Lucy Currie & Mandy Barker

The Northumbria PPA experience

Flexing the muscles of flexible learning: HE pedagogy with deaf learners.

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’.

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 opportunitiesLow 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

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