Affiliation: Director & Scientist and Associate Professor, University of Toronto
Country: Canada
Abstract: Advancing Critically Reflective Practice & Adaptive Expertise in Health
This presentation is co-presented with Maria Mylopoulos. Reflective practice (RP) has long been advocated in professional education, yet its uptake in technical-rational fields like law can be met with skepticism. Drawing on insights from health professions education, this paper proposes adaptive expertise (AE) as a pathway into critically reflective development that may be more recognizable and relatable to legal professionals and scholars. Critically reflective practice has been shown to enable social competencies like advocacy and collaboration. While critically, RP often emerges from critical or constructivist explorations, AE is grounded in cognitivist-constructivist theory and empirical research. By thoughtfully integrating AE and critically RP—both rooted in Deweyan thought—we can better support the teaching and learning of reflective practice in legal education and bridge persistent theory-practice gaps.
Bio: Dr. Stella Ng is Director at the Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education (CACHE), Scientist at The Wilson Centre, and Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. A leading scholar in health professions education, her research explores critically reflective practice and has built an evidence base for teaching it through critical pedagogy. With a background in audiology and a PhD in Health Professional Education, Dr. Ng brings insights from health professions education to inform how reflection can be meaningfully taught and practiced in technical- rational fields. Her work bridges theory and practice, offering pathways to cultivate ethical, compassionate, and adaptive professionals.
Where presenting: ľĹĐăÖ±˛Ą Law virtual Symposium
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Affiliation: Assistant Professor, University of New Brunswick
Country: Canada
Abstract: Legal Education as Responsibility-Building: Integrating Critical Perspectives and Reflective Practice in Criminal Law
This paper will engage with the symposium theme of connecting critical approaches with reflective practice by developing an idea of legal education as responsibility-building. I will examine how pedagogies related to both critical perspectives and reflective practice can work together to cultivate several forms of responsibility among instructors and students. One form of responsibility is a responsibility for ourselves—for example, to be open, critical, reflective, and creative. Another responsibility is for others, particularly for those whose experiences and voices are traditionally marginalized through legal principles, structures, and texts. A responsibility for others can involve the idea that, by witnessing another, we are requested, incentivized, or possibly even commanded to respond in some way. Finally, we can also regard critical theories and reflective practice as nurturing a responsibility to do certain things—for example, to consider another person’s perspective and to change our own viewpoints or actions. The paper will explore these themes in the context of criminal law education.
Bio: Sarah-Jane Nussbaum is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of New Brunswick. She teaches Criminal Law, the Advanced Criminal Law Seminar, and Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility. Her research focuses on sentencing law and on criminal law education and has been funded by grants from the Canadian Bar Association Law for the Future Fund and the Canadian Foundation for Legal Research. She is a recipient of the UNB Law Teaching Excellence Award, and she collaborates with Elizabeth Fry New Brunswick to support public legal education and research projects.
Where presenting: ľĹĐăÖ±˛Ą Law virtual Symposium
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Affiliation: Professor, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University
Country: Australia
Abstract: ADR in Legal Education: A Values-Based Vehicle for the Promotion of Reflective Practice in Law Students
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is now an established part of legal practice in the Australian legal profession. It is also a compulsory knowledge area for admission into legal practice. ADR subjects are typically experiential and include content relating to managing and resolving conflicts, including processes such as negotiation and mediation. These processes are values-based approaches to resolving disputes and require practitioners to use specialized skills usually taught through role plays. The experiential pedagogy of ADR and the focus on conflict management and communication skills make ADR a natural partner with reflective practice in law. This paper outlines the current content and pedagogy of ADR subjects in Law Schools in Australia and argues for the inclusion of reflective practice in learning and teaching to promote ethical legal practice in the age of technology. It argues that ADR is a valuable vehicle to develop reflective practice in law students.
Bio: Lola is an academic, Australian Lawyer and Mediator. She is currently a Professor at the School of Law, RMIT University. Lola’s research focuses on access to justice and conflict resolution: appropriate dispute resolution (ADR) including in relation to ethics, mediator responsibilities, teaching ADR in the law curriculum, cultural appropriateness, ADR and access to justice and ADR and social justice. Lola is interested in the role of international law in promoting global peace and justice particularly, how finding shared values may assist in the resolution or management of seemingly intractable conflicts. Lola is a leader in higher education, developing and ensuring the quality of legal education programs and preparing law students for future legal practice.
Where presenting: Australasian Law Academics Association (ALAA) conference
Affiliation: Professor, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University
Country: Australia
Abstract: Reflective Practice in Legal Education: The McGree Retrial as a Cornerstone Experience
This presentation is being co-presented with Joseph Wenta. In 2025, a team of criminal law and criminology students at the University of Newcastle School of Law and Justice conducted a public retrial of Elizabeth McGree. She had been convicted of murder and sentenced to death in South Australia in 1882. Working under the supervision of a multidisciplinary team of criminologists, lawyers and medical experts second year law students reconstructed parts of the trial from the historical record. Conducting the “retrial” under the current criminal law of NSW provided students with the opportunity to reflect critically on the systemic challenges facing victim-survivors of gender-based violence, and to imagine their own futures as lawyers and advocates for justice. Drawing on research conducted with the student team and insights from teaching staff and mentors, we argue that reflective practice is an essential aspect of “cornerstone” experiences that provide an essential foundation for contemporary legal education. A cornerstone experience provides scaffolded support early in the degree to cultivate self-awareness, confidence in critical reasoning, applied skills, and professional identity, We share our students’ stories of this immersive learning experience and the evolution of their reflective practice skills during and beyond the “retrial” project.
Bio:
Where presenting: Australasian Law Academics Association (ALAA) conference