expect in four years:

Beloit Mindset 2016

For those of you who want to refresh yourselves on what the Beloit Mindset List said about the Class of 2012 who just graduated from college and is now represents many of our new 1L class, the link for the list is here:

Beloit Mindset 2012 Graduates New 1L Students

And if you want to remind yourself about our 2L and 3L students or our non-traditional students, you can browse the lists for respective years at the main page:

Beloit Mindset By Year

I am always a bit surprised at some of the items on the list while others make me chuckle.  Those references that we all use in class become more outdated each year.  (Amy Jarmon)

August 23, 2012 in Learning Styles, Miscellany | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Fixed and Growth Mindsets - Another Resource

Thanks to Jennifer Cooper at Thomas Jefferson for the mention on the ASP Listserv of a book review recently written by Tracy Turner, who is at Southwestern, regarding Dweck's book and using the mindset ideas in legal writing: Teaching Ourselves and Our Students to Embrace Challenge.  (Amy Jarmon)

May 23, 2012 in Learning Styles, Teaching Tips, Writing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Additional Items on the Fixed Mindset and Growth Mindset

Hat tip to Jennifer Romig at Emory University for a link on the LRW Prof listserv for an article on using fixed-mindset feedback versus growth-mindset feedback with students who are struggling.  The summary on several studies dealing with undergraduate math students can be found here: Be Careful When Comforting Struggling Students.

Also a hat tip to Myra Orlen at Western New England for information on an article about Dweck's work and how the mindsets apply to law student assessment:

"Carrie Sperling, Arizona State College of Law, has co-authored an article entitled "Fixing Students' Fixed Mindsets: Paving the Way for Meaningful Assessment." The article draws upon Carol Dweck's work and places that work directly in the law school context."

For more information about Carrie: Carrie Sperling.  For an abstract and download version of her article: Fixing Students' Fixed Mindsets

I have found Dweck's concepts helpful in working with my students.  These extra resources are useful to anyone interested in learning more about the mindsets.  (Amy Jarmon)

May 17, 2012 in Learning Styles, Miscellany, Teaching Tips | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Free Trials for Graphic Organizer Software

Students and ASP professionals are always looking for ways to turn information into visuals.  There are several products that provide free trials of their software.  With the one exception noted, you will lose your work after the 30-day period unless you purchase the software.  So, print out what you make before your trial period ends if you are not going to purchase the software.

SmartDraw:; free download (doesn't say how long the trial lasts)

NovaMind5:; 30-day free trial

Inspiration:; 30-day free trial

The Brain:; 30-day free trial; will be able to access Personal Brain software after 30 days, but cannot edit or make new graphic organizers - the features in the purchased product are amazing, but this one is probably  not within most student budgets.

Have fun making your graphic organizers for exam study and workshop presentations.  (Amy Jarmon)

November 29, 2011 in Exams - Studying, Learning Styles, Miscellany, Study Tips - General | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Learning differences between English and Chinese learners

Hat tip to Rod Fong at Golden Gate University School of Law for the following link to an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education on Chinese students.  (Amy Jarmon)

His e-mail to me made the following observation:

"I saw this article in the Chronicle of Higher Education about students from China.  Although it focuses on undergrads, I thought the discussion describing the differences in language and thought processes between English and Chinese learners could be helpful.  I recall some past discussions on our ASP listserv on working with foreign students."

The link to the article is: Thinking Right: Coaching a Wave of Chinese Students ...

July 23, 2011 in Learning Styles, Miscellany | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Learning your teaching style

We write a lot about discovering student's learning and processing styles. But few of us spend a lot of time thinking about our teaching styles. We teach the way we were taught, the way that feels most comfortable to us, or the way we are told to teach by our employer. A handful of people change their teaching style based on what they learn at conferences. As ASPer's, we busy, and few of us have a lot of downtime to think about why we teach the way we teach and reflect on our teaching style.

I am using teaching style in the broadest possible way; all the things you do to prepare to teach and how you teach students. This is unique to every individual. Learning is a complex interplay between teachers, students, and students and peers. We all have preferences. We all need to understand our preferences to do our best to help students learn.

The one-on-one teacher: Whenever I go to a conference, I hear attendees talking that one-on-one is the best method for teaching students. It is assumed, not discussed. I have heard countless times "I could teach them anything, if I just had enough time to teach them one-on-one." No one seems to question the validity of the statement. One-on-one teaching is a teaching style, and one that does not work best for everyone. It is not true that everyone could teach anyone anything if they could just work with them one-on-one. It is a great method if it is your strength, but it is not everyone's strength. I  a lot of former practitioners prefer one-on-one's because it is how they worked with clients. My message to new teachers is that they should think before they assume this is the best way to reach all students. It's not the best way, it is a preference. Just as we would not assume there is a best learning or processing style for students, don't assume one-on-one's are the best teaching method because that is what you hear from colleagues.

