Literacy/numeracy strategies in Legal Studies

Literacy is a critical component of Legal Studies as students are introduced to new legal
terminology and are required to use this in navigating through the unit of criminal law. To
assist with increasing literacy skills, students will be required to keep a glossary of legal
terms learnt in all units, and specifically criminal law, and be able to use these terms
appropriately in class discussions, reports, essays and presentations (QSA, 2013). Students
will also be assessed on their ability to correctly use grammar, spelling, punctuation and
layout in written exercises. In setting up the glossary, students will be required to have four
columns, the first with the word or legal phrase, second with the textbook/legal definition, the
third for their description in their own words and the fourth for examples (where relevant).
Other strategies used in this subject to improve literacy skills are requiring students to read
cases and legislation, analyse issues and participate in class discussions. Group activities
also foster those skills as students must be able to communicate clearly and concisely,
justify their reasoning or opinion and relate that to the class. Finally, in relation to their written
communication, students will have the PEEL paragraph approach modelled and they are
expected to use this method when writing responses to legal scenarios. This methodology
will assist them in providing a structure for their answer, and ensures that they have provided
sufficient evidence and explanations for the opinion or point they wish to make.