“Last time I couldn’t read any words, but now I can read a whole paragraph!” exclaims Keira Lim. The Primary 3 student at Singapore’s Xishan Primary School is not just celebrating a personal victory; she is articulating quiet breakthroughs happening in mainstream classrooms across the island.
During the thrice-weekly hour-long sessions after school, teachers trained in the School-based Dyslexia Remediation (SDR) programme patiently guide small groups of 4 to 5 students, systematically build reading skills through phonics, sight words, and reading comprehension strategies.
“The challenges are as diverse as the students themselves,” reflects Ms H’ng Hwee Shi, Senior Teacher, Learning Needs. She explains that some students struggle to read individual words but still grasp the overall meaning, while others read fluently yet have difficulty understanding what they have read.
Teachers tailor their approach for each student by turning their learning challenges into stepping stones for success. For Keira, who once struggled with reading materials meant for her age, the strategies she learnt during SDR sessions not only helped her progress but also enabled her to help her classmates.
“In regular classes, they’re the silent ones,” Ms H’ng says, describing her students with dyslexia. “But in these small SDR groups, they come alive.” She observes how the intimate setting transforms her students’ willingness to take risks, to stumble through difficult words, and to raise their hands. “When they stop fearing mistakes,” she adds, “they start believing in themselves.”
“Watching a child go from struggling to read to being able to read to learn – it makes every challenge worth it,” says Ms H’ng. “With three lessons a week, each lasting about 45 minutes, the SDR is rigorous and demanding for the teachers to implement, but it is rewarding to witness students grow in confidence as they progress in their literacy skills.”
The impact of the SDR strategies extends beyond the after-school lessons. Ms H’ng shares that the word attack strategies students learn in the SDR classroom also help them in their regular English Language lessons. She notices her SDR students using these strategies to read and spell new words they encounter in their regular classroom texts.
Strategies that stick
Not too far away, at Springdale Primary School, Muhammad Mirza, a Primary 4 student, who once regarded sentences as insurmountable, now speaks with quiet confidence. “Ms Norlizah is patient with me,” he says of his Learning Support Coordinator, Ms Siti Norlizah Ibrahim. “Now I can read aloud.”
Like Ms H’ng, Ms Norlizah has applied the literacy techniques from SDR in her day-to-day English lessons. She uses comprehension cards that list step-by-step instructions for understanding difficult passages, helping students read on their own without constant teacher intervention.
Ms Norlizah shares these evidenced-based methods with fellow teachers. For example, she guided Primary 1 teachers in adopting tools like ‘Click and Clunk’ – a simple but effective strategy where young readers learn to spot difficult words or phrases (‘clunks’) and improve their comprehension.
Help for teachers like Ms H’ng and Ms Norlizah come from lessons guides and coaching from MOE’s Special Educational Needs Division. They also meet fellow SDR teachers regularly to share what works and what does not in their classrooms. Schools help by making the teachers’ schedules flexible when SDR lessons overlap with school activities. For Ms Norlizah, teaching the programme has been eye-opening.
“I used to think students with dyslexia only had trouble with letter reversals or lacked creativity,” she admits. Working closely with her students revealed dyslexia’s complexities, deepening both her understanding and her ability to support their learning.
Bonus content
While teachers support students in school, parents play a crucial role in reinforcing these literacy skills at home. Keira’s and Mirza’s parents demonstrate this by reading with their children regularly and monitoring their progress closely. Parents can also connect with their child’s SDR teacher to understand the key words and texts covered in class.
By practising these materials during daily home reading sessions, parents can reinforce word reading and spelling strategies taught and help strengthen their child’s learning.
Here is how you can boost your child’s reading and writing skills:
Read Part 1 of this SDR story here: How children with dyslexia are conquering the written word in school