The student-group leader-teacher: This is a common way of delivering ASP at many law schools. ASP professionals are expected to teach students to lead groups of students. There are some brilliant ASper's who use this method to great success; Joanne Koren at Miami and Mike Schwartz at Washburn immediately come to mind. However, there is no one master method for teaching student leaders to run student study groups. If you are an intuitive teacher, teaching students to teach students is difficult. Intuitive teachers are ones whose teaching reflects the needs and the makeup of the class. It is a more spontaneous, reactive way to teach, although it requires as much, if not more, preparation. Intuitive teachers master the subject material so that they can change the direction of the class on the fly to reflect how the class is moving that day. If this is your teaching style, it is difficult to translate this method to student leaders. You cannot tell student leaders to master the subject material. Most intuitive teachers have significant classroom experience, and it is rare for a student leader to have the teaching experience to be intuitive with the students they are leading. Intuitive teachers can learn how other teachers teach student leaders, but it is not their preference. And there is nothing wrong with finding that is not the best way to reach students.

The classroom teacher: Not everyone is cut out to be a traditional classroom teacher. There are some magnificent, awe-inspiring classroom teachers in ASP and doctrinal teaching, such as Rory Badahur at Washburn or Paula Manning at Western State. If you don't prefer classroom teaching, it doesn't mean you aren't a good teacher. It means your preference may be one-on-one or leading student leaders. I find that there is a spectrum, at one end are pure classroom teachers, and at the other, pure one-on-one teachers. Most people are somewhere along that spectrum. The difference is in how the teachers use peer learning. Classroom teachers need to cede control of learning to the students to be successful. This is not something everyone is comfortable doing. You need to build trust between teacher (you) and the students, and trust between peers. This is a skill. It's much easier for student's to feel safe in a one-on-one than it is for a class to feel safe. Safety is critical to learning because students need to push boundaries in order to learn, to move outside of their comfort zone, and to risk being wrong.

Every teacher needs to do some of every type of teaching. However, everyone has preferences in how they work with students. My message to new teachers--there is not a right or wrong preference, no master method that is most successful with students. When a colleague, even a very respected colleague, tells you that they have found a method that works best with students, realize they have found their method that works best based on their teaching preferences. That method may not work best for you. You need to reflect on your skill set and your preferences. The method that is most likely to reach your students is the method that reflects your preferences and strengths.

I have a non-ASP colleague at the undergrad who is one of the most brilliant one-on-one teachers I have ever observed. However, this teacher dislikes classroom teaching, and finds it ineffectual at reaching students. This educator was reflective during the job search, and found a position that consists primarily of one-on-one instruction, with limited classroom time. I am fascinated by one-on-one methods because I greatly prefer classroom teaching, and find a full day of one-on-ones to be draining, and for many students, counter-productive. I find students understand much more from peer learning in a class than in a one-on-one. I find that students are better at translating their misunderstanding of material to each other than to me. My colleague and I both receive great evaluations reflective of our respective teaching preferences. Our student body overlaps, so we know that the evals are not reflecting student preferences (i.e., students who like one-on-ones going to the colleague, students who like classroom teaching to me), but our strengths.

My message to new teachers: reflect on your preferences and your strengths. Your students will learn best when you play to your strengths as a teacher. There is no one master method of reaching students. Just as we respect student learning and processing differences, respect teaching preferences. (RCF)

March 19, 2011 in Advice, Learning Styles, Teaching Tips | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

PowerPoint for Teaching and Learning

I sat in on an Business Law class yesterday. I sat in the back of the classroom, so I had a nice view of all the open laptops in front of me. I was impressed with how few students were using their laptops inappropriately during class time; I could see only two in a class of over fifty students. Most law professors can only dream of a class with so few students playing games. I was intrigued with how the students were taking notes on their laptops, and I think this method can be of great use in law school classrooms.

The PowerPoints are digitally distributed ahead of time, so students can load the slides on their computer before the start of class. The slides were also projected at the front of the room. The students with computers almost universally had the PowerPoints open, in the "notes page" format. (For those of you unfamiliar with the notes page: in newest version of MS PP, go to the "view" tab at the top of the screen, and on the far left of the format bar, there is a tab for "Normal", "Slide Sorter" and "Notes page". Click on "notes page".) From the notes page format, students could see thePowerPoint on the screen, and take notes underneath. I had never seen students do this before, but it made sense that this was an excellent technique for organizing notes. The notes correspond with the lecture. If a student misses a word during the lecture, they can figure out the context by looking at where they were in the presentation.

