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As a senior in psychology (with honors) at James Cook University (JCU) in Singapore, Rebecca Yeo had her eye on a career in neuropsychology.
But as she observed and analyzed young people in family service centers and high schools for her senior project, she was intrigued by special needs education.
“I realized that some of the young people faced enormous difficulties learning despite doing their best to pay attention in class and work hard,” she recalls.
Moved by her struggle, she decided to delve into special needs education and use the knowledge from her degree to help students with dyslexia learn better.
Following her graduation from JCU in 2011, Ms Yeo volunteered at a private special needs school before joining the Ministry of Education as an Allied Educator in 2010, and then the Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS) as a therapist educational in 2011.
Deeper connections
Now a leading educational therapist at DAS, Ms. Yeo teaches math to elementary school students and fosters their interest and understanding of the subject through dyslexia-friendly teaching principles and evidence-based teaching strategies.
She is also the mathematics program manager and oversees program and curriculum development, research, student profiling, and conducting teacher training sessions.
While Ms. Yeo celebrates the accomplishments of her students, many of whom are talented in areas such as speech and theater, art, and sports, she admits that the most challenging part of her job is managing their behavior.
“Children with dyslexia struggle with reading, spelling, organizing, sequencing their thoughts, and working memory. Many also experience other specific learning differences (SpLD) that coexist with dyslexia, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These challenges affect your academic performance and your ability to make and maintain friendships. They are often misunderstood as lazy or slow, and are easy targets for bullies at school, ”he adds.
Ms. Yeo remembers a student who transferred to her class. His former teachers told him that he was stubborn and that he would rather read than do math. They had a hard time trying to get him to get into their math classroom and complete his assignments.
Ms. Yeo observed that the student was fascinated with war and had great knowledge of WWII. He enjoyed drawing pictures of soldiers and tanks on his blackboard.
“I found that I could use his interest to encourage him to do math. I gave him the opportunity to draw as a reward for doing my work, and I also included some breaks during my lesson to better hold his attention, ”she says.
After working with him for a few months, she started attending classes on her own, sometimes even before the lesson started. His attention span also improved from 20 to 40 minutes. His grades also improved and he became a much happier boy, says Ms Yeo.
“I was really happy that I made a difference in his learning journey,” he adds.
Applying knowledge
In her nine years at DAS, Ms. Yeo has many more stories to share about students who have overcome their learning challenges.
DAS Director of Specialized Educational Services Edmen Leong says his success can be attributed to the motivation he has to support his students.
“Rebecca is also a resilient leader who can make the right decisions for DAS. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he led the change to deliver our math curriculum online. She also plays the role of mentor to young colleagues, ”she adds.
Ms. Yeo attributes her good work to her in-depth training in psychology at JCU.
“Although the topic of learning differences was not part of my JCU program, my studies exposed me to many motivational theories covered during our initial DAS teacher training. I was able to identify the likes and dislikes of my students and use them as motivators during my lessons. This kept them engaged during my lessons, ”she says.
Having grown up in her roles at DAS, Ms. Yeo still continues to use some of the theories she learned during her days at JCU to develop new teaching strategies. An example is the Baddeley and Hitch model of working memory.
“At DAS, I learned that people with dyslexia suffer from poor verbal working memory. Using the Baddeley and Hitch working memory model, I explain to parents, allied educators, and new staff what working memory is, the reasons behind poor retrieval of verbal information, and suggest helpful strategies. like using a multisensory approach ”, he explains.
He took this approach for a 6th grader in his class who was easily distracted, quickly forgotten, and seemed to have difficulty understanding some of his instructions. Ms. Yeo customized a set of learning materials especially for him so that he could learn at a pace that he was comfortable with. She also adapted the lesson for the whole class so that other students could work on assignments independently, while she had more time to help the weaker student. This resulted in a win-win situation; each student achieved the lesson objectives they had set for themselves.
As she enters the next decade of her career, Ms. Yeo hopes to continue working with students with special educational needs and inspiring them to be the best version of themselves.
She adds, “I also hope to help parents and teachers understand the educational needs of students with special needs. With a more general understanding, we can create a more inclusive environment for students with dyslexia or other SpLDs, and allow curious students to excel in their areas of interest at their own pace. “
Visit psychology.jcu.edu.sg to learn more about the JCU psychology program.
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