Cooperative Learning as One Approach to Teaching Family Law^*

Abstract

We identified appropriate family law content and a pedagogical vehicle to support instructors interested in teaching family law to students of family studies and human development programs. Additionally, we provide instructors with an overview of a family law course, a detailed model syllabus, strategies, and model assignments for using cooperative learning as the core pedagogy. We review the pedagogical value of cooperative learning in general and give specific cooperative assignments for our readers. The course model is designed to improve students' critical thinking, team building, and problem-solving skills toward understanding the intersection of families and the law.

Family Law and Foster Care

“…Depending upon the number of credit hours and individual student goals, some students completed a two-page critique of a peer-reviewed article using courts cases, wrote or modified an existing law to promote individual and family autonomy, or developed a one-page policy brief about foster care. Other students wrote a two-page court brief, identifying the plaintiff, respondent, facts of the case, legal reasoning, holding or conclusion, and dissenting or concurring opinion (for other ideas of cooperative learning activities see Cianciolo & Henderson, 2003;Cianciolo et al, 2001;Henderson & Martin, 2002).…”

WritingAmicus Curiaeand Policy Briefs

“…The steps include: identifying a problem; gathering information and research on the topic; generating a "perfect world" solution; formulating several possible realistic solutions; choosing one workable solution; constructing an action plan; and reflecting on the problem solving process. Other elements of family policy curricula devoted to active, contextual learning include: internships (Cohen et al, 1995), observing local government sessions, letter writing to public officials, working directly with community advocacy agencies, discussing family policy in current events (Anderson & Skinner, 1995), cooperative learning exercises and class discussion of case law (Henderson & Martin, 2002).…”

“…A successful policy course prepares its students to be educated and active consumers of public policy information. Furthermore, students should emerge from such a course better able to participate in the policymaking process (Henderson & Martin, 2002;Rocha & Johnson, 1997).…”

Cooperative Learning Through Collaborative Faculty‐Student Research Teams*

“…Thus, many have advocated for more innovative teaching strategies at the undergraduate and graduate levels (Cianciolo & Henderson; Cianciolo et al, 2001; Fontes & Piercy, 2000; McWey et al, 2002; Sprenkle & Piercy, 1984). Specifically, scholars assert that meaningful research training in undergraduate and graduate programs involves more than requiring students to take research methods and statistics classes and to complete a dissertation or thesis, but involves pedagogical approaches that connect course content to research practices (Anderson, 2003; Crane, Wampler, Sprenkle, Sandberg, & Hovestadt, 2002; Henderson & Martin, 2002; Piercy et al, 2005; Sprenkle, 2002).…”