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In a forthcoming article in the Journal of Legal Education, St John’s Professor Ashley B. Armstrong offers a systematic approach to what has long been understood as a gap in traditional law school courses. Presenting what she calls “the contextual case method”, Professor Armstrong doesn’t merely highlight the importance of expanding case analysis to include the context that led to the dispute and the concrete impact on the parties and society of the court’s opinion. She charts a three part course helping faculty incorporate context into our classrooms. She proposes we (1) interrogate judicial opinions as constructed narratives; (2) supplement court opinions by assigning texts to problematize and expand students’ understanding; and (3) teach cases “to their end” by uncovering what happened after a decision was handed down. Sounds good to me.
.Armstrong, Ashley B., The Stories We (Don’t) Teach (February 01, 2026). St. John’s Legal Studies Research Paper No. 26-0007, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=6570520 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.6570520

This week’s teaching tidbit takes up where last week’s post left off. Both posts suggest ways you can draft syllabi that advance goals common among us, i.e., creating a welcoming, inclusive culture, encouraging students, advancing a culture of constructive disagreement, communicating our high expectations, and demonstrating our passion for our subjects and for student success. In last week’s teaching tidbit, I provided an explanation as to why your syllabus is important, and I then focused on syllabus provisions designed to address and help create your desired class culture. 

This week’s tidbit has three sections. Section 1 addresses syllabus provisions implementing the new ABA outcomes requirements and common law school and university requirements. Section 2 deals with the barebones but essential syllabus provisions: grading, assignments, communication, attendance, and preparation. Finally, Section 3 explores which syllabus provisions are ones for which you could invite student input and why and how to do so.

The New ABA Outcomes Requirements and Common Law School and University Requirements

New ABA Standards. ABA Standard 302(b) requires a law school to “establish minimum learning outcomes for each course it offers.” These outcomes “must be specific and measurable” and must “describe the knowledge, skills, or competencies that students will be able to demonstrate upon successful completion of the course.” In fact, law schools must ensure that “every section/offering of a course required by the law school adopts the same minimum learning outcomes,” although professors can also require more than these minimum outcomes. ABA Standard 302(c). Two examples might help: 

1. “Students will know, understand, and, given a complex hypothetical set of facts, be able to competently identify issues, accurately articulate the law, identify at least most legally significant facts, articulate credible legal arguments, and accurately predict outcomes in the following doctrinal areas: [insert key doctrinal areas].”
2. “Given a complex set of facts, students will be able to draft ____________ [insert type of legal document, e.g., a client letter, a discovery plan], evaluate ___________ [e.g., a proposed settlement , a contract provision, or a strategic litigation choice], and justify the choices made using cases, statutes, and other authority and legal reasoning.”

Jennifer Gonzalez, Cult of Pedagogy, Growth Discourse: A Framework for Discussing Hard Topics with Students (December 7, 2025).

This article offers concrete suggestions for facilitating conversations about challenging topics drawing on the work of the School for Ethics and Global Leadership. It details four strategies for facilitating hard conversations: creating a community where all students feel they belong, valuing both intent and impact, using support from peers to process difficult conversations and then re-engaging in those conversations, and focusing on understanding and not judging. But I cannot do the model justice; read the article.

The article quotes extensively from Noah Bopp, who founded SEGL in 2009 and currently serves as the Head of School. Below, I offer two quotes from Mr. Bopp that I hope will entice you to read more.