MA Deaf Education(Distance Learning)

Year 2

(Award available for year: Master of Arts)

Learning outcomes

By the end of this programme students should have shown evidence of being able to:
- demonstrate an in-depth, specialist knowledge of current legislation and principles concerned with SEN provision and be able to identify specific implications for deaf education;
- demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of how communication and language and social/emotional development can be altered or delayed by the effects of mild to profound hearing loss;
- demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the range of communication needs of deaf pupils and to make critical and objective observations about implications for the learning context;
- demonstrate a critical appreciation of the potential effects of deafness on cognition and learning and be able to apply this to an understanding of different learning styles of deaf pupils;
- demonstrate a comprehensive and analytical understanding of the range of communication approaches in deaf education including the nature of British Sign Language and its use in bilingual/multilingual settings;
- demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the ear, the physics of sound, acoustic phonetics and speech perception and to use this in the analysis of individual pupil profiles;
- demonstrate a specialist and in-depth knowledge of ways in which amplification systems make effective use of residual hearing and to use this in the analysis of individual pupil profiles;
- demonstrate a critical appreciation of the current issues involved in audiological intervention and support including the development of new technologies and the implications of newborn hearing screening.

Transferable (key) skills

The context of deaf education:
Critical engagement in professional debate regarding deafness and educational policy and practice Independent study and research at a distance.

Deafness and development:
Independent critical engagement with research and writings on deafness and early development. Critical evaluation and review.

Educational Audiology:
Self direction in the development and evaluation of own specialist technical skills to ensure continuing professional development.

Learning and Teaching in deaf education:
- Independent evaluation of own professional practice and of other strategies and approaches;
- Ensuring effective independent professional development.

Critical study:
- Independent research skills including data collection and analysis;
- Application of research outcomes to professional practice.

Assessment

The context of deaf education:
Present and critically evaluate an in-depth enquiry into perspectives on policy and provision.

Deafness and development:
Apply in-depth of knowledge to a critical discussion of deaf children's early development and evaluate key writings and relevant research.

Educational Audiology:
Demonstrate an in-depth specialist technical understanding of and the ability to critically evaluate the potential of audiological support.

Learning and Teaching in Deaf Education:
Apply an in-depth knowledge of the deaf child as a learner to a critical evaluation of educational management strategies.

Dissertation:
Conduct an in-depth enquiry into one aspect of deaf education demonstrating breadth and depth of specialist knowledge, appropriate approaches to data collection, and to critical analysis.