I have been teaching for exactly thirty years and during those years I have been faced with many challenges in the teaching of Reading. For the first time, I have experienced a structured system that can greatly assist me in meeting these challenges. I strongly believe that this programme can help me to enrich the lives of the children in this country. 

Very informative. It helps to enhance the skills and strategies in the National Policy on Reading. The activities provided were quite appropriate. Hope that the Ministry will see the wisdom in implementing this programme. 

This workshop has been unlike any I have previously attended. Most of them were worthwhile, actually quite good. This however has excelled. Apart from providing much useful information, it has provided a completely different approach to the teaching of reading and spelling. We have been exposed to demonstrations that show that this method can work and we have also been provided with the material to encourage us to make the effort. The style of presentation was easy to follow, the presenters made everything interesting. I have benefited greatly. 

THRASS is a very revolutionary way of teaching the English alphabet. It is a great reading tool. The presentation of the course was precise and yet diverse – varied materials, technological skills were employed. The Sing-A-Long aspect was entertaining – young children should love it. 

I have been exposed to other reading courses, but find this all-inclusive course to be the one best suited to whole-class instruction. I especially enjoyed the interactive approach. Although much was covered, there was no room for boredom. I hope that I will be allowed to implement THRASS. 

Very relevant to improving literacy in Barbados and the wider Caribbean, where a lot of work is needed to improve grammar and English in general. The tools are excellent and effective. 

Full of interesting and new ideas that can and should be implemented into the school system in Barbados. It makes teaching phonics a lot simpler to understand, not only as an adult, but also as someone who was taught phonics in such an in-depth manner. I am now more informed and better able to teach the students entrusted to me. I am enthusiastic and ready to face even my most difficult class. This is truly a great programme. I was doubtful at first as to how this could be used in high schools, but the demonstrations were an excellent way to end the programme. 

Very informative. It has given me a new approach to teaching reading, writing and spelling. It is very interactive and can work with the children with whom I teach. It appeals to kinaesthetic and multi-intelligence children. It was great! 

THRASS has been a real pleasure to be a part of. It is an excellent program, which should be implemented in Barbados. Even if it is not, I would be using it with my own child. It helped me to understand more clearly the phonemes. I thought that your demonstrations were impressive and I gained more confidence in the program through the demonstration so I hope that THRASS becomes a “Bajan thing”. I’m eager and waiting to participate in this great program. I truly learned a lot. 

Day 1 – interesting and exiting. Day 2 – successful, enchanted with the information given to add to my knowledge and awareness of THRASS. Day 3 - fantastic results. 

Day 1, Great. Day 2, Great. Day 3, Fantastic! 

Well structured and delivered. There was professional use of multimedia in the teaching, learning experience. Colour coding and text enhancements made reading easy and enjoyable. I was impressed with the Sing-A-Long segments, which reinforced the concepts. The resources were fantastic. The THRASS concept is interesting and can assist pupils in reading, writing and spelling. 

Very good presentation. I can see how to use THRASS to improve reading difficulties in the classroom. I also think the picturechart should be in each classroom. 

Very well presented. Very interesting and educational. Has shown another and more interesting way of presenting the (teaching) of reading to children in a much more enjoyable way. It has shown that young children can understand what we sometimes think are too complex for them. I think that all teachers should be exposed to this training. It would change their way of thinking. I will also use it for myself. I am terrible at spelling! 

Comprehensive. A very unique and sensible concept. I see more strengths than weaknesses. For example, it does make sense to have a child know about several spelling choices than one. I know that the THRASS approach will greatly help to develop a child’s spelling. Again, it is said that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. All that’s left for me to do is carry out a personal experiment on my own child! I am blown over by this multi-sensory approach. 

Very educational. The approach is a common sense one that makes learning easier and more accessible for children. Very often we do “talk and talk” in a country where music is a significant influence sometimes neglecting the value of music in teaching. The programmes can be integrated at any level and I know that it will have positive effects on not only the kids’ spelling and reading but on their confidence. I can’t wait to get back into school and introduce the entire programme not only to my students but to my colleagues. Excellent programme! 

Educational and exciting. The THRASS programme seems to be one that empowers both pupils and teacher. The information gained seems worthy of emulation. I believe that if this method is incorporated into our curriculum it can only auger well for our schools and nation as a whole. I thoroughly enjoyed the music, dance, movement and different approaches used. These aspects of this phonics programme would also be enjoyed by children even while they are learning. 

Very, very enlightening. There were many things that I have learnt that I will be able to use with my child. I will put this experience to good use. The course was wonderful. 

Very informative, interesting. It also taught me that we were doing most of the things right but in the wrong order. It also showed me that I need to re-learn and re-teach certain things. 

