Group Learning in Law

Abstract

Working effectively in groups in higher education has important theoretical, practical and pragmatic justifications. Yet group work remains under-utilised in formal tertiary legal education. Individualism heavily dominates students’ educational experiences and law school curricula. Recent research suggests that a far greater role for cooperative learning is warranted, and greatly improves student learning outcomes. Skills in group work are also highly sought after by the employers of law graduates. In this article, we outline the objectives and processes of collaborative learning, emphasising the benefits in terms of student outcomes. We also discuss the implications of the general research into group work by reference to our own practices in facilitating this kind of learning in legal education. We argue that, despite some practical difficulties which are commonly associated with group work, this kind of learning environment offers significant advantages over individual work which cannot otherwise be realised. It also offers significant benefits to teachers in terms of satisfaction and efficiency. Therefore we encourage other legal educators to use and evaluate group work as part of their formal course and curriculum design.