ELPIS Law Review - Beatriz Leitão

 Written by: Beatriz Fernandes Leitão

Second-year student from the University of Lisbon Faculty of Law

Student Number: 64477, Class: 2B, 17

“ Team-based learning and teaching – Commentary ”

    Team-based learning and teaching is a widely debated topic in many fields, being able to go as far as being discussed in different environments, from high school to college. Therefore, it is not surprising that we can find such a rich deposit of opinions from various scholars, such as the distinguished Professor Arndt Künnecke, from the Federal University of Applied Sciences for Public Administration in Brühl.

     The professor expresses his views on the subject matter in his In his ELPIS v- LAW Review No. 4/2022 - «Law Teaching and Learning»'s v-article/v-log regarding the topic of " Team-based Learning & Teaching". [1] His simple and straightforward, as well as dynamic approach to the topic allows for a clear understanding of the this very interesting matter.

     To obtain a better understanding of the topic at hand, one must first ask five questions: What is team-based learning about? What are the main design principles of this learning process? Furthermore, what are the different stages of this type of learning process? How can it be practised? And what are its benefits?

     Within this commentary, I shall try to answer these questions and provide a view of my own on the subject.

     Concerning the first question, team-based learning is a special form of collaborative learning using a sequence of individual work, group work and intermediate feedback to create a motivational framework where the students increasingly hold each other accountable for coming to class prepared and contributing to the discussion. [2]

     Now, when one is, for instance, designing a legal course at a university per the team-based learning concept, four essential principles need to be respected.

     The first principle stands for teams, so, before all else, one must divide the class into several different teams (Note that to ensure that they can work effectively together, these groups should be no bigger than six students). This team must also be varied and continuously changing to enable more active teamwork and discussion.

     The second design principle stands for accountability since each student is responsible for all the pre-class preparation and their team's success in class. The third design principle stands for application as an allusion to the students' need to apply the course concepts and its simple reporting form.

     Finally, the fourth design principle stands for feedback, as a reminder for the teachers to give their students up-to-date and frequent feedback. Without these four guiding principles, there can be no team-based learning course or activity. [3]

     Moreover, there are also three stages of the team-based learning process: the pre-class preparation, the readiness assurance process and team application exercises. [4]

     In class, the students will enter the second stage of team-based learning, the so-called readiness assurance process, for which about 20% of the in-class time should be reserved.

     This process requires usually a short test that should be answered firstly individually and then, as a team. Followed by an opportunity for the students' teams to challenge the preparation content and the questions in the test. Giving the class a chance for heightened interaction and demonstrating their understanding of the topic.

     This can also be accompanied by some incentives, such as extra credit so as to create a competitive atmosphere and a higher motivation to participate in the in- class activities. After that, the teacher can give a mini-lecture on the topics that are more problematic for the students.

     Finally, the remaining in-class time should be reserved for the team application exercises. This should consist of a case study that the students should solve either about the pre-class preparation material or a discussion of a legal opinion or concession on the topic of the very lesson. All teams should work on the same problem and focus on reaching a final decision to compare and discuss with their peers.

     Furthermore, there are many benefits to this form of learning that showcase why team-based learning is an effective and exceptional way of learning. It creates a learning instead of a teaching classroom, while also increasing students’ involvement in class.

     Team-based learning also leads to a heightened level of engagement between the students and the course material itself, promoting the individual accountability and collaborative skills of students and offering each student a variety of opportunities to better understand the topic at hand, thus minimizing the rate of failing.

     In conclusion, team-based learning is a marvellous way of learning for the students and teaching by the instructors as it allows for multiple opportunities for self- assessment and revision by regular feedback, as it refines our problem-solving skills and should, therefore, be expanded to all classrooms.