Has your child been diagnosed with dyslexia? Or perhaps just struggling to learn in school with a consequent result on grades. For many parents in Singapore, this can be very frustrating especially since we may find it difficult to help our kids with their studies either because we lack the time or the know-how.
Realistically, it can be quite a challenge for students with dyslexia or any other learning difficulty to cope in mainstream MOE schools, where large class sizes of 30~40 students does not make it conducive for teachers to focus their attention on students with special learning needs.
WHAT IS SPECIALISED LEARNING AND WHY IT IS MORE EFFECTIVE AT HELPING STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA
The best kind of learning happens in a very engaging environment. For students with dyslexia, research has shown it’s best to engage students through multi-sensory approaches involving touch, sight, sound and action. Learning that engages the senses help students acquire and retain the Chinese characters.
WHY DID WE START MANDARINSTARS?
Over the years, many parents of kids with learning difficulties (and the kids themselves) have shared how difficult it is to seek the appropriate help in Singapore – especially for help with learning Chinese for students in mainstream MOE schools. Dyslexia support and resources are thin, while a learning program seeking to integrate the benefits of a class environment with specialised learning methods based on interventions, was totally nonexistent.
Which is why Frances decided to start MandarinStars together with 3 other dedicated special needs educators to offer intervention-style Chinese programmes based on the Ministry of Education (MOE) syllabus for children with dyslexia and other learning difficulties. As our in-house child psychologist, Frances is on-hand to consult with the teachers on classroom management strategies, customising learning to each student, and also advise on syllabus development.
PRINCIPLES OF SPECIALISED LEARNING
Their teaching methods are evidence-based and they always looking to update our curriculum based on the latest academic research. Based on the science — and our years of working with children with dyslexia — our teaching approach is informed by the following principles:
Individualised learning — Effective teaching first requires understanding each child’s unique learning challenges. This is why our first step begins with a psychological assessment. After assessing the child’s needs, we adapt our teaching methods and materials to help them meet their learning goals.
Scaffolded and bite-sized learning — Compared to traditional teaching methods, scaffolding breaks learning into chunks to make skills easier for children with dyslexia to master. This helps learners to maintain focus and results in faster learning, especially as students progress through lessons without feeling overwhelmed.
Structured literacy and multisensory teaching — This systematic teaching method provides students with a solid foundation of the core linguistic skills needed to identify and decode words. To improve lesson retention, we make use of proven techniques like multisensory teaching which combines hearing, sight, movement and touch with classroom instruction.
Improving student wellness and their relationship to learning — Many children with dyslexia develop anxiety around studying. By challenging but not overwhelming students, we aim to instil confidence and a passion for learning.
CAN MANDARINSTARS HELP YOUR CHILD?
If you feel that your child has dyslexia, or if your child is struggling with learning Chinese and falling behind peers at school, then you should arrange for an appointment with Frances to get some, if not all, your questions answered. The early dyslexia intervention programme at MandarinStarts has helped many children with dyslexia overcome their learning conditions. In another one of our articles, we share a success story of how one of our therapists helped one such student thrive in mainstream school. The article also unpacks how dyslexia affected this student’s learning ability, and we provide specifics on the strategies that enabled his academic success.
Wondering if MandarinStars is right for you? Read our success story to find out.
Read How Jayden Overcame His Dyslexia-related Learning Challenges.