Members of NASJE lent their experience and expertise to a cadre of court leaders from across the nation at the July meeting of the National Association of Court Management in Atlanta. “NACM wanted to offer an educational session to equip Read more
In March, twenty judicial educators from around the country came together in the latest callinar presented by the Education and Curriculum Committee. Callinars were created by the committee as a way of bringing together members of NASJE to discuss relevant Read more
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.
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.
As judicial educators, we recognize trials are not as exciting as they appear in the media, but that doesn’t mean our courts should accept jurors sleeping through critical testimony and evidence. Join us to discuss how our courts can handle the inattentive juror and how to create an environment for engaged jurors.
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.”
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.
On August 11, 2016 NASJE’s Western Region hosted a meeting where we shared ways to approach teaching and facilitating discussions about the difficult topics of racism, prejudice and implicit bias in the judicial branch with judges and court staff. The Read more
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.
What do you get when you cross a book club and a conference call? A “callinar,” of course! It was our pleasure as the Curriculum and Education Committee to host the very first ever “callinar” for judicial branch educators on April 28, 2016.
The first Article Club was a success and now it is time for the second one. These Article Club-style phone conferences were created to bring NASJE members together in conversations about topics of interest to judicial educators.
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.
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.
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.
In 2004, judicial education became mandatory for Nebraska judges, probation, and Court staff. Carole McMahon-Boies set out to build the education program on a budget.
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.
In Design For How People Learn, you’ll discover how to use the key principles behind learning, memory, and attention to create materials that enable your audience to both gain and retain the knowledge and skills you’re sharing.
