Creating a Healthy Group Work Learning Environment in Law Classes

This article shares details of the design and implementation of group learning in a law dispute resolution unit. Teamwork was an essential component of the group learning experience. In planning the unit, the way in which students would be prepared to work in groups, the means of group formation, group learning activities and the assessment regime were all designed to provide a positive learning experience. Opportunities to build competence, to connect with peers and to exercise autonomy were all part of the learning design. The article reports students’ experiences of their group learning, confirming that the pedagogical design did indeed promote students’ senses of competence, connection, belonging and autonomy. Each of these factors has been associated, in both theory and empirical findings, with enhanced student wellbeing.