Street Law - a module to enhance the transferable skills of law students
Channel: National Forum T&L
Date: 20/11/2015

Teaching & Learning Enhancement Fund 2015
Open Forum Presentations
Project Type B

Lead Partner:  Letterkenny Institute of Technology

Other Partners:
Trinity College
National University of Ireland, Galway

Abstract:
˜Street law” involves teaching practical law to grassroots audiences using interactive teaching methodologies. It is a form of Public Legal Education (PLE) which is internationally accredited as being mutually beneficial to both the trainers and the recipients. The trainers (law students) develop professional and other transferable skills and second level students are introduced to legal information in an engaging and interactive way. Elements of practical law taught might include awareness of human rights/civil rights, democratic principles, conflict resolution, criminal justice, employment law, civil liberties and human rights (or the target audience themselves select the areas of law that they wish to learn about).

Introduction of the Street Law module grounded in digital resources represents a new departure in undergraduate legal pedagogy in Ireland and simultaneously creates the space for collaboration between third level institutions and their communities.  In this proposal the collaborating third level institutions will partner with secondary schools to introduce the law to pupils in an accessible, engaging and interactive way to positively impact second level students and their communities while third level students develop professional and transferable skills as required by the Hunt Report.  It is aimed at a target audience of Transition Year School students in the Partner Secondary Schools and will be delivered by third level undergraduate law students in highly participatory classes using a digital platform that will be developed to support learning. An interactive blog including discussion forum will be created by learners to facilitate reflective and thus enhanced learning.

Delivery on a national scale will be facilitated by the development of digital resources to support the implementation of the programme.

The central activities of this proposal are the development of these digital resources and supports followed by the piloting of the delivery of the module and informed refinement before national implementation.