Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Our Founders

The Reading Specialists' Association (Singapore) is initiated by two reading professionals: Audrey Lai Cheng Yip and Noel K.H. Chia. Both have been working collaboratively through a course that trains others to help struggling readers. Now they have put their heads together to set standards for reading education in Singapore. Both feel the need for such an association to provide formal certification of reading/literacy practitioners and professionals in Singapore.

Dr Noel K.H.Chia

Dr Noel Chia is a former reading specialist with the Ministry of Education and a recipient of the society for Reading and Literacy Certificate of Merit (Literacy Award) in 1995.He obtained his higer education in reading education, language and litercy, and special educational needs and psychology. Today, he is the only board certified educational therapist outside the United States registered with the Association of Educational Therapists based in Burbank, California,USA. HHe is also a registered counseling therapist with the International Association of Counselors and Therapists, Florida, USA and a registered special education teacher with the National Association of Special Educaton Teachers, USA.


MS Audrey Yip Lai Cheng

Audrey L.C. Yip has been a reading consultant in private practice for the past decade. She obtained her higher education in psychology and management. She also has a Specialist Diploma in Teaching of English Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).

With over 11 years' experience in reading intervention, she specializes in helping children with specific reading difficulties as well as teaching struggling and delayed readers in the primary levels coming from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Audrey Yip is the initiator of the READi programme a project that brings reading intervention to upper primary pupils. She designed the READi Reading Intervention Model for primary schools and currently leads a team of reading facilitators helping students in local primary school. Audrey was instrumental in developing the READi Course for Reading Facilitators to train teachers and interested volunteers in informal reading assessment and intervention. She is consultant to several organizations on reading programme design and management.

Our Mission

1)To provide the opportunities for creating a community of certified reading teachers and reading specialists who continually renew and develop their skills and knowledge for the benefit of learners.

2)To develop reading and/or literacy professionals who provide leadership in reading education in Singapore and other countries in Asia.

Our Vision

Every child, adolescent or adult who seeks reading instruction will be attended to by qualified reading professionals.Learning disable students will be given the appropriate empowerment to develop relevant skills to cope with lifelong development and learning

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Welcome To The Blog Of Reading Specialist Association Singapore

Who Are We?

The Reading Specialist Association ( Singapore Chapter) / RSAS (in short) was incorporated in March 2006 and gazetted in June of the same year. On board the commitee are the reading professionals, mainstream school teachers, allied educators and an occupational therapist; a good mix reflecting the association's view that reading encompassed psychological , social, cognitive and physiological factors. The boundary between reading disable and learning disabled is fast blurring. Reading disorders co-exist with many learning disorders. With the advent of inclusion in school settings, one who teaches children to read must be armed with a large repertoire of strategies to support in-depth knowledge in assessment and remediation.