Civics & Citizenship · Year 10

Active learning ideas

Sources of Australian Law: Statute Law

Active learning works for this topic because students need to feel the tension between legal theory and real-world barriers. When they physically navigate obstacles in a simulation or see justice costs mapped out, the abstract idea of access to justice becomes tangible. This hands-on approach helps students move beyond memorizing statutes to understanding their impact on people’s lives.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9C10K02

• 20–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Simulation Game
• 50 min · Individual

Simulation Game: The Justice Maze

Students are given 'character profiles' with different income levels and locations. They must attempt to 'solve' a legal problem (like an unfair dismissal) by researching available services, discovering how quickly resources run out for those without wealth.

Explain the process of creating statute law.

Facilitation Tip

During The Justice Maze simulation, circulate with a timer visible to add urgency and mirror real-world pressure on legal decisions.

What to look for

Provide students with a simplified flowchart of the legislative process. Ask them to label each stage with the correct action (e.g., First Reading, Second Reading, Committee Stage, Third Reading, Royal Assent) and write one sentence describing what happens at each stage.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Gallery Walk
• 40 min · Small Groups

Gallery Walk: Barriers to Justice

Create stations representing different barriers: Cost, Language, Geography, and Cultural Difference. Students move through the stations, reading real-world statistics and testimonials, and proposing one policy solution for each.

Analyze the interaction between statute law and common law.

Facilitation Tip

For the Gallery Walk, position yourself at the midpoint of the room to observe which barriers students linger on and why.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'If a judge makes a ruling that contradicts a recently passed Act of Parliament, which law should prevail and why?' Facilitate a class discussion where students must justify their answers using the concept of parliamentary supremacy.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Is Justice a Luxury?

Students discuss whether legal representation should be a guaranteed right like healthcare. They explore the implications of a system where the quality of your lawyer depends on your bank account.

Evaluate the supremacy of statute law in the Australian legal system.

Facilitation Tip

In the Think-Pair-Share, deliberately pair students with different perspectives to surface assumptions about fairness in the legal system.

What to look for

Ask students to write down one example of a statute law they know of (e.g., road rules, environmental protection laws) and briefly explain how it was created by Parliament. They should also identify one way it might interact with or differ from common law.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by grounding abstract legal concepts in students’ lived experiences. Start with the simulation to create cognitive dissonance, then use the gallery walk to analyze patterns of exclusion. Avoid rushing to solutions; instead, let students articulate the problem first. Research shows that when students confront injustice directly, they retain the concept and transfer it to new contexts more effectively.

Successful learning looks like students articulating the difference between legal equality and real access, using specific examples from the activities. They should explain why some groups face greater hurdles and justify their reasoning with evidence from the simulations or discussions. By the end, they connect statute law to lived experiences of justice.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During The Justice Maze simulation, watch for students assuming everyone starts with equal tools to navigate the maze.

  Pause the activity when you observe this and ask: ‘What real-world resources did we not give the maze-walkers?’ Then connect their answers to real barriers like legal costs or language access.

• During the Gallery Walk of Barriers to Justice, watch for students generalizing that all rural communities have the same access problems.

  Direct students to the map section and ask them to identify which specific barriers (e.g., mobile coverage, interpreter availability) apply to each region they see.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Simulation Game
• Gallery Walk
• Think-Pair-Share