Pedagogy and didactics of visual and hearing impairments (lab.)

Semester 2 · 12505 · 5 year master degree in Primary Education - Italian section · 2CP · IT

Seeing and hearing are the child's most important sensory channels for learning, for interacting with the world and for social participation. Functional problems in seeing and hearing can affect a child's overall development and negatively interfere with his or her participation in school, at home and during leisure time. Identifying and understanding problems in vision and hearing is the starting point for taking measures to enable children with sensory impairments to participate effectively and inclusively in pre-school and primary school.

The workshop offers participants the opportunity to gain their own experience and exercises in the field of "seeing and hearing differently", in order to perceive differently, thus enhancing the observation and empathic listening of children with sensory difficulties or disabilities in pre-school and primary school.

Through the fusion of theoretical knowledge and practical exercises, the workshop aims to enhance the skills needed to design a teaching method that includes children with sensory disabilities as much as possible and encourages their full participation in school and social life.

Lecturers: Stefan Von Prondzinski

Teaching Hours: 0
Lab Hours: 20
Mandatory Attendance: In accordance with the regulation.

Course Topics
- Seeing, hearing, perceiving - Multisensory perceptual processes. - Seeing less, hearing less, seeing not, hearing not - functional impairments of the senses of sight and hearing, consequences of sensory problems on participation in relation to environmental factors. - Self-experience with reduced visual perception (visual acuity, visual field) and reduced auditory perception (intensity, frequency). The impact of environmental factors on visual and auditory perception (facilitators and barriers). - Basic knowledge and skills for planning and carrying out inclusive teaching and methodology with visually and/or hearing impaired children in pre-school and primary school - Designing an inclusive learning environment, aids, tools and methods for adapting teaching materials and media, Universal Design for Learning for children and pupils with sensory difficulties or disabilities.

Propaedeutic courses
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Teaching format
Theoretical units, exercises and self-experience with reduced visual and auditory perception, discussion, group work.

Educational objectives
Based on the World Health Organisation's (WHO) ICF concept of disability, the workshop aims to illustrate the complex interrelationships between functional problems in vision and hearing, different individual activities, social participation and environmental and personal factors that can have a facilitating or hindering impact, in order to develop and enhance the pedagogical, methodical-didactic, organisational and social skills necessary for the inclusive education of children and pupils with sensory difficulties or disabilities. Competences and objectives Knowledge and understanding - Students possess basic knowledge about how vision and hearing work, know the main problems that can occur in sensory functions and understand the psychosocial situation of children with sensory difficulties or disabilities. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding - To know and understand the psychosocial situation of people with visual and/or hearing disabilities and to apply teaching skills to interpret it within pedagogical processes with a bio - psycho - social approach; - To be able to translate the knowledge acquired to support the design of teaching activities that include pupils with sensory disabilities in the inclusive context of pre-school and primary school, developing and using intervention strategies and environmental adaptations. Autonomy of judgement - To observe and analyse, understand and evaluate the consequences of visual and/or hearing disabilities with respect to play, learning, communication, performance of tasks and demands, orientation and personal autonomy, relationships, interpersonal relationships and social participation. - To be familiar with different aids and tools, including new technologies, as well as methods of adapting materials and spaces and to be able to assess their potential and limitations. Communication skills - To know and correctly use the specific vocabulary and to be able to translate complex terminology into clear language even to people not familiar with the subject matter. Learning skills - To critically reflect on theories and practices of sensory disabilities and inclusive pedagogy and didactics.

Additional educational objectives and learning outcomes
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Assessment
The expected learning will be verified in the oral examination at the end of the workshop. Verification of expected learning.

Evaluation criteria
Awarding of a single final mark. For the oral test, the following will be considered and assessed: knowledge and ability to understand terminology (10%); ability to apply knowledge (20%); autonomy of judgement and critical thinking (25%): transposition of the knowledge acquired in terms of professional usability (25%) Active participation in the laboratory (20%) also contributes to the single final mark.

Required readings

- Course material in the Reserve Collections

- Erickson Research and Development (ed.), Disabilità sensoriali a scuola. Strategie efficaci per gli insegnanti, Edizioni Erickson, Trento, 2015; Chapter 8: Perception problems or problem perception pp. 308-330

Supplementary readings

Further information
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Download as pdf

Sustainable Development Goals
This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the following Sustainable Development Goals.

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