When class is over, I discuss with the students their performance and suggest ways to capitalize on the classroom experience. When students discuss this question, they understand that case briefing is not an end in itself, but a tool for class participation. Students soon discover that useful briefs anticipate that day's questions, which, in a perfect teaching world, reflect the significance of the assigned material. Often, we can show a student that the answer to a professor's hypothetical was in the analysis of a case they have just read. These questions help students think critically about their briefs and about the specific demands that teachers place on a brief's ability to help students in class.
Students begin to see the value of anticipating where a line of questions is heading.
We also ask students about the effect of the professor's teaching style that day. Law students seem to concentrate on the differences between teachers, but we try to point out the similarities by cutting through the professor's particular style of teaching. We ask students about their passive participation. From these clues, students begin to see the value of preparation and participation, even vicarious participation. Students need to know that a teacher's hypothetical was not merely a convenience but an example of the kind of question they may see on an exam.