Differentiated Instruction as an Educational Intervention for Students with Learning Difficulties in a Mainstream Primary School

This conceptual-practice article aims to discuss the value of differentiated instruction (DI) as a means to provide educational intervention to students with learning difficulties, in light of the current trends in education reforms in Singapore towards inclusive education. First, an overview of how inclusive education has evolved in Singapore will be provided. Next, an intervention model in the form of a literacy intervention programme (LIP) carried out in a Singapore mainstream primary school for a group of Primary 2 students with learning difficulties will be presented. This DI-driven programme, when integrated with Cognitive-Conation-Affect-Sensory (CCAS) framework and the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of cognitive abilities, is designed to provide students with special learning needs a more meaningful access to the mainstream curriculum, as well as a more holistic and nurturing learning experience. Finally, the barriers impeding mainstream inclusion in Singapore will be briefly discussed, in the hope that future efforts may be directed towards the elimination of these barriers to promote meaningful inclusive education.