Leading Change for the 21st Century & New Directions in Educational Research

Today the classroom climate does not make it easy for children with dyslexia, the reading disability. Students with difficulties in reading problems have decreased scores in reading and as a consequently their whole academic performance declines. In a normal environment, these students function as socially intelligent individuals with no disabilities. But when it comes to reading, they feel inferior and think they are excluded from learning to read, write and spell the words. This makes them to have painful and damaging feelings of shame, embarrassment, guilt and fear. Some students become angry and frustrated and some display disruptive or aggressive behaviour while some others become quiet, isolated and withdrawn or easily distracted. Also they feel bad about school, bored and lose interest in learning because of their bitter experiences. Education is the powerful tool which brings positive changes in the lives of these children by enhancing the knowledge, skill and intelligence of them and enables to lead a successful life. This paper explores the various classroom strategies to build an engaging and empowering, learning environment of meaningful reading and writing which is crucial for these students. They also benefit most when there are effective and explicit instructional techniques which offer ways to bring some joy, fun and laughter in their classrooms. By understanding the nature of the learning process of these students, effective teaching ways can be devised towards creating a conducive learning environment, which makes the learners joyful and enjoyable.

Retained primitive reflexes (reflexes that are useful for a baby, but not helpful in a classroom) are an issue for approximately 48% of children, with research ((McPhillips & Jordan-Black, 2007), 2007) showing rates of retention rising to 70% in groups of children with learning challenges. Rhythmic Movement Training (RMT) is a programme designed to aid the integration process of primitive reflexes.  A mixed methods study investigated the influences this reflex integration programme has within the classroom setting. Ninety-eight seven and eight-year-olds in New Zealand were assessed for reflex retention rates, behavioural outcomes and student achievement. Semi-formal interviews gathered information about the programme from both teachers and parents. The indicators of reflex retention will be covered, the completed study findings highlighted, and the current research steps being undertaken to assess the effectiveness of this reflex integration programme within the classroom setting will be described. The research suggests that some challenges faced by some children could be improved through the use of this exercise programme.

In recent years, there is growing interest in the role Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) play in positive youth development. Limited research in Singapore where CCA is mandatory for youths prompted this study to investigate the impact of CCA on youth development. This study adopted a survey research design to examine how background variables (i.e., gender, stream and grade) differ in the type of CCA that secondary school students participate in Singapore. The role of quantitative dimensions of CCA participation (i.e., breadth, duration and intensity) and motivation on youth developmental outcomes (i.e., school belonging, lifelong learning, communication skill, confidence and teamwork) were also investigated in this study. A total of 1190 students, aged 12 to 19 years old, completed the same questionnaires three times over an academic year. Theoretical frameworks for this study included positive youth development and self-determination theory (SDT).
Results indicated that CCA participation varied across gender and stream but not grade. After controlling for background variables and quantitative indicators of CCA participation, CCA autonomous motivation positively predicted all five developmental outcomes in both the cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. This study is among the first large-scale longitudinal studies on CCA participation and youth development of secondary school students in Singapore. Consistent with existing research, results support SDT, highlight the crucial role of autonomous motivation in predicting positive youth outcomes, and has implications for CCA participation in Singapore schools.