Interesting news from the BBC today about struggling readers at Key Stage 1 (5 - 7 years). The U.K. education ministry rolled out a national Reading Recovery Programme which provides children with 30 minutes one-to-one support from a trained teacher for 12 - 20 weeks. These children have been identified as having below-average literacy skills. It costs 2,500 pounds per person but it is well worth it. Increasing research showed that investing in early intervention prevents worser problems (e.g. behavioural difficulties, crime, mental health problems) from developing, which would have cost the government so much more money and headache.
Most importantly, the programme has been shown to be effective. The government has decided to continue forward with other schemes such as 'Every Child A Writer' to support the writing skills of children who are performing at the bottom 5% of their schools.
I think such schemes will be enormously beneficial in Singapore. Four years ago, I was teaching 13 to 15 year old Normal Tech students at a regular neighbourhood school (which I thoroughly enjoyed). I remembered my shock when one of my Normal Tech students asked me, "How to spell 'eyebrow'?" Most of my students had severe difficulties in reading and spelling (i.e. dyslexia) even the most simple words. Whenever they were writing a composition, I acted as their spelling dictionary.
Looking back, I realised that I did not have the knowledge or skills to help them. During my Postgrad Diploma in Education year at NIE, I was not taught what the processes that underpin basic literacy were. It is only now, having undergone my speech and language therapy course, that I fully comprehend it. Yet in that previous circumstance, as an English teacher for my Normal Tech adolescents, I was expected to teach and assess them reading and writing at text levels. All other subjects (Science, Maths etc) also expected them to function at text levels. No wonder so many of them struggled with academic work!
Sure, if the family can afford, tuition teachers will be the Singapore equivalent of the 1:1 Reading Recovery helper. But there will always be a population of children / adolescents who can't afford that. We need to think about how they can access support.
Secondly, although families may pay quite a bit for tuition teachers in Singapore, many are not trained teachers or at least understand the processes that underpin learning. The level of education that a tuition teacher possesses is not a necessary reflection of his or her teaching or 'tuitioning' skills. A due concern is when tuition teachers teach in ways which are inappropriate for the child's development. Having said that, I believe that having a tuition teacher is better than having none but it is important for parents to actively collaborate with the tuition teacher on the best ways to support the child and enhance his/her learning.
2 comments:
Hi there,
Were you a teacher previously? Anyway, I am quite surprised that Londoners pay their tuition teachers lower as compared to Singapore. The last time I checked, it's just £25 per hour for someone with an extensive CV.
Does it mean that Londoners value education less?
Hi ck,
Yea I used to teach in Singapore before coming over here. I wouldn't place a value on education on the basis of how much tuition costs. Probably there just isn't a demand for it. Maybe people here feel that it's more ok to let the child develop at his/her own pace and there is lesser pressure from parents and society to 'hothouse' the child and excel, unlike Singapore.
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