The instructor had an interesting method of using PowerPoint as an instructional tool. The slides were used as place keepers for the lecture. Each slide had text outlining a major point, along with some fun visuals, such as a picture of the schoolhouse from Brown v. Board of Education. The PowerPoints did not outline the lecture, just the main point of the topic. Students could not use the PowerPoints as a substitute for class attendance. Therefore, it did not matter if he distributed them before class. I know law school professors fear distributing their PowerPoints because they fear it will create an incentive for students to miss class or play during class. However, what I observed in the class was that the students were MORE tuned in to class lecture. If they lost their place in the lecture, the students did not feel as if they were lost for the rest of the class. They could figure out the context by looking at the slide.

I know that using scaffolds such as PowerPoint help students learn material. I know all the theoretical reasons why PowerPoint is a great tool. This was the first time I saw how student behavior matched the theoretical reasons for using PowerPoint. Most of the research I have read on using scaffolds, such as PowerPoint, to learn in class were based on student's assessment of their own learning, which does not always correspond with appropriate behavior in class. This was my first experience  witnessing the positive change in student classroom behavior when scaffolds are used appropriately. This is definitely a technique I will adopt in my classes in the future. (RCF)

March 1, 2011 in Learning Styles, Teaching Tips | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Monday, February 28, 2011

Movement to help you learn

Kinesthetic learners are those who learn and focus through movement.  Movement can be actual movement or "white noise" movement.  Each kinesthetic learner will have a selection of movement strategies that will match that student's own needs.  Consequently, one kinesthetic learner may choose different techniques than another kinesthetic learner.

What are some of the movement techinques that are part of the repetoire for various kinesthetic learners?  Here are just a few:

  • Movements to help focus in class: jiggling a foot, twirling a strand of hair, playing with a pen, typing, doodling, shifting in the chair.
  • Movements to help memorization: pacing during flashcard use, studying one's outline while on the treadmill, listening to an audio CD while washing and waxing one's car, talking with one's hands and pacing while learning a presentation.
  • Movements to regain focus: taking short breaks at least every 90 minutes, getting up and walking around for those 10-minute breaks, standing up while reading, moving to a different location, interspersing marathon study group sessions with breaks, volunteering to be the flashcard quiz-master for the study group when focus is flagging.
  • Movements for comfort: spreading out everything on a big library table rather than a small carrel, picking an aisle seat rather than being cramped in the middle of a row,

Can kinesthetic learners have too much movement?  Yes!  Here are some things to consider:

  • Kinesthetic learners often become distracted more easily, so be careful to avoid anything that increases your distraction level.
  • Also make sure that your movements do not distract other students in their learning.
  • Make sure that taking a break is necessary  and not just an excuse to waste time (for example, you are unable to regain focus by asking questions while you read).
  • Make sure that the 10-minute break to walk around does not turn into an hour in the student lounge.
  • Make sure using your laptop does not become distracting for you - do not email, IM, surf the net, or play solitaire instead of focusing on class or studies.
  • Make sure that you pick a study location that is not distracting: avoid being where everyone will walk by or will stop and talk to you, avoid classroom back rows near doors that border noisy halls, avoid sitting near windows that will tempt you to watch what is going on outside.

What about white noise to help with focus?  Here are some suggestions:

  • Turn on a fan, dishwasher, air conditioner, or washing machine to mask noise outside your apartment.
  • Listen to instrumental music to drown out competing noises.
  • Study in a coffee shop or restaurant where the murmur of voices and spoons on coffee cups can provide some background noise - but avoid traffic areas or use ear plugs.

Some kinesthetic learners have damped down the movements that actually help them learn and need to regain movement.  Why?  They had parents and teachers who were not kinesthetics tell them to stop fidgeting and stop taking breaks.  Consequently, they gave up movement for someone else's idea of "proper" studying.  (Amy Jarmon)

February 28, 2011 in Learning Styles | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Saturday, February 26, 2011

The Educational Bookends

Two teaching techniques are known as the educational bookends: previews and summaries.  The idea is that you present a preview of the material ("Let me preview adverse possession for you.  We will be studying the topic for the next 2 weeks."), teach the material, and the summarize the material ("Let's pull together what we have learned about adverse possession over the last 2 weeks.").

Global learners (who need a road map of the topic before they can understand the sub-topics within the topic) will appreciate the preview step.  It helps them to understand how to fit the parts into the whole as the material is covered.  They will feel that they know what the "road trip" will be about and can enjoy the journey.

Sequential learners (who need to first understand each sub-topic before they can think about the overview) will appreciate the summary step.  It helps them to know where they have been and how the parts fit into the whole now that they understand the material in its segments.

