Flexing the muscles of flexible learning: HE pedagogy with
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Transcript Flexing the muscles of flexible learning: HE pedagogy with
Flexing the muscles of flexible learning:
HE pedagogy with deaf learners.
The Northumbria PPA experience
Lucy Currie & Mandy Barker
A credit bearing work based learning
programme run by the Flexible learning
Centre at Northumbria University.
It provides a qualifications route from
Level 4 to 7.
Learners are experts in their professional
areas.
Northumbria provides an academic
framework for HE qualifications
Deaf
CAMHS established in 2008 - NHS
funded specialist mental health service
for deaf children, young people and
families
Consists of a multi disciplinary team with
different academic backgrounds
Deafness and mental health is a very
specialised area of work
No formal qualification in this field
Expanding team needed training
Deaf staff employed for experience with
deaf children & own life experience
The
SHA set up a pilot course with
Northumbria University (D CAMHS CPD)
Unfortunately the course was not as relevant to
the specialist team as anticipated
University credits were not accessible to deaf
staff who hadn’t had the opportunity to access
further/higher education
Multi-professional team had different CPD
expectations
PPA route was identified as the solution
This arose from the desire by Deaf
(CAMHS) to enhance their CPD
provision for their staff.
6 staff were involved in the
programme; 3 hearing and 3 deaf.
They were to complete a 60 credit
programme at levels ranging from
4-7
3
Professionally qualified – 2 Social
Workers and 1 Interpreter
2 held adult education teaching
certificate for British Sign Language
1 had limited educational background but
was an experienced worker
Deaf staff were able to use access to
work funding for the interpreters on the
course
It
was clear from the start that this experience
was going to be different.
Each preliminary meeting threw up new
questions.
The learners confused the PPA credit bearing
CPD module with the pilot D CAMHS CPD. We
seemed to be going round and round in circles.
However, the programme finally started in
March 2011
The
PPA team had not worked with deaf
students before.
Working
on the premise of ‘deafness’ we
identified the main barrier as
‘communication’.
Deaf
Hearing
Interpreter
Delivery
• BSL Interpreters
• Note takers
• Tele link for tutorials
Assessment
• BSL presentation of
assessed work
• BSL video recording of
assessed work.
That
deaf learners are just ‘mainstream
people who can’t hear.’
That providing interpreters and note
takers would meet their learning needs.
That the learners would readily embrace
presenting their work in BSL.
That our strategies would be adequate
interventions to facilitate the running of
the programme as a mainstream cohort.
Society
and institutions view of deaf
people (deaf & dumb)
Deaf people often miss the foundations of
academic understanding
Poor academic achievements due to...
Lack of opportunities
Low expectations throughout childhood
Language difficulties
Proving intelligence through use of
English
Extra
sessions and tutorials to facilitate 1 to
1 support
A strong drive for BSL summative assessment
at the rate of 10 minutes of signing to a1000
words
Structured questions to make learning
outcomes specific
Deaf CAMHS staff supported their deaf
colleagues
Learners arranged a peer support workshop
Deaf CAMHS allocated work time for study
The
room had to be suitable, the furniture
arranged for visual access
Talking to students who were looking at someone
else was a bit unnerving
Traditionally a student is paying attention when
they are looking at you; in this case if they are
looking at you they are certainly NOT paying
attention
Use of metaphors is confusing
Examples have to be clearly thought out and
visually based
In each session there has to be 2 or three
additional people; 2 interpreters and a note taker
Implications on group activities
•
•
•
•
•
The whole process is slower, so more time
needed
The learners needed support with researching
and incorporating literature into their work
The learners did not readily take to the idea of
presenting work in BSL due to the cumbersome
process
The instructions had to be structured and linked
to literature resources.
When guidelines were given in question format
the students were focused and addressed the
learning outcomes fully
Deaf
staff and experienced hearing staff
hadn’t realised the full impact of
deafness on academic learning
Deaf staff felt they had a real peer group
and could discuss the course in detail with
colleagues
Self awareness for future opportunities
Good IT support is needed to present in
BSL
• BSL
• English
Interpreter
Interpreter
• Reading
• Academic
content
• Academic
theory
• Academic
writing
Outputs
Emma’s
clip
Deaf
aware lecturers
Trained note taker for the deaf
Consistent BSL interpreters
Detailed and timely lecture plans
Deaf Academic Mentor
Extended time for lectures and written work
All
Students successfully gained 60
university credits including 1
university outstanding student
award
DCAMHS has embraced this staff
development model
1 Student accepted on
Occupational Therapy Course
1 Student accepted on a Family
Therapy Course
Tutor has gained level1 BSL