ABSTRACT
This chapter considers pedagogic techniques that may be used in the consumer contract law sphere. It argues that students’ own experiences as consumers can be harnessed and enhanced. The chapter suggests that virtual learning environments can be harnessed to provide opportunities for situated learning. It considers the ways that “consumer protection” can be used as a lens through which classic contract law cases can be examined in order to better understand the protections afforded to consumers. Situated learning seeks to enable students to learn through “participation in the sociocultural practices of a community”. Situated learning involves more than “learning by doing”. All citizens undergo an ‘apprenticeship’ in being a consumer, learning how to act in the marketplace. During early life, children undergo a socialisation process that results in them becoming consumers. Technological possibilities to encourage socialisation must be considered, and it should be considered whether particular technologies can lead to better participation.
