Yale Law Women
4
There is much less of a gender disparity in participation for classes with peak attendance under 25. In seminars, men account for the majority of participation events in four of the six courses. However, when adjusted for attendance, women account for the majority of participation events in three of the six courses. In the three 1L small groups monitored, men account for a majority of participation events both in raw numbers and adjusted for attendance. In large 1L sections, when adjusted for attendance, women account for over 50% of the participation events in three out of the five classes. 3. Classroom management styles can affect participation rates. The cold call system provided the least gender-disparate result, with men accounting for 54.8% of cold call responses. Many students suggested that professors either use more non-voluntary participation systems (i.e., cold-calling or panels) or more conscious classroom management to ensure that more voices are heard. 4. Both faculty and students felt that teaching is under-valued at Yale Law School. 5. Summary of recommendations for improving classroom interactions: For FACULTY: Be aware of classroom dynamics. Practice conscientious classroom management: o Students overwhelmingly asked for some form of non-voluntary classroom participation. Many students mentioned cold-calling, especially panels, to ensure that more voices are heard. o Think about ways to get students engaged in the material before class. Provide questions to think about for the next class’s readings. Assign ungraded written response paragraphs for large groups and response papers for seminars. o Try to hear from everyone in the class on a regular basis. In large classes, make sure you have called on every person in the first half of the semester. In seminars, make sure you have heard from every student once a week. o Develop strategies for dealing with students who dominate classroom time. Preface questions with comments about your expectations: “I would like to hear comments from someone I haven’t heard from today....” Wait five seconds before calling on students. Do not always call on the first person who raises his or her hand.