Agassi and Douglas

What I learned from Andre Agassi

When I heard that former world No. 1 tennis player Andre Agassi was going to be the closing speaker at the Conference of Chief Justices mid-year meeting in January, I honestly geeked out just a little. I am a big fan and was looking forward to meeting him. My second thought was what could the chiefs possibly learn from a tennis star who was a 9th grade dropout? Surprisingly, I learned quite a few things from his fireside chat.

Callinar: Humans Hate Being Spun

The Education and Curriculum Committee is excited to offer the next session in our series of callinars. Mark your calendars for May 23, 2018, at 2:00EDT. We will discuss the article Humans Hate Being Spun: How to Practice Radical Honesty — from the Woman Who Defined Netflix’s Culture.

Bryan Walker

Judicial Education Manager Insights

My belief has always been that great teachers can teach anybody. The student’s age does not matter. My first disclaimer: I do not consider myself a great teacher. I have, however, found success as a teacher and coach. In my opinion, certificates and degrees have never determined the efficacy of a teacher. I have seen many teachers with Ph.Ds. who fail to connect with learners. As Jack Anderson Pidgeon, the headmaster of the private Kiski School in Saltsburg noted , “Teaching must flow from within. Teaching is an art.”

Rethinking Learning Styles: Judicial Educators as Restless Learners

Judicial Branch Educators are restless learners. As such, they continually investigate new research on teaching and learning and on topics of interest to courts. They also need to be critical thinkers, constantly evaluating what they know and what they need to learn. Rethinking learning styles is just such a topic. There is much to know about learning styles, but well-tested and documented research goes against the widely accepted view that teachers should alter their teaching styles according to their learners’ learning styles in order to maximize learning. In addition, research casts doubt on the reliability of assessments designed to determine individual learning styles.

Paul DeLosh

Upcoming NASJE Webcast – New Course Development Resource: The NACM Core

As judicial educators, our challenge is to develop courses year after year that are relevant, engaging, and provide the most up-to-date information. We use a variety of resources to accomplish this daunting task, and this year, our partners at the National Association for Court Management (NACM) have released thirteen curriculum designs that align with the NACM Core, the updated version of the NACM Core Competencies.

Missouri’s Judicial Education Programs Building on Each Other: The Missouri Court Management Institute And the Judicial Leadership Summit

Created in 2012, the Missouri Court Management Institute brings together judges, clerks, administrators, and juvenile officers six times a year to explore the purposes and responsibilities of courts, measurement of court performance, case flow management, and managing technology projects, judicial finances, and human resources.

Diversity, Fairness, and Access: A 21st Century Curriculum

Last year, the Education and Curriculum Committee along with the Diversity, Access, and Fairness Committee, released its newest curriculum design, “The Journey toward Diversity, Fairness, and Access through Education,” which is a roadmap for judicial educators and practitioners wishing to develop or integrate fairness and bias related topics. Early curriculum adopters have lauded it.

Teaching Implicit Bias to Court Employees: Lessons from the Field

How do courts deal with issues such as the disproportion of minority representation in the criminal and juvenile justice systems? How can court employees and judges act to overcome the perception that the criminal justice system is biased towards minority populations, as shown in research at ProceduralFairness.org and elsewhere? Pima County courts chose to tackle implicit bias training as one facet of their efforts to combat these and related issues in courts in Tucson, Arizona.

Dr. Maureen Conner

Creating Presence in the Age of Continual Change: Judicial Educators Leading the Edge

In 1995, I wrote an article for NASJE News titled “Creating Presence”. I heard from many colleagues about how helpful the concepts were in establishing the importance of education in the courts. Now, two decades later, creating presence is even more important. External forces that will not abate increasingly drive contemporary change. Directly meeting the challenges of change with a clear vision and unified voice is required to thrive in what will likely be a very exciting and frustrating time.