Planning considerations

When planning a legal studies programme you might ask yourself these questions:

• Do your plans develop the students' legal knowledge, skills and understanding in an organised, systematic and rigorous way?
• Is there a balance in your programme between overview and depth that enables students to explore key legal issues?
• What is significant, diverse, engaging and meaningful for your students about the concepts and principles, processes and systems, and issues included in your programme?
• Is your programme exciting, motivating, moving, accessible and relevant for all your students?
• Does your programme provide a coherent experience, enabling your students to make links and connections between different aspects of the law and legal systems?
• Is there consideration of jurisdictions other than New Zealand, in addition to the emphasis on the local and national characteristics of the New Zealand legal system?
• Has your plan addressed the social, cultural, gender-related, religious and ethnic diversity of the legal system in New Zealand and other jurisdictions?
• Is a range of perspectives included in your plan (for example, political, religious, social, cultural, gender-related, economic, technological, scientific)?
• Do you build in an expectation of progress in terms of depth, range, scale, and complexity of study?
• Are concepts and principles, systems and processes revisited and reinforced in different contexts?
• Are there opportunities for the students to show greater independence in their legal studies learning (for example, choosing a specific context)?
• Do your plans account for the students' prior and future experiences in law?
• Do you provide opportunities for a wide range of teaching and learning experiences, including visits to courts, police, prisons, etc?
• Do your students have access and the opportunity to work with a wide and diverse range of resources relating to Legal Studies?
• Do your plans encourage students to use information and communication technology (ICT) effectively?
• Do your plans make the most of legal studies’ potential to connect to the wider curriculum, including the key competencies?

Last updated August 28, 2012

TOP