Course Topics
Deafness and LIS. Model and practical applications. What is "Deafness": essential notions, physiological and neurological; essentials about deafness and deaf culture. Design of educational pedagogical processes considering various factors such as: 1. the time of onset 2. the time of diagnosis 3. the degree of deafness 4. the age at which the pupil was prosthetised (or implanted) 5. the family 6. the speech therapy and educational method Interventions, Psychology and Reactions Comparing Italian language and Italian sign language (grammatical structure) Manual gymnastics Approach and understanding of L.I.S. in simple form Dactylology and facial and lip expressions Basics: forms of greetings, thanks, conversations Specific identification of the person and the child

Teaching format
Lectures Practical exercises Simulations between trainees, assisted dialogues Discussion of practical cases of school inclusion of hearing-impaired/deaf pupils Individual study modules and group work/application work Games for visual and manual stimulation Reading passages and L.I.S. reproduction Video projection and comprehension Distribution of teaching materials (handouts and documentation sheets)

Educational objectives
Participants will learn - to understand and use sentences and expressions related to everyday life in sign language; - to introduce themselves and others in situations in sign language and ask questions about other people; - to exchange information when sign language is used by the interlocutor both slowly and very articulately; to use sign language in educational contexts. The expected learning outcomes must relate to the Dublin descriptors Disciplinary skills To know the culture and language of the deaf community and to acquire the technical and structural skills of visual-gestural communication Knowledge and understanding Giving participants the tools to be able to carry out their work professionally and autonomously in the presence of deaf people and children in the school context, fostering their inclusion in school; Ability to apply knowledge and understanding Acquisition of theoretical and practical information on the various aspects of deafness that are fundamental for a better understanding of the complex problems encountered by the deaf pupil and for the development of relevant and challenging teaching strategies; Transversal/soft skills Deepening the visual gestural communication modalities (VGC) through practical exercises and expressive games, course participants will be able to rediscover and strengthen visual-gestural communication modes by learning the rules of application and use in interaction; Autonomy of judgement Building in the participants basic skills to be able to promote and improve the school inclusion of hearing-impaired/deaf pupils and the ability to evaluate communication strategies in the school environment. Communication skills The training aims to introduce the participants to the knowledge of the visual-gestural language, and to provide the essential physiological and neurological notions in the field of deafness and deaf culture Learning skills Development of observation, language and attention. The didactic activity for students learning sign language proceeds on methodological and didactic strategies that "bring into play" mirror neurons. Thus the new signs originate from a process that is called visual cognitism: visuomanual signs, arise from the genesis of mind-perception interaction: I see¿think¿understand¿act sign, a code that conveys the content expressed above all in form.

Assessment
- Intermediate assessment + supplementary oral-gestual interview as a review of the experience and/or course content; - oral visual-gestural interview to verify the acquisition of sign language and/or course content and -project work (individual thesis)

Evaluation criteria
Awarding a single final grade. Examples of grading criteria: sign capacity and understanding of the needs and compensatory strategies for a deaf or hard of hearing pupil.