Welcome to Touro (and welcome back to the TAs). We plan to have the Teaching Assistant program fully in place, and with sessions to begin the first full week of classes. Below are dates and administrative matters that will help the Teaching Assistant program run smoothly during orientation and the first weeks of school:
We will have a table set up during Orientation for First Years to sign up for TA sections - please look for us and make sure to stop by on Monday, August 16th or Wednesday, August 18th to sign up. Also, make sure to purchase Suzanne Darrow-Kleinhaus' book, Mastering the Law School Exam (Thomson West 2006), when you purchase your books - Mastering the Law School Exam will be used during the TA sessions.
An email will be sent to all First Year students on Sunday, August 22 confirming your TA session - the email will include your TA's name and email, the time you will meet, and the respective room number. Please make sure to check your Touro email account for this information; TA sessions will begin on Monday, August 23rd.
Save the Date: students that have applied for and are selected to be TAs this fall should plan to attend a mandatory orientation and training session on Sunday, August 22nd at 10:30 a.m. The session should last about two hours and details will follow in a subsequent email.
Enjoy the last few weeks of summer and we look forward to working with you this semester!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Importance of Building a Legal Vocabulary
The first weeks of law school can be intimidating and overwhelming - law school is unlike any of your other academic endeavors and involves learning a whole new language. Part of the difficulty of law school is adapting to and making use of this new language. You should not gloss over the words you do not understand, nor should you simply try to figure out the meaning of the word in context - having a basic knowledge or guessing what a word means will only hinder your understanding of the law. Often, you will find that preconceived ideas about the meaning of a word will differ from the actual legal meaning.
Thus, part of preparing for class and studying should include looking up and working to develop an understanding of unfamiliar words - make this part of your regular study routine, and as you continue throughout the semester, your legal vocabulary will continue to grow, you will find fewer and fewer unfamiliar words, and you will be more comfortable in your ability to be conversational in the law.
There are many legal dictionaries and online resources to help you build your legal vocabulary - Black's Law Dictionary is the most well known (it is even available on Westlaw and as an iPhone app). Pick a legal dictionary that works for you, and make use of it during the school year - by the time the semester is over, and you are studying for finals, it will make your understanding of the law so much more manageable.
Thus, part of preparing for class and studying should include looking up and working to develop an understanding of unfamiliar words - make this part of your regular study routine, and as you continue throughout the semester, your legal vocabulary will continue to grow, you will find fewer and fewer unfamiliar words, and you will be more comfortable in your ability to be conversational in the law.
There are many legal dictionaries and online resources to help you build your legal vocabulary - Black's Law Dictionary is the most well known (it is even available on Westlaw and as an iPhone app). Pick a legal dictionary that works for you, and make use of it during the school year - by the time the semester is over, and you are studying for finals, it will make your understanding of the law so much more manageable.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Time Management for 1Ls
It is extremely important to develop good time management skills early in your law school career --- and there is no better time to do so than at the very beginning. The first few weeks of law school can seem overwhelming as you learn to balance all the competing demands on your time. A calendar can help you manage these demands by letting you schedule day-to-day tasks and plan for long-term assignments and exams.
You can use Touro’s Law School Planner from your orientation materials to help you navigate these first few weeks of law school. The Planner is meant to be a guide --- one which you can and should adapt to your own study needs. However, since you are new to law school, we have made some suggestions and identified some specific tasks and suggested time allocations. The time frames are meant to be general guidelines only and it is very likely that your individual needs will vary. However, by keeping track of how long it takes you to complete an assignment, you will gain a better understanding of how much time to allocate to different study activities.
The Law School Planner covers several weeks: the week before Orientation, the week of Orientation, and the first full week of class. Please pay close attention to the page headings, especially with respect to the first week of class and select the calendar for your particular class section. There are three day sections and one evening section. There is also a blank planner for you to make your own schedule.
We believe the Planner will be helpful as you begin your law school career. If you have any questions --- and we are sure that you will --- please do not hesitate to stop by and see us in Room 314. We are here to assist you.
* Please check with the Touro Bookstore [(631) 761-7170] for their hours before making the trip to purchase your books.
You can use Touro’s Law School Planner from your orientation materials to help you navigate these first few weeks of law school. The Planner is meant to be a guide --- one which you can and should adapt to your own study needs. However, since you are new to law school, we have made some suggestions and identified some specific tasks and suggested time allocations. The time frames are meant to be general guidelines only and it is very likely that your individual needs will vary. However, by keeping track of how long it takes you to complete an assignment, you will gain a better understanding of how much time to allocate to different study activities.
The Law School Planner covers several weeks: the week before Orientation, the week of Orientation, and the first full week of class. Please pay close attention to the page headings, especially with respect to the first week of class and select the calendar for your particular class section. There are three day sections and one evening section. There is also a blank planner for you to make your own schedule.
We believe the Planner will be helpful as you begin your law school career. If you have any questions --- and we are sure that you will --- please do not hesitate to stop by and see us in Room 314. We are here to assist you.
* Please check with the Touro Bookstore [(631) 761-7170] for their hours before making the trip to purchase your books.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
About Touro Law Center's Academic Development Program
Touro Law Center's Academic Development Program is committed to seeing you succeed – we recognize that the law school experience is different from all other types of educational experiences and so its goal is to assist you in developing the specific skills required for mastery of legal analysis and writing.
Our Program begins during Orientation, and continues throughout your years at Touro. In addition to group workshops and study sessions, we offer one-on-one sessions for individualized assessment, plus help with your study approaches, essay writing, and training in legal reasoning and writing. We also offer supplemental bar preparation courses in your final semesters at the Law Center to jump start your bar studies.
This blog is yet another, new way in which we can provide tips for your academic success and quickly respond to your needs - we hope to give relevant advice based on where you are within your law school experience. It is important to remember that while the contents of each post are the opinions of the author(s), they do not always match those of other contributors - often, there are many approaches that successful law students undertake, and while one approach might work for one student, there is no one size which fits all approach.
We suggest taking our suggestions, and adapting them in a way that works best for you - we also encourage you to participate in all that Touro has to offer. We are available to meet with you to discuss your academic performance and to develop a study program that addresses your individualized needs.
We look forward to working with you.
Our Program begins during Orientation, and continues throughout your years at Touro. In addition to group workshops and study sessions, we offer one-on-one sessions for individualized assessment, plus help with your study approaches, essay writing, and training in legal reasoning and writing. We also offer supplemental bar preparation courses in your final semesters at the Law Center to jump start your bar studies.
This blog is yet another, new way in which we can provide tips for your academic success and quickly respond to your needs - we hope to give relevant advice based on where you are within your law school experience. It is important to remember that while the contents of each post are the opinions of the author(s), they do not always match those of other contributors - often, there are many approaches that successful law students undertake, and while one approach might work for one student, there is no one size which fits all approach.
We suggest taking our suggestions, and adapting them in a way that works best for you - we also encourage you to participate in all that Touro has to offer. We are available to meet with you to discuss your academic performance and to develop a study program that addresses your individualized needs.
We look forward to working with you.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Welcome!
Welcome to the Academic Development blog! We are here for your academic support needs -- we hope you check this site frequently for tips to enhance your study skills, including tips for time management, case reading and briefing, studying for exams, and other skills essential for your law school success.
We hope that you are enjoying your summer and look forward to seeing you in the Fall!
We hope that you are enjoying your summer and look forward to seeing you in the Fall!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)