Abstract
In this article I argue that the phenomenological complexity, the lived experiences of educational practices in legal education is a research field that we still need to investigate and explore in much more detail. Such an exploration will not be theoretical only, but will fuse theory with an understanding of context and practice. In this, I take a Deweyan and Pragmatist view of education, holding that any theory of knowledge is also, fundamentally, a theory of inquiry. It is not possible therefore to separate educational theory from educational practice. Just as there can be no complete and absolutely correct map of the planet, so what we map in education will be contingent, local and purposive and in this lies its explanatory and predictive power for us as educators. The process holds larger significances, too, and is important for the development of legal education as a juristic as well as a heuristic activity. The conversations about theory in practice and practice deriving from theory are essential to the development of democratic legal education, and legal education for democracy, as we shall see. To investigate how the phenomenology of educational practices can be further developed in legal education, I shall take Problem-Based Learning (PBL) as a case study.
| Original language | English |
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| Pages (from-to) | 94-111 |
| Journal | Nottingham Law Journal |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2015 |