Effective Practices in Teaching Interpreting: Domains & Competencies

In 2000, Project TIEM.Online, directed by Dr. Betsy Winston, received a Department of Education grant (#H160C030001). One major goal of that grant was to investigate, and design, and implement a curriculum for teaching teachers how to teach interpreting.

The first step was researching existing and current practices and curricula for teaching teachers. Key documents and curricula were reviewed, including the curriculum from the Western Maryland TIP/TAP Model Curriculum, published in 1990. Key documents in the interpreting field, such as the CIT Task Analysis (1984), the CIT National Education Standards (1995), and the ASLTA Certification Procedures and Standards (1996) and research about teaching teachers in the broader context of post-secondary education were reviewed. Interviews were held with a variety of curriculum and content experts, and surveys, focus groups and discussions also informed the design of the Effective Practices in Teaching Interpreting: Domains and Competencies, presented here.

Step by step, the process of design and development was:
1. Review of existing literature and information.
2. Stakeholder discussions, including interpreters, educators, consumers in a variety of settings.
3. Interviews with key experts.

From that research and design, a set of domains and competencies for a teaching program was developed. A 3-stage formative evaluation process of those domains and competencies was designed.

3-stage Formative Evaluation:
Stage 1: Content and Curriculum Expert review and input
Stage 2: Targeted Stakeholder input
Stage 3: Broad Stakeholder input

Stage 1 was completed in 2004. The original domains and competencies were revised based on the input received in Stage 1 from content and curriculum experts.

Stage 2 was completed Oct. 30, 2004. At that stage, input from and comment from 3 targeted groups of stakeholders was gathered. The targeted groups were:

1. Experienced interpreting educators (Deaf and hearing): 3 or more years of post-secondary teaching or workshop presentations (at least half-time);
2. Novice interpreting educators (Deaf and hearing): less than 3 years of half-time experience;
3. Potential/future interpreting educators (Deaf and hearing): little to no experience teaching interpreting.

Stage 3: Broad stakeholder input was gathered via a national online Roundtable, originally scheduled for November 1-15, 2004. Open to anyone interested in participating, the goal was to collect input from the broader field of stakeholders. The input at each stage informed revisions of the domains and competencies. The original Roundtable discussion period was extended from November 2004 through March 2005 to allow for more widespread input. The Domains and Competencies were recognized by the Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) as the model of effective practices to be followed in the education of interpreting educators for grant funding by RSA.

The domains and competencies were incorporated into the Masters of Interpreting Pedagogy program, established in the ASL program at Northeastern University in 2005. They form the foundation for the design, development, delivery, and assessment of that curriculum. To read these, please go to Effective Practices in Teaching Interpreting: Domains and Competencies