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Of caterpillars and butterflies: The introduction of metamorphosis at the UWA law school

THE PURPOSE of this paper is to report on an innovation in learning recently introduced at the University of Western Australia (UWA) Law School. Metamorphosis is a programme that attempts to foster metacognition in the learning of law. The programme introduces students to the theoretical basis of the processes of learning. Small group seminar teaching was introduced in first year units in the UWA Law School in 1998 as a substitute for the traditional lecture/tutorial mode of teaching. Six of the core units taught in the first two years of the course are now taught exclusively in small group seminar classes of 30 to 35 students. The impetus for this change lay in dissatisfaction with the traditional lecture mode of teaching that promoted a culture of passive and often shallow learning and a growing sense of alienation between teachers and students that had accompanied a rapid increase in the size of the Law School. Small group seminar teaching was introduced in order to promote active learning, to support the development of generic and discipline specific skills and to expand the contextual and critical content of the curriculum. First and second year core units were chosen so that an active approach to learning could be established as soon as students began their law studies. It was believed this change in learning culture would flow into the units studied in the later years of the course. The Metamorphosis programme was prompted by our recognition that, if small group teaching is to succeed, we need not only raise the awareness of teaching and learning issues amongst staff, but foster a better understanding of the processes of learning amongst the students. The problem we identified after our introduction of small group teaching was that students often misunderstood what we were trying to do; and were confused as to their role in the teaching and learning process. We decided that one way in which we could encourage better learning amongst our