Very worthwhile for young children (ages 3-7). However, older children who are not performing well in reading can utilise the method as a ‘pull-out’ programme to strengthen Reading, Handwriting and Spelling. Finally, adults can benefit from the programme especially literacy classes. Inter-activity, individual involvement, group work and visual use of material are pluses of the programme. 

I am very impressed. My interest is in reading particularly with younger children and I would use this programme for my own purposes. I also hope to some day go back into the schools as a principal and am convinced that if my school was not using this programme I would want to introduce it to the children and teachers. 

Very insightful and I will be using it during the next term with the Nursery Class. I think even at that stage to expose them to the Sing-A-Long resources will help to establish them going forward to Reception where they will start writing and spelling. So good job! Five stars! 

Quite interesting! However, I think that some aspects of the old phonetic approach can be used alongside this new approach. I would have liked to see a demonstration with a group of pupils with serious reading problems. An addition to the resources could be a list of words fitting the categories on the map, e.g. a book similar to “The Reading Teacher’s Book of Lists”. 

It made a whole lot of sense. I am impressed. 

The THRASS programme is an interesting approach to teaching Reading, Handwriting and Spelling skills which can be used through some modification and adaptation to our local situation. The book containing the Sing-A-Long is a very good means of reinforcing and teaching sounds. 

Very interesting and educational. I have developed professionally as a result of the course, especially in the area of phonemes. I love how THRASS integrated singing as a teaching tool, for one believes it is vital to education. I was impressed on how the theory linked to the practicality with the children, it shows that the programme works. Thank you for coming and I wish you all the success. 

Very interesting and highly interactive. On Monday and Tuesday the participants were introduced to the methods. Wednesday was the final class. Three groups of children were used. The primary school kids were very receptive. The secondary children took a while to ‘warm up’ to the singing component of the lesson. I would highly support this method in Barbadian schools. 

Well executed and the approach through unfamiliar was quite meaningful. One area of concern is the heavy emphasis played on spelling. Does it go beyond this to reading fluency? I could use the material and the method or some aspects of it to enhance the Reading programme. 

Very excellent in terms of having to teach handwriting, reading and spelling. It was well understandable and clearly taught. As a Grade I would give the THRASS course a ‘A’ – Excellent. 

The course was informative, applicable and teacher-friendly. 

The three days were great. I have learnt much. You need to get it right from the start and you will encounter less problems if any. 

Great benefit. I can see how this programme would be incorporated into my class of 3-4 year olds. The ‘truth’ has been received. My only issue is that a programme of this magnitude could not be done as a more in-depth course. I am interested in using THRASS in my teaching from Monday. Overall I have learnt much and am keen to learn more. Excellent course presentation. My teaching is now enriched because of THRASS. 

Very informative and indeed helpful. It was very creative and not difficult to understand. I will definitely use the resources provided to help the students and my school. I especially enjoyed the Sing-A-Long session, it was very exciting and I strongly believe my students will love it. 

A very interesting presentation that generated quite a bit of personal reflection for me. I believe that a program such as this would be beneficial for my SEN students. 

Given me some insight into the phonetical approach to teaching, spelling and reading. I am especially impressed with the picturechart and the layout. This is something which can be incorporated into our existing program. 

It is also a useful tool which can be used with younger children and those who need additional help with reading or spelling. 

Aspects of THRASS can be used along with our existing reading programmes, as an additional tool. 

The activities would be useful for children in the primary schools especially in the Infant Department. This approach to phonics is good for children 4-9 by which time they should have mastered many of the basic skills for competent reading. However, we in the secondary schools have some children who have reading problems and this programme can help them. It seems prudent to use the strategies with small groups teaching them the choices that are available. The multi-sensory method of read, check, cover, spell is also useful for reading and spelling, along with the re-write. The presenters were enthusiastic and used music to get children interested. With adequate resources made available to schools then this programme can be used in conjunction with other programmes especially with students who have been taught phonics already. 

Interesting and impressive generally and also quite entertaining. What I found to be quite inspirational was the continued positive re-enforcement children were shown during the demonstration on Day 3 with ages 7, 8 and 9 years even if they didn’t give the answer the teacher originally requested. I believe the minimal participation shown from the 11-12 year old indicates as Mr Davies said, the children appear to be a little too mature for the Sing-A-Long aspect. Overall the program appears to be an interesting approach for slow learners and ADHD children. It is a detailed programme that will be beneficial to children here. 

My knowledge has greatly increased over the last three days. I can see this programme being used in my school. Having studied ICT, I understand the benefits of using the interactive whiteboard. It is my intention therefore to assist the reading and special needs teachers in order to work towards the implementation of this programme. 

A useful option with potential. I am particularly impressed with the Phoneme Machine software because it provides a resource that allows for the patterns of articulation to be standard across the system where they are not distorted by teacher variation. The music element is a valuable resource. I am not convinced with all of the details of the system but I am thinking that it has enough positive (strong) features that make it a worthwhile system for use in the reading programme. 

