In line with Singapore’s vision of an inclusive society, DAS Academy provides professional development training for educators to better their awareness and support of students with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream classrooms. Having provided in-service SEN training for SEN Officers since 2005, DAS Academy advocates contextualised and practical strategies for mainstream educators to adopt. 

At the DAS Academy, we believe that if you get things right for learners with SEN, you will get things right for every learner. The effort taken to make instruction accessible to learners with SEN will always improve learning for all learners in the mainstream classroom.

Recognising that the individual needs of each school are unique, our lecturers are able to discuss your training needs before advising on a professional training programme that takes into account the needs and profile of your school’s staff and students.

Customisable to your school’s needs

Schools can specify the subjects that they will like a special focus on. We also welcome your input with regards to areas your teachers find especially challenging to manage and we do our best to address these areas in our training.

Developing Executive Functioning Skills in the Classroom

Executive function is a set of mental skills that individuals use every day to help them pay attention, organize, plan, start on tasks as well as take in and retain information. For students, executive function is a key factor for academic achievement and successful navigation of demands in daily life. Executive functioning difficulties are commonly experienced by children with a range of other neurological conditions which include dyslexia, attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). These children are often labelled as unmotivated, disorganized, scattered, forgetful, inattentive, and lacking in self-awareness. It is crucial that educators understand that these are signs of executive function deficits, and do not attribute or mistake them for a child’s character traits. 

This workshop aims to introduce to participants the key components of executive functioning and how executive functioning difficulties may present in students. Course participants will gain awareness of how the curriculum and instruction can inadvertently create barriers for students who have weak executive functioning skills. Participants will be exposed to a variety of strategies that develop executive functioning skills in classroom settings. Participants will also use a three-phase framework to manage more persistent executive function difficulties. 

Through this new perspective of executive functioning, this workshop hopes to challenge educators to become more deliberate and thoughtful towards the needs of the varied learners in the classroom so that every learner can be reached. 

Workshop content: 

1. Executive functioning and its various components
2. Executive functioning difficulties in students
3. Practical strategies to develop the various executive function components
4. A three-phase framework to manage more persistent executive function difficulties in students 

Universal Design for Learning in the Inclusive Classroom

In an era of inclusive practice, teachers and staff in educational institutes will invariably work with learners with Special Educational Needs (SEN). A teacher’s appreciation of the learning difficulties can be the first step toward making a positive contribution to the wellness of pupils’ development. An understanding of these learning difficulties and the barriers to learning for students with SEN enables teachers to exhibit professional responses and take practical steps to ensure these students enjoy equal access to the broader curriculum, just like their typically developing peers. 

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides educators with a framework to structure instruction to build motivated, knowledgeable and strategic learners. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all students can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

Workshop content:

1. Barriers to learning for students with SEN 
2. The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles
3. The UDL Thinking and Lesson Design Cycle
4. SEN-friendly instructional strategies for the classroom

Making Math Accessible for All Students

Many students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) including dyslexia and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) struggle with learning math. These students may have literacy difficulties or working memory deficits that implicate the learning of math.  

This workshop aims to enable participants to understand and support learners who have difficulties with Mathematics, including those with dyslexia and ADHD. Specifically, these students often have difficulties with basic mathematics skills, algebraic reasoning and problem-solving skills. They also struggle with executive function processes such as approaching math problems, making effective decisions and carrying out the chosen plan. 

An understanding of these deficit skills enables educators to appreciate learners’ struggles and devise professional responses to ensure these learners are able to access the math curriculum, just like their peers. Participants will use the Universal Design for Learning to design math instruction for learners, as well as design or adapt strategy instruction for selected math topics. 

Workshop content:

1. Implications of SEN on Math Learning
2. The typical challenges students with math learning difficulties face
3. Making math topics accessible for students with SEN using the Universal Design for Learning principles 
4. Strategy instruction features that make strategies effective for students with SEN 

Making Chinese Accessible for All Students 

Dyslexia is a language-based learning difficulty that affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling. Dyslexia can affect the learning of the Chinese language, in a different way from how it affects English. Chinese is a logographic language that has a large number of visual symbols. Therefore, children are required to learn a lot more symbol-sound association than in English. Children with dyslexia who have difficulties in learning Chinese typically have difficulties processing these sound-symbol relationships. 

This workshop will examine the challenges learners with dyslexia face in learning the Chinese language and demonstrate how to help them better manage these learning differences. Participants will learn strategies to improve learners’ reading fluency through the orthographic recognition of words and word formation or morphological awareness. 

Workshop content: 

1. Dyslexia and its impact on the learning of the Chinese language 
2. The barriers that learners with dyslexia face in the learning of Chinese 
3. Teaching strategies that enable learners to manage their challenges of reading Chinese: Orthographic recognition and morphological awareness

Typical training package is available for 40 teachers for 2 training hours, with the option of online (zoom) or face-to-face training. Training delivered by two lecturers with significant experience in SEN and keen awareness of the mainstream context. 

The SEN-Friendly Index for Educators

Take this quiz to find out how friendly your school is towards students with Special Educational Needs. A well-designed learning environment improves engagement in lessons and helps to improve each child’s self-esteem and learning.

As a mainstream educator, you may find yourself managing a variety of learning needs. Children are unique and will all learn in different ways. Creating an inclusive classroom can help students of any ability thrive and feel included. Your responses below can help you understand how inclusive your school is towards students with SEN.

School Environment

School Policies

Classroom Environment

General Indication