Course Description
This course provides opportunities for students to explore historical and current sociopolitical influences that impact the pedagogical perspectives, goals and practices in the education of Deaf students. Learners will examine the interpreter’s dynamic and adaptive responsibilities to accommodate various Deaf students’ needs while applying ethical decision making appropriate for working in educational settings. Major emphasis will be on the characteristics of interpreting in a K-12 school environment and on developing strategies for communicating successfully as a member of an educational team.
Course Content
Course content will be guided by research, empirical knowledge, professional standards and best practice.
Interpreting in Educational Settings
- Spectrum of educational setting features
- Educational interpreting in contrast to community interpreting
- Provincial, district and systemic structures as they pertain to educational interpreting
- Diversity of populations and variety of perspectives
Linguistic and Cognitive Development
- Stages of development across the lifespan
- Impact of early language learning on student’s cognitive and social development
- Theory of mind and impact on Deaf child development
- Language deprivation and impact of trauma
- Pre-K options in BC
K-12
- Educational options for students
- Provincial decision-making regarding placement
- Characteristics of academically successful students
- Perspectives on the meaning of inclusion
- Understanding provincial curriculum
- Preparing to interpret
Educational Team
- Educational team participants and the interpreter’s responsibility
- Individual Educational Plans
- Interpreter responsibility within the educational environment
- Pedagogical principles of teaching, learning, objectives, outcomes
- Communication with professionals
Interpreter Responsibilities
- Identifying Deaf students’ needs and how to address them
- Ethical behaviour and decision making
- Professional development
- Interpreter wellness
- Determining one’s own suitability for interpreting in this setting
Post Secondary
- Spectrum of interpreting in post-secondary educational settings
- Interpreter considerations, strategies and best practices
- Preparing to interpret
- How to find work
Learning Activities
The mothods of instruction for this course will include some or all of the following:
- lecture/seminar
- small group work
- guest speakers
- course readings/video
Means of Assessment
Evaluation is consistent iwth the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. It will be based on a combination of individual and group work, and at the instructor’s discretion may include presentations and written assignments, papers, quizzes and exams. A typical distribution of graded assignments follows:
- Field research group project/presentation 20%
- Case study group project/presentation 25%
- Article review 10%
- Case conference 20%
- Research paper 25%
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- identify a wide range of educational interpreting settings across the life span;
- compare use of interpreting strategies and ethical practices used in community interpreting with interpreting in educational settings;
- consider the impact of the student’s cognitive and linguistic development on interpretations;
- demonstrate interpreting strategies to meet the cognitive and linguistic needs of individuals in learning environments;
- discuss and explore ethical practices in educational settings;
- examine the interpreter’s responsibility to provide educational support;
- describe and discuss the classroom interpreter’s responsibilities while using appropriate professional discourse;
- discuss components of the educational team and the interpeter’s place within it;
- discuss components of working within a system;
- describe various stages of linguistic and cognitive development and the unique circumstances of Deaf students and;
- assess their own suitability/readiness for work in educational settings.
Textbook Materials
As assigned by the instructor.