In short, each type of learner gets to the same destination in a different way.  By providing both a preview and a summary, the teacher starts or ends the journey appropriately for each type of learner.

The trick as a professor is to remember to do both steps and not just the one that matches your own style of learning!  (Amy Jarmon)

February 26, 2011 in Learning Styles, Miscellany, Teaching Tips | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Truncated: length

WARC-Type: response

text:
Friday, July 14, 2006

The folly of formless "Open Space"

   What’s the most overused and most meaningless term in our land use debates?  I suggest the term “open space.”  In nearly every argument, some side suggests that one alternative is preferrable because it would provide “open space.”  But this term is meaningless unless we examine the details.

   An “open space” of a privately controlled, two-acre plot of bluegrass?  It might provide a permeable surface, but it would do nothing for public recreation, biodiversity, or habitat.  An “open space” of piedmont grazed by cattle?  It might allow for some vegetation, but would also be source of pollution and would never develop into a forest or carbon sink.  An “open space” of a golf course?  Well, this speaks for itself.

   So why the continuing appeal of the term “open space” instead of more specificity about the supposed public benefits of a land use?  I suggest that “open space” has appeal because it can be used in any instance to mask an argument driven largely by NIMBY, not truly by the public interest.

| Permalink

TrackBack URL for this entry:

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference The folly of formless "Open Space":

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-179-60-89.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)/CC WarcExport 1.0
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2015-27
operator: CommonCrawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for June 2015
publisher: CommonCrawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


text:
March 13, 2013

Related Links

More Links

Ratcliff Fails Doping Test; NLL Status Unchanged

Banned from Canadian Lacrosse Association national or international teams for two years

by Neil Stevens |

Lewis Ratcliff tested positive for multiple banned substances while playing with the Langley Thunder in last summer's Mann Cup and is banned from Canadian national competition or internernationl teams for two years.

Lewis Ratcliff's failed doping test in Canada won't keep the star forward out of National Lacrosse League games with the Washington Stealth.

The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport announced on Wednesday that the 31-year-old Canadian has received a two-year sanction for an anti-doping rule violation that resulted from analysis of a urine sample taken last September, but the NLL has no affiliation with the CCES.

Ratcliff was playing for the Langley Thunder in his native British Columbia last summer and the team travelled to Peterborough, Ontario, to represent the Western Lacrosse Association in the Mann Cup senior amateur championship of Canada.

''The athlete's urine sample collected during in-competition doping control on Sept. 12, 2012, revealed the presence of oxandrolone and clenbuterol, two prohibited anabolic agents, as well as oxycodone, a prohibited narcotic,'' the CCES explained in a news release.

The Canadian Lacrosse Association, which has jurisdiction over the Mann Cup, is a signatory to the anti-doping program of which the CCES is the custodian and abides by any and all sanctions handed out by the CCES. So, Ratcliff is suspended from participating nationally or internationally on teams under the CLA umbrella through Nov. 9, 2014.

Ratcliff, who resides in Redmond, Wash., waived his right to a hearing, acknowledged the violation and accepted the two-year sanction, the CCES added in its announcement.

The NLL reacted later Wednesday by issuing a brief statement: ''The NLL's policy on performance enhancing drug use is governed by the collective bargaining agreement with the Professional Lacrosse Players Association. Any testing conducted by any other entity is outside the scope of the CBA and is not an NLL matter.''

The policy includes a clause that states every player will be subject to no more than one random test for the presence of performance enhancing drugs per season.

Oxandrolone, also known as oxandrin, is a synthetic anabolic steroid that promotes muscle regrowth. Clenbuterol increases aerobic capacity and was present in samples that led to suspensions of numerous athletes in various sports over the last 10 years. Oxycodone is usually used as a pain reliever.

Ratcliff scored four goals last Saturday to help the Stealth to a 16-10 win in Philadelphia. That upped his career total to 401. He's only the seventh player in indoor pro history to reach the 400-goal milestone. He was the championship game MVP in 2010 when Washington defeated Toronto. He also played for the Calgary Roughnecks in 2004 when they won the NLL title.

