I wanted to follow up Ilya's post on the Socratic Method with a slightly different thought: From the standpoint of a law student, isn't the ideal to experience a wide range of different teaching styles?

  When I was a student, I had terrific experiences with Socratic teaching; my most Socratic professors really taught me to think like a lawyer. On the other hand, I learned a lot from professors who lectured, too. Lecturing profs shed light on the nature of the legal system in ways that Socratic dialogue didn't capture very well. I also learned from other styles, whether mixing and matching or other approaches. In my experience, different styles worked for different courses and different professors, and a range of styles led to the most engaging and educational experience. (The only approach that didn't work for me was "group problem solving," as the main problem the group tried to solve usually was where to go out next weekend).

  If I'm right, we shouldn't be asking whether the Socratic Method is good or bad in the abstract. The better question is what teaching style works best for a particular professor and course in light of the other teaching styles students will experience over the course of law school.