Claudia Phua

Education is a field that I am keen on exploring after graduation. I am especially passionate about early intervention for children with learning difficulties as it is my desire to help children learn better, at their pace.

The modules I have taken in university largely pertain to Developmental Psychology. Modules such as adolescent psychology, education psychology, psychology of parenting and child development, and psychological assessments have allowed me insight into the theoretical underpinnings of assessment and therapy with children. Additionally, I have also spent a year thus far in Dr. Steven Pan’s Learning Sciences Laboratory where I gained a more in-depth understanding of current evidence-based learning techniques which can be translated into standard treatment protocol in the near future.

Furthermore, my second major in Social Work has exposed me to the practices of client interaction and intervention, case recordings, and the influence and involvement of the client’s environment in their intervention. This has provided me with invaluable experiences and enhanced my abilities to work individually, with clients, stakeholders, and colleagues.

Additionally, I have experience working with children and adolescent populations through volunteering in church and through tutoring. I am passionate about working with the younger generation, as well as seeking out ways that enhance the learning processes. 

Through my multiple internships, I have work largely with at-risk adolescents but through a lens of empowerment rather than deficit, aiming for them to gain a mastery of self with attempts to increase their self-confidence.

My majors in psychology and social work in the National University of Singapore has challenged me cognitively and emotionally, expanded my worldview and provided me with opportunities to engage with real life issues. Particularly, I have been drawn towards the domain of learning in early childhood, given the plasticity of a child's brain in response to both biological and environmental factors. My education has spurred my passion to help children learn better, not just academically, but in order for them to thrive in an increasingly volatile, uncertain, changing and ambiguous world.