His next appearance with the Stealth will be in St. Paul, Minn., this Saturday night.

comments powered by Disqus


text:
Parent Fail

Parent Fail

Man, I say it all the time – The wrong people are breeding. Too many of my intelligent, financially responsible, morally sound friends are not reproducing. Instead, we see THIS….(and this doesn’t even feature any Walmart parents)

click here

Recent Headlines

in Entertainment, National

Celebrate safely with these fireworks tips

Since Independence Day falls during the work week, members of St. Richard Catholic Church celebrated the holiday on Sunday, June 30, 2013, with a picnic-style outing complete with fireworks that could be seen throughout the northeast Jackson, Miss. neighborhood. The long streamers were recorded in a 13-second time exposure. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Don't be one of the thousands of Americans injured by fireworks on July Fourth. Stay safe and have a happy holiday!

in National, Viral Videos

WATCH: The origin of fireworks

The history behind the July Fourth firecrackers that mark our Independence Day celebrations.

in Viral Videos

Miami judge recognizes suspect as middle school classmate

A man charged with burglary is moved to tears when he realizes he went to middle school with the judge assigned to his case.

in Entertainment

Fourth of July freebies

Celebrate your independence from high prices!

in Viral Videos

This cat doesn’t care about your yoga pose

This adorable cat has mastered the art of passive aggressive protest.


text:
Trucks no image

Published on September 20th, 2011 | by NASCAR Wire Service

Dillon Outduels NASCAR Truck Series Heavyweights

With a two-tire call on a late-race pit stop, Austin Dillon stole Friday night’s Fast Five 225 Camping World Truck Series race at Chicagoland Speedway from Kevin Harvick, who had dominated the event until the last round of stops.

Dillon won his second race of the season and the fourth of his career. Harvick came home second, almost five seconds back. Nelson Piquet Jr., Parker Kligerman and Kyle Busch completed the top five.

“This is the biggest win of my career, I think,” Dillon, 21, said in victory lane. “I ran up there, racing with Kyle and Harvick. Harvick was great all night, but (crew chief Danny) Stockman made the call at the end to put us out on two tires.

“He knows when I get out front it’s like smelling blood for a shark. When we got out there, we could just take off. The team—they kept gaining spots every time we came on pit road. I love coming on pit road when they’re like that. It’s awesome.”

Dillon moved up two spots in the series standings to second and trimmed 11th-place finisher James Buescher’s lead to three points. Johnny Sauter, who finished sixth, is six points back in third.

Harvick had led 99 laps by the time he came to pit road for his final stop on Lap 129 of 150.

Harvick took four tires, a decision necessitated by a vibration Harvick’s truck picked up during a green-flag run of 42 laps. That decision allowed Busch (who pitted on Lap 130 and took two tires) and Dillon (who came to pit road on Lap 131) to cycle out ahead of Harvick.

As Busch and Harvick battled for the second position, Dillon began to pull away, opening a lead of more than 4.7 seconds over Harvick with seven laps left.

“That definitely dictated a four-tire call,” Harvick said of the vibration. “On the caution before (on Lap 84) we didn’t take any tires, so we had about 22 more laps on our tires. When you have a vibration like that, you want to win the race, but in the big picture—and the even bigger picture on Sunday (in the first Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race)—we don’t need to blow a tire and have something happen.

“So when it got to the point of shaking bad enough to where I knew something was changing, I just came in and changed four tires. I knew at that point, they (Dillon and Busch) were going to do the opposite, but we had to change four.”

Tags: , , , ,

About the Author

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

9 − = eight

You may use these HTML tags and attributes:   <acronym title="">
      <q cite=""> <s>

Back to Top ↑


text:
February 24, 2013
The Leader Herald

Michael and Ann Sturm of Gloversville, announce the engagement of their daughter, Jennifer Sturm, to Benjamin Towne, the son of Daniel Sr. and Margaret Towne of Mayfield.

I am looking for:
News, Blogs & Events Web


text:
Tuesdays Expert Wrap

Tuesday's Expert Wrap - State of Origin I and Round Thirteen: 4-7 June, 2010

The teams that caught the eye of the Expert this week..

The Cronulla Sharks became the entertainers of the competition with their stunning win over a terrible Roosters outfit. Young fullback Nathan Gardner solo length of the field effort was one of the tries of the season. The Expert thinks the Sharks might be on the cusp of a surge up the ladder.

What's wrong with the North Queensland Cowboys? For starters, their defence is the worst in the NRL, having conceded 312 points. Secondly, the Expert believes there is too much deadwood in the playing ranks - the likes of Michael Bani, Ash Graham, Grant Rovelli and Carl Webb and Antonio Kaufusi have all seen much better days.

On the flip side, how well are the South Sydney Rabbitohs travelling! The Bunnies are currently in third position but will face a tougher test against the resurgent Broncos at home. However, Brisbane will be missing Lockyer, Thaiday and potentially Folau to Origin duties, so there will be no better time for Souths to chalk up another scalp.