Very well presented and a very interesting and worthwhile training session. The ideas presented can be used in Barbadian classrooms to improve the reading and spelling skills of our children. I believe that the programme provides a mind-map, which will aid students in attacking and spelling words in a better way than the single letter approach. I am particularly impressed by the use of technology in the programme because I believe that it will appeal to students who are born in a technological age. I believe that further training will be required if this programme is to be properly implemented and that the Barbadian accent, and any differences on the phonics map, should be considered. 

Great ideas. Wonderful presentation. The course has given me great insight into an alternative phonics programme. It is worthwhile and it was done in such a way that I will be encouraged to do my best to “sell” THRASS not only to my principal but to the rest of the teachers at my school, with the view of implementing it. It addresses the problematic areas in reading and spelling. Furthermore it addresses all aspects of the language arts curriculum, and although listening skills were not specifically highlighted it seems to be great for that. Excellent programme, good presentation. 

Intensive but very informative. I think the THRASS focus on other phonemes is excellent for spelling since it covers those sounds that are known to give children greater difficulty. The music session added a key element. It showed us that we can use music at any level to teach reading. 

A fantastic resource geared towards building the fundamental and foundation skills needed for reading. The programme was, and is, an ideal one for bringing all the ways through which we learn together. This mutil-sensory approach can indeed cater not only to the average child but to children experiencing challenges or deficits in any cognitive area. 

Very informative, enjoyable and productive. It gives an approach to reading which, if used effectively, will guarantee improvements and solutions to most of the many reading problems which are being experienced in our schools. The way the course was conducted, it shows that children at any stage can benefit from the programme. 

Good. The programme should start as early as possible in the child’s education, i.e. from Nursery. I like the approaches for Special Needs Children. 

It’s a different and interesting way to encourage students to learn the sounds of the English language. It will be especially helpful for struggling readers especially the younger ones. It can be used along with other programmes which the school might be using and can be adapted to suite the school’s needs. In addition, the support material will be quite helpful to us ‘busy’ teachers. The scheme of work will help to cut planning time. 

The THRASS programme would be effective within the primary school and the lower forms at the secondary level. It would also be useful if used to teach struggling adult readers. The resources are well thought out and cater to the different learning styles. A programme to be endorsed! 

A novel, fantastic course and I am eager to see it in the schools. 

Very helpful. I intend to make good use of the resources you’ve provided. I intend to report back about the course to my Principal and fellow colleagues. Many of the suggestions should definitely improve reading instruction and pupil achievement. 

Very informative and educational. It was also well presented and interesting. I see it as a multi-sensory approach to teach reading. It is an approach that makes sense and since children will be making use of all the senses it will cater to the various learning styles of the children. The demonstration lessons gave good insight into how the lessons can be done. 

An excellent and refreshing workshop. There is a need to use THRASS with children who have learning problems, e.g. ADD, ADHD, slow learners, dyslexic children. This could also be used to enhance reading within the main schools. 

The course was interesting and informative. It opened new strategies to assist pupils in the development of reading and spelling in the case of phonics. Mapwork was wonderful. 

Very informative and well presented. It will be very helpful in the teaching of reading, spelling and writing. I believe it will benefit the students in remedial groups. The approach to learning is fun and students learn best when they are having fun. Keep up the good work! 

Interesting! I especially like the repetition done in order to consolidate areas where children previously weren’t sure about answers. The need to make children think of answers given and can see mistakes made so that they can correct these mistakes was very good. Thought provoking! 

Synthetic phonics appears to be a useful tool for use in the classroom. Evaluation of its effectiveness can only be done after implementation in the classroom. There is evidence of skills needed by students, e.g. phonemic awareness, listening skills, following instructions etc. The multi-modal approach is also evident and this is very useful for all children, especially those with learning disabilities. I believe its implementation at the initial stages – Infants – and with those in need of remediation should be effective. 

The workshop has been very informative, stimulating and has given me another innovative way of teaching phonics in my classroom. The activities including the use of music and movement will further enhance the students’ involvement in the learning-teaching process. It also allows students to see the interaction (relationship) between reading, spelling, writing and even other areas of the curriculum. Had a great learning time. Keep up the good work! 

An eye-opener. It has demonstrated a different method of doing the same job that can do a lot to enhance that work. The presentations were extremely interesting. 

Empowered me to assist and enhance the potential and present ability of my students. I have been provided with what I believe are invaluable resources. The course has been enlightening and I can’t wait to use this method with its innovative technology. Finally I must say a hearty and gracious thank you to Mr Alan Davies, Mrs Davies, Mrs Plunkett and Mr Meade. 

