We all know the mantra: writing is rewriting. When we teach students how to write, we help them develop an editorial sensibility, as much as a compositional one. Yet in an era where students read and write less (except for texting, of course) and increasingly depend on generative AI, revision is harder to master. If students struggle with how to even begin writing, how can we expect they will know how to “begin again”?

Introduction

Seeking student feedback in a tangible manner during the semester has inherent value.[1] Ongoing student feedback can help a professor gauge what is (and what is not) working in the classroom.[2] The professor can take the temperature of the class and get a decent read on how things are going.[3]

  “2Ls tell me this class will end up pretty heavy, but I feel good so far. So, when is the other shoe going to drop?”

Most students are unpleasantly surprised by their first set of law school grades. After working diligently and expecting whatever worked well in undergraduate classes to work in law school classes, many well-intentioned students are disappointed that they did not get an A on their first legal writing assignment. I was. I came to law school expecting to receive glowing praise on my writing assignments. After all, I had a lot of undergraduate academic writing experience.

ARTICLE

Before the Final Draft: Oral Argument as a Student-Centered Feedback Tool    

Stephanie Juliano

Assistant Professor of Practice

Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center

Published: November 2023

Are you “feedback literate”? Are your students? Do you design and deliver your legal writing course to hone your students’ feedback literacy and maximize the power of your feedback?