Match Details

Canterbury Bulldogs 12 were defeated by Wests Tigers 19
Time: Friday June 4, 2010 7:35pm
Venue: ANZ Stadium
Referee: Shayne Hayne and Alan Shortall
Video Referee: Bill Harrigan
Touch Judges: Russell Turner and Adam Devcich
Crowd: 11837
Halftime: Canterbury Bulldogs 6 Wests Tigers 6

Canterbury Bulldogs (12)
Tries: Andrew Ryan, Josh Morris
Field Goals: Brett Kimmorley (0/1)
Conversions: Bryson Goodwin (2/2)

Wests Tigers (19)
Tries: Robbie Farah, Benji Marshall, Simon Dwyer
Field Goals: Robert Lui (1/1)
Conversions: Benji Marshall (3/3)
Penalty Goals: Benji Marshall (0/1)

Leagueunlimited.com players of the match:
3 Points - Gareth Ellis
2 Points - Robbie Farah (1 Try)
1 Point - David Stagg

Match Report - 'Tigers battle past Bulldogs'

Parramatta Eels 24 defeated Melbourne Storm 10
Time: Friday June 4, 2010 7:35pm
Venue: Parramatta Stadium
Referee: Tony Archer and Gerard Sutton
Video Referee: Steve Clark
Touch Judges: Paul Holland and Gavin Morris
Crowd: 7572
Halftime: Parramatta Eels 10 Melbourne Storm 6

Parramatta Eels (24)
Tries: Joel Reddy (2), Krisnan Inu, Kris Keating
Conversions: Luke Burt (3/4)
Penalty Goals: Luke Burt (1/1)

Melbourne Storm (10)
Tries: Greg Inglis, Billy Slater
Conversions: Cameron Smith (1/2)

Leagueunlimited.com players of the match:
3 Points - Tim Mannah
2 Points - Jarryd Hayne
1 Point - Ben Smith

Match Report - 'Parramatta get redemption in entertaining clash'

Penrith Panthers 28 defeated Newcastle Knights 10
Time: Saturday June 5, 2010 5:30pm
Venue: CUA Stadium
Referee: Jason Robinson and Brett Suttor
Video Referee: Russell Smith
Touch Judges: Luke Potter and Adam Reid
Crowd: 10969
Halftime: Penrith Panthers 18 Newcastle Knights 0

Penrith Panthers(28)
Tries: Brad Tighe (2), Michael Jennings, Lachlan Coote, Gavin Cooper
Conversions: Michael Gordon (4/5)

Newcastle Knights (10)
Tries: James McManus, Akuila Uate
Conversions: Kurt Gidley (1/2)

Leagueunlimited.com players of the match:
3 Points - Michael Jennings (1 Try)
2 Points - Luke Lewis
1 Point - Michael Gordon (4 Conversions)

Match Report - 'Pacing Panthers beat Knights'

Sydney Roosters 18 were defeated by Cronulla Sutherland Sharks 42
Time: Saturday June 5, 2010 7:30pm
Venue: Sydney Football Stadium
Referee: Ben Cummins and Tony De Las Heras
Video Referee: Tim Mander
Touch Judges: Steve Chiddy and Michael Wise
Crowd: 7934
Halftime: Sydney Roosters 22 Cronulla Sutherland Sharks 6

Sydney Roosters (18)
Tries: Todd Carney, Phil Graham, Shaun Kenny-Dowall
Conversions: Todd Carney (3/3)

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (42)
Tries: John Morris, Paul Gallen, Taulima Tautai, Grant Millington, Trent Barrett, Nathan Gardner, Siosaia Vave
Conversions: Nathan Gardner (5/7)
Penalty Goals: Nathan Gardner (2/2)

Leagueunlimited.com players of the match:
3 Points - Paul Gallen (1 Try)
2 Points - Nathan Gardner (1 Try, 5 Conversions, 2 Penalty Goals)
1 Point - Grant Millington (1 Try)

Match Report - 'Sharks discover spark to rout Roosters'

New Zealand Warriors 20 were defeated by St George Illawarra Dragons 22
Time: Sunday June 6, 2010 12:00pm
Venue: Mt Smart Stadium
Referee: Ashley Klein and Bernard Sutton
Video Referee: Paul Simpkins
Touch Judges: Ricky McFarlane and Luke Phillips
Crowd: 8312
Halftime: New Zealand Warriors 8 St George Illawarra Dragons 6

New Zealand Warriors (20)
Tries: Simon Mannering, James Maloney, Isaac John
Conversions: James Maloney (3/3)
Penalty Goals: James Maloney (1/1)

St George Illawarra Dragons (22)
Tries: Matt Cooper (2), Jamie Soward, Jason Nightingale
Conversions: Jamie Soward (3/4)

Leagueunlimited.com players of the match:
3 Points - Jamie Soward (1 Try, 3 Conversions)
2 Points - Matt Cooper (2 Tries)
1 Point - Russell Packer

