Article. Abstract:
This
is a readable article about the need for legal education reform in
Jordan. It grew out of the experiences, discussions, and shared
interests of the co-authors – a Jordanian female law professor and an
American male law professor who have worked with the American Bar
Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) and Jordanian law
faculties to develop strategies for strengthening legal education in
Jordan. The article is unusual in that it is presented as a dialogue in
order to identify and reflect the authors’ different professional and
cultural perspectives. The text is supported by citation to authority in
conventional footnotes.
Jordan’s system of legal education is
challenged by the need to produce lawyers who have the knowledge and
skills necessary to represent clients in traditional settings and to
meet the demands of modern transnational commerce, democratization, and
the rule of law, including human rights law. The traditional mode of
learning in most Jordanian law classes is passive. The article describes
and discusses learning theory that emphasizes the need for students to
be engaged in a variety of interactive learning experiences. The concept
of separating theory and practice (which underpins the traditional
Jordanian legal education model) is addressed by reference to critiques
of legal education in the United States. The article argues for more
integration of theory and practice as a means of fostering critical
thinking and problem-solving skills. It concludes with concrete
recommendations that Jordanian (and other) law professors might find
useful for introducing more integrated, active learning experiences into
their classrooms.
While the article is about Jordanian legal
education, it has obvious relevance for educators who operate in similar
models of legal education throughout the Arab world. It also provides a
readable summary of learning theory and teaching strategies for law
teachers everywhere.