Enhancing law student learning : the nurturing teacher

This article considers whether the techniques and philosophy of a 'nurturing' teacher can be justified in the law school context. In doing this, the article explores two interrelated issues. The first is the effect of students' emotions on their ability to learn effectively. The second is the role of the teacher in being aware of and harnessing these emotions in order to create the optimal classroom environment for effective learning. The article examines some ofthe techniques of the nurturing teacher, and argues that these techniques and philosophies effectively take account ofthe emotional aspect of student learning, and are therefore essential to law school teaching.