Match Report - 'Dragons hold on in wet thriller'

Canberra Raiders 28 defeated Gold Coast Titans 24
National Rugby League - NRL - Round 13 - Sunday June 6, 2010 2:00pm
Venue: Canberra Stadium
Referee: Gavin Badger and Phil Haines
Video Referee: Chris Ward
Touch Judges: David Abood and Adam Gee
Crowd: 10425
Halftime: Canberra Raiders 22 Gold Coast Titans 6

Canberra Raiders (28)
Tries: Trevor Thurling, Terry Campese, Joel Thompson, Josh Dugan, Daniel Vidot
Conversions: Terry Campese (3/5)
Penalty Goals: Terry Campese (1/1)

Gold Coast Titans (24)
Tries: Scott Prince, Anthony Laffranchi, Mark Minichiello, Joseph Tomane
Conversions: Scott Prince (4/4)

Leagueunlimited.com players of the match:
3 Points - Terry Campese (1 Try, 3 Conversions, 1 Penalty Goal)
2 Points - Trevor Thurling (1 Try)
1 Point - Scott Prince (1 Try, 4 Conversions)

Match Report - 'Raiders hold on in Canberra'

Manly Sea Eagles 6 were defeated by Brisbane Broncos 22
Time: Sunday June 6, 2010 3:00pm
Venue: Brookvale Oval
Referee: Jared Maxwell and Chris James
Video Referee: Sean Hampstead
Touch Judges: Jeff Younis and Russell Turner
Crowd: 11316
Halftime: Manly Sea Eagles 6 Brisbane Broncos 4

Manly Sea Eagles (6)
Tries: Tony Williams
Conversions: Shane Rodney (1/1)

Brisbane Broncos (22)
Tries: Josh Hoffman, Ben Hunt, Israel Folau (2)
Conversions: Corey Parker (3/4)

Leagueunlimited.com players of the match:
3 Points - Sam Thaiday
2 Points - Darren Lockyer
1 Point - Corey Parker (3 Conversions)

Match Report - 'Broncos strangle sloppy Sea Eagles'

South Sydney Rabbitohs 32 defeated North Queensland Cowboys 4
Time: Monday June 7, 2010 7:00pm
Venue: ANZ Stadium
Referee: Steve Lyons and Matt Cecchin
Video Referee: Phil Cooley
Touch Judges: Daniel Eastwood and David Munro
Crowd: 9688
Halftime: South Sydney Rabbitohs 16 North Queensland Cowboys 0

South Sydney Rabbitohs (32)
Tries: Beau Champion (2), Nathan Merritt (2), Dave Taylor, Fetuli Talanoa, Issac Luke
Conversions: Issac Luke (1/6), Chris Sandow (1/1)

North Queensland Cowboys (4)
Tries: Ashley Graham
Conversions: Johnathan Thurston (0/1)

Leagueunlimited.com players of the match:
3 Points - Beau Champion (2 Tries)
2 Points - Rhys Wesser
1 Point - Nathan Merritt (2 Tries)

Match Report - 'Rabbitohs rampage Cowboys'

No change to the top position at the end of round fourteen. Broncos' skipper Darren Lockyer (10 points) and team mate Sam Thaiday (9 points) have been the big movers in recent weeks after some stellar form at club and Origin level.

Fifteen Points
Cooper Cronk (Storm), Issac Luke (Rabbitohs), Johnathan Thurston (Cowboys)

Jamie Lyon (Sea Eagles), Benji Marshall (Tigers)

Todd Carney (Roosters), Josh Dugan (Raiders), Nate Myles (Roosters), Jamie Soward (Dragons)

Darius Boyd (Dragons), Terry Campese (Raiders), Jarryd Hayne (Eels), Luke Lewis (Panthers), Darren Lockyer (Broncos), Scott Prince (Titans)

Luke Burt (Eels), Brett Morris (Dragons), James Maloney (Warriors), Sam Thaiday (Broncos)

Lachlan Coote (Panthers), Gareth Ellis (Tigers), Nathan Friend (Titans), Lance Hohaia (Warriors), Cory Paterson (Knights), Mitchell Pearce (Roosters), Cameron Smith (Storm)

Matt Cooper (Dragons), Paul Gallen (Sharks), Ben Hornby (Dragons), Michael Jennings (Panthers), Akuila Uate (Knights), Luke Walsh (Panthers)

Beau Champion (Rabbitohs), Ben Creagh (Dragons), Robbie Farah (Tigers), Trent Hodkinson (Sea Eagles), Greg Inglis (Storm), Anthony Watmough (Sea Eagles), Rhys Wesser (Rabbitohs)

