An act of valour by DAS Speech and Drama Arts students
Children with dyslexia to celebrate milestone in transformational journey with theatrical production

Determined to stand up to literacy and social emotional struggles associated with specific learning differences, forty students from Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS) Speech and Drama Arts (SDA) programme will present “Journey of the Legends” on 21 November 2017 at the Gateway Theatre to more than 150 parents and friends.

The 95-minute theatrical production will mark a high point in the journey of these children with dyslexia seeking to boost their communication skills, confidence and self-esteem through drama arts.

Aged seven to 12, these primary school students have spent around 30 hours on rigorous script reading, memorisation and interpretation; and stage dialogues and character portrayals in preparation for this performance.

Under the guidance of SDA teachers, they have experienced marked improvements in their listening and concentration skills; reading fluency and speed; and organisation and time management skills. Through the experience, they have also gained a new sense of confidence in not just drama performance, but academic learning and other areas of their lives.

Comprising adaptations of local folklore adventures, Ramayana, Hang Tuah and Monkey King, the production also aims to inspire children with dyslexia to place courage, honesty and loyalty at the core of their learning journey. The performing students are from DAS Bishan, Bedok and Queenstown Learning Centres.

In line with DAS’ mission of helping children with dyslexia achieve their potential, SDA is a programme under the Specialised Educational Services (SES) that uniquely employs performance-based methods to discover and develop strengths through theatrical play.

Since 2015, the programme has already enrolled 47 students and given them the opportunity to perform at various occasions apart from the annual year-end production.

“DAS believes in the value of a well-rounded education for every child with dyslexia. Beyond providing a comprehensive and quality curriculum to support students with dyslexia facing literacy challenges, we also strive to help them uncover their interests and talents outside of academic pursuits, to stimulate a lifelong love for learning”

This year’s performing students have inspired all of us at DAS with their resolve to learn and grow. They have once again demonstrated to us that with strong professional and family support, they are able to discover, develop and achieve their own unique potential,” said Mr. Lee Siang, CEO of DAS.

This performance is part of the efforts to encourage people with dyslexia to embrace their learning differences and to raise greater public awareness of their strengths under the Embrace Dyslexia campaign driven by DAS. For more information on SDA, go to here

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