Pedagogy means teaching: specifically teacher actions that promote student learning. Effective legal studies teachers use a variety of approaches to support student learning.
Teachers require two types of pedagogical knowledge: pedagogical content knowledge and general pedagogical knowledge. Pedagogical content knowledge refers to the knowledge required to teach particular content, and to be able to present the subject to make it comprehensible to others.
Effective teachers will use, and know when to use, a range of teaching models, such as group interaction models, direct instruction, problem-based models, and inquiry learning to support the concepts or subject matter being learned in legal studies.
Students must also be motivated to learn and teachers can aid this motivation through creating a safe and orderly learning environment, providing challenge but also allowing for success, and promoting a strong belief that all students can achieve.
Information about effective pedagogy, including the process for teaching as inquiry, can be found in The New Zealand Curriculum (pages 34-36).
Specific approaches or mechanisms for teaching the social sciences are described on pages 54–55 of Effective Pedagogy in Social Sciences/Tikanga ā Iwi: Best Evidence Synthesis Iteration [BES].
Online resources are listed in the Resources section of this guide.
Planning considerations for delivering legal studies programmes in years 11- 13 are covered in the learning programme design section of this guide.
Assessment is discussed in The New Zealand Curriculum (pages 39–41).
Te Tere Auraki is a Ministry of Education professional development strategy focusing on improving outcomes for Māori students in English-medium schools. This strategy supports four main Te Tere Auraki projects:
Ka Hikitia – Accelerating Success 2013–2017 is the Māori Education Strategy to improving the performance of the education system for and with Māori.
Last updated August 21, 2019