A COMPARISON OF THE VISUAL PERCEPTUAL SKILLS IN TYPICAL AND CEREBRAL PALSY CHILDREN

Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the difference at occupational performance skills related to visual perception among typical developing children and cerebral palsy children by using measuring test of MVPT-R. Design And Sampling Technique: Quantitative cross-sectional study, convenience sampling method. Study Setting And Participants: A total of 400 Cerebral palsy children (all types) and typical children each from different mainstream schools, rehab centers, pediatric occupational therapy departments, and special education centers located in Karachi. Interventions / Data Collection: Test of visual perception that is Motor Free visual perceptual test- Revised MVPT-R. Result: Result shows difference in perceptual ages (PA) between typical and cerebral palsy children. Perceptual age (PA) was greater than the chronological age (CA) in the typical group. Conversely, in the CP group the perceptual age (PA) was lesser than the chronological age (CA). Conclusion:  Visual perception skills play a key role in a child’s achievement at school and at home. Children require intact visual perception for the successful performance of their daily living as well as academic tasks like good eye-hand coordination, handwriting, reading, shape perception, play skills, and copying patterns, etc. This study is helpful to identify those children who have visual perception issues and sorting this problem will form the baseline for better evaluating and planning of useful visual perception activities for typical and cerebral palsy children.

Active Reading Strategy to Facilitate Students Understanding of Science Concepts in a Secondary Science Classroom of a Community Based School in Karachi, Pakistan

Reading is not the strategy which is associated with language subjects. It is equally important in the area of Science as other strategies like hands-on and inquiry. Consequently, the access to Science content in terms of understanding is only possible when a reader has ability to actively read the text. Reading plays a very important role in strengthening the understanding of science language and vocabulary, as lack of awareness of both could be a hindrance in developing and demonstrating a conceptual understanding. This research study was conducted to understand ways to implement an active reading strategy DART (directed reading activities related to text) on students' understanding of science concepts. This was an action research study, in which DART was applied in a secondary Science classroom of a community-based school in Karachi, Pakistan to understand ways to apply DART for reading in the Science classes. The reconnaissance was done to see the use of reading in Science classes and data revealed that the science teacher as well as students do not consider reading in Science as effective as compared to activity base or hands-on teaching methods, they have not experienced reading in science classrooms; however, it was observed that hands-on promoted students reproduction of knowledge rather than construction of knowledge. These findings set up the basis of implementing active reading strategy DARTs in the context. My experience of the implementation of active reading strategy DARTs in a secondary science classroom, of a community-based English Medium Boys School in Pakistan, indicates that it was helpful in developing reflective reading and it challenged students to reflect on the text in terms of finding out key ideas, locating information, categorization and sequencing of the text. This reading strategy involved students in meaningful learning, where they understood content by reading, re-reading, interacting and reflecting on the text, hence an experience of reflective reading. The engagement of students in active reading of content, which was different and new from the concepts taught in the class, maintained their interest in reading and in learning new science vocabulary and its use in their expressions. The experience of new activities also helped them to maintain their interest and kept them motivated in the task. The DART activities facilitated students learning in comprehension of the text, location of information through underlining, categorizing of the text, sequencing of information, and summarizing text. It enabled them to learn at higher cognitive levels