Greg Bird (Titans), Preston Campbell (Titans), Brett Kimmorley (Bulldogs), Jarrod Mullen (Knights), Timana Tahu (Eels)

Sam Burgess (Rabbitohs), Israel Folau (Broncos), Matt Gillett (Broncos), Michael Gordon (Panthers), Nathan Hindmarsh (Eels), Steven Matai (Sea Eagles), Billy Slater (Storm), John Sutton (Rabbitohs), Ben Te'o (Broncos), Joseph Tomane (Titans), Manu Vatuvei (Warriors)

Scott Bolton (Cowboys), Matt Bowen (Cowboys), Geoff Daniela (Tigers), Luke Douglas (Sharks), Michael Ennis (Bulldogs), Blake Ferguson (Sharks), Kieran Foran (Sea Eagles), Ben Hannant (Bulldogs), Jamal Idris (Bulldogs), Kris Keating (Eels), Kevin Kingston (Panthers), Tim Mannah (Eels), Tim Moltzen (Tigers), John Morris (Sharks), Josh Morris (Bulldogs), Dane Nielsen (Storm), David Shillington (Raiders), Kade Snowden (Sharks), Glenn Stewart (Sea Eagles), Brent Tate (Warriorsf), David Taylor (Rabbitohs), Willie Tonga (Cowboys), Peter Wallace (Broncos), Dean Young (Dragons)
Ben Barba (Bulldogs), Trent Barrett (Sharks), Matthew Bell (Panthers), Lewis Brown (Warriors), Matt Duffie (Storm), Brett Finch (Storm), Nathan Gardner (Sharks), Kurt Gidley (Knights), Bronson Harrison (Raiders), Chris Heighington (Tigers), Aaron Heremaia (Warriors),  Josh Hoffman (Broncos), Ryan Hoffman (Storm), Drury Low (Raiders), Josh McCrone (Raiders), Nathan Merritt (Rabbitohs), Fui Fui Moi Moi (Eels), Frank-Paul Nuuausala (Roosters), Aaron Payne (Cowboys), Josh Perry (Sea Eagles), Luke Priddis (Dragons), Adrian Purtell (Panthers), Michael Robertson (Sea Eagles), Ben Rogers (Knights), Matt Scott (Cowboys), Jeremy Smith (Dragons), Ukuma Ta'ai (Warriors), Trevor Thurling (Raiders), Aiden Tolman (Storm), Alan Tongue (Raiders), Cooper Vuna (Knights), Tony Williams (Sea Eagles)

Michael Bani (Cowboys), Beau Scott (Dragons), Petero Civoniceva (Panthers), Shane Elford (Panthers), Shaun Fensom (Raiders), Andrew Fifita (Tigers), Liam Fulton (Tigers), Shannon Gallant (Cowboys), Bryson Goodwin (Bulldogs), Kevin Gordon (Titans), Yileen Gordon (Bulldogs), Jon Green (Dragons), Matt Hilder (Knights), Krisnan Inu (Eels), Shaun Kenny-Dowall (Roosters), Chris Lawrence (Tigers), Jeff Lima (Storm), Micheal Luck (Warriors), Willie Mason (Cowboys),  Grant Millington (Sharks), Daniel Mortimer (Eels), Corey Norman (Broncos), Russell Packer (Warriors), Corey Parker (Broncos), Luke Patten (Bulldogs), Scott Porter (Sharks), Anthony Quinn (Storm), Sam Rapira (Warriors), Ben Roberts (Bulldogs), Beau Ryan (Tigers), Jason Ryles (Roosters), David Stagg (Bulldogs), Ben Smith (Eels), Tim Smith (Sharks), Brad Tighe (Panthers), Lote Tuqiri (Tigers), Daniel Vidot (Raiders), Dean Whare (Sea Eagles)

State of Origin II: June 9
Queensland Maroons v New South Wales Blues @ Suncorp Stadium, 7:30pm (CH9 live)

Round Fourteen: June 11-14

Gold Coast Titans v Manly Sea Eagles @ Skilled Park, 7:35pm (CH 9 live)
North Queensland Cowboys v Canberra Raiders @ DairyFarmers Stadium, 7:30pm (FOX live)
Newcastle Knights v New Zealand Warriors @ EnergyAustralia Stadium, 2:00pm (FOX live)
Brisbane Broncos v South Sydney Rabbitohs @ Suncorp Stadium, 3:00pm (CH 9 delayed)
Melbourne Storm v Sydney Roosters @ AAMI Park, 7:00pm (FOX live)

Parramatta Eels, Canterbury Bulldogs, Penrith Panthers, Cronulla Sharks, St George Illawarra Dragons, Wests Tigers