LUNA: Moving on with Narrative (MOON)

The course combines theoretical and practical approaches to develop your understanding of discourse analysis, using real examples from the personal narratives of people living with aphasia. It includes:

• A brief introduction to the evidence base for discourse analysis, including an overview of recent research and findings from clinical practice
• Key principles to consider when analysing discourse
• A step-by-step process for discourse analysis, including practical advice to save time and effort
• Guidance on how to perform several discourse analyses using tried and tested methods, including worked-through examples, templates, and practice activities.
• Interactive online activities to test your knowledge of key concepts and build confidence
• Guidance on how to interpret analyses and how these might be used in goal setting and/or outcome measurement, including video clips from LUNA therapy sessions
• Guidance on how to identify suitable clients and overcome potential barriers to discourse analysis in the work setting
• Support to formulate an action plan to carry out discourse analysis with at least 1 client within 6 months of the course ending

Who is it for?

The course is designed for Speech and Language Therapists with experience of working with clients with communication disorders, who are interested in exploring how to analyse everyday communication beyond word or sentence level. The discourse examples used in the course derive from personal narratives told by people with post-stroke aphasia who participated in LUNA’s feasibility trial.

Timetable

The MOON module will run over seven weeks in Term 2 2024 (w/c 22nd January – w/c 11th March). There will be two live online webinars on Friday 26^th January (8:30am-9:30am) and on Friday 15^th March (8:30-9:30am). Attendance at both webinars is mandatory. There is also a webinar scheduled 6 months after the course has ended, to provide attendees with an opportunity to meet again and share their experiences of carrying out discourse analysis in their clinical practice using case studies. This will take place on Friday 13^th September 2024 (8:30am – 10:30am). This is optional. A detailed course structure will be provided.

Webinar dates for the 2025 intake are yet to be confirmed, the start date of the course however will be January 20th 2025.

Benefits

The key takeaways from this course are the knowledge, skills, and confidence that are essential for the analysis of discourse of personal narratives for people with post-stroke aphasia, with relevance for a broader range of communication disorders.

In addition:

• Attendees will receive a certificate upon completion of the course.
• Up to 18 hours of learning and practice to add to your CPD diary.
• Real transcripts from LUNA participants used in examples and exercises.
• Detailed procedures, practical tips and common pitfalls to avoid, distilling the expertise of a clinical linguist and a speech and language therapist, and knowledge gained during LUNA’s feasibility trial.
• Materials to download for personal use, including one-pagers for quick reference and templates for clinical use.
• Access to course leaders and peer support throughout the course.

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• Explain why it is important for discourse analyses to have a theoretical underpinning
• Recall key principles to remember when analysing discourse
• Outline a workflow for discourse analysis
• Match the discourse analyses to the levels of language they are measuring
• Specify which analyses might be suitable for a particular client, depending on their presentation
• Practice several discourse analyses
• Use results from discourse analysis to assist goal setting and/or outcome measurement
• Appraise the interpretation of discourse analyses
• Recognise common barriers to discourse analysis and plan how they might be overcome in a work setting
• Formulate an action plan to carry out discourse analysis with at least 1 client within 6 months of the course ending.

• Attendees are expected to attend 2 live online webinars and complete the mandatory learning for each module (1 hour per week minimum).
• Attendance at the live webinars and passing of module quizzes is needed to complete the course. A certificate will be awarded in recognition of those who complete this LUNA discourse analysis training.
• Attendees who wish to further extend or embed their learning are invited to complete further (optional) activities each week.
• Attendees are also encouraged to attend a follow-up live online webinar 6 months after the course has ended. This will be an opportunity to share a case study based on their experience of carrying out discourse analysis with at least one client.

This course is provided by the School of Health & Psychological Sciences.

Knowledge of post-stroke aphasia is expected. Attendees are also expected to have some relevant knowledge of clinical linguistics and analysis from university education.

English requirements

If your first language is not English, one of the following is advised as there is no support provided by facilitators to accommodate speakers who may have difficulty understanding spoken and written English:

• A first degree from a UK university
• A first degree from an overseas institution recognised by City, University of London as providing adequate evidence of proficiency in the English language, for example, from institutions from Australia, Canada or the United States of America.
• International English Language Test Service (IELTS) a score of 7.0 is required with no subtest below 7.0
• Pearson Test of English (Academic) score 72 required
• TOEFL 100 overall with 24 in Writing, 20 in Listening, 19 Reading and 20 Speaking
• Other evidence of proficiency in the English language, which satisfies the board of studies concerned, including registration with your professional regulator.

Cruice, M., Botting, N., Marshall, J., Boyle, M., Hersh, D., Pritchard, M., & Dipper, L. (2020). UK speech and language therapists’ views and reported practices of discourse analysis in aphasia rehabilitation. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 55(3), 417-442. DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.12528

Dipper, L., Marshall, J., Boyle, M., Hersh, D., Botting, N. & Cruice, M. (2021). Creating a theoretical framework to underpin discourse assessment and intervention in aphasia. Brain Sciences, 11(2), 183. DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11020183