Very interesting, informative and enjoyable. It has a wide range of benefits for students, parents and teachers to enhance the learning process in writing, reading and spelling skills. The songs, with their wonderful imaginative titles, enable the students to grasp the concepts readily and really will be an asset in the teaching of reading. The materials and activities will enable us to implement the programme in the various schools. It was three wonderful days, very well spent. 

Very interesting and enlightening and should be quite beneficial to the students. It highlighted ways that should help children become better readers and spellers as they will use multi-sensory skills. With this approach to teaching, lessons should also be more enjoyable, since they should lend to better and more participation from pupils. Teachers should also find their efforts at some point in time less tiring and stressful. Congratulations and keep up the good work! 

An excellent programme. It is extremely interactive, using a multi-sensory approach. I believe that I can enhance the quality of my teaching and the quality of learning for my students. Here is a strategy that I, and my students will enjoy – DEFINITELY! It shows that there is no limit to what children can achieve in their language and reading ability. Thank you for the wonderful experience and God Bless You in your quest for quality education! 

Enlightening. All aspects were well presented. It was interactive and can easily be used with our students. I thoroughly enjoyed the course. 

Informative, relevant, timely. It came at a time when in my own experience I am searching for ways and means of reaching students at the secondary level who are still grappling with basic spelling and reading skills. Already I can see how useful the information and resources are going to be for those students who can recognize letters, but not the sounds. I can also see how helpful they will be for those students who have difficulty with spelling. I know that there will be challenges in implementing the program, but I am confident that the end will justify the means. 

The THRASS programme is very innovative and comprehensive. It is very student-centred and appears to be grounded in the principles of language learning and teaching. There is evidence that very thorough research has gone into the conceptualization and development of the programme. There is no doubt that the programme offers much. However, there is need for teachers to be properly trained for the effective implementation of such a programme in our schools. Such training would ensure that teachers are not only introduced to these new concepts but that the necessary support will be forthcoming. Consideration should also be given to the areas of variation in articulation that have arisen but could not be adequately addressed in so short a session. Follow-ups would be critical. The presenters were very capable and professional. A job very well done! 

These three days have been interesting and educational. I think that THRASS will be instrumental in helping our students deal with and solve many of their problems. At my school, most students enter at eleven years of age, but their reading level is usually way below this level. I strongly believe that if these students were exposed to the THRASS experience they would greatly improve their academic performance as well as their self-esteem. Even though I believe that this program is best implemented at the primary level, I can also see how aspects of the program may be used with older children to help improve their writing, reading and spelling skills. I am impressed with the program and I think the instruction and demonstrations were very professionally delivered. 

A very thought-provoking, innovative, exciting and effective multi-sensory teaching approach which should be implemented as soon as possible in every primary school across Barbados, if the reading level of the nation’s children is to be improved significantly. Of course, over time, teachers in the Secondary Schools in Barbados will realize that their school populations, on the whole, will be admitted to the secondary level as “better” readers. This will undoubtedly impact measurably on productivity educationally. 

Excellent presentation of an extremely comprehensive course. I think it would appeal to and really help a wide range of children because of the many different approaches. The picturechart makes a lot of sense. I like the inclusion of music and movement. It is definitely a programme I would recommend to be introduced in Barbados. I have thoroughly enjoyed the course and I know it will assist me in many areas, because of the extent of knowledge gained. 

I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend such a very informative and interesting 3-day workshop. THRASS is indeed very interactive and a real common sense approach in teaching the basic skills of handwriting, reading and spelling. I really do hope that some government agency can grab a hold of these very hard working presenters for at least one year so as to assist a larger number of persons in the teaching profession and the wider community. I promise to immerse myself in THRASS so that I can make effective use of the those skills and materials shared with me personally and with the group. 

Very interesting and stimulating. It is a very interactive course on reading, writing and spelling. It has provided me with a new approach, which will enable me to help those children who are having difficulties in the various areas of reading. The materials would be of benefit in helping me to plan the various activities for my students. A very intense programme. More time would be needed to assimilate all the wonderful ideas that were presented to me over the last three days. 

Interesting, but compact. I believe that using this programme could improve the reading standard in our schools. 

A comprehensive articulatory guide of the English alphabet which facilitates writing, spelling, memory and word recognition. In delivering the course there should be greater emphasis on extension (going beyond the chart). Problem areas should be identified to show THRASS’ applicability. The resources are quite invaluable. Many wonderful teaching strategies and metacognitive processes were utilized and shared. 

Very sensibly put together. While I have some reservation about the vowel chart, I am impressed by the way you have managed to bring together the sounds and graphemes in a meaningful way. I am also impressed by the thought that has gone into the way the programme is presented, the variety of activities and the attention given to reinforcement. I also like the way the presenters pay attention to acknowledging what the student knows, and the fact that the programme, although not too difficult is “academically sound” and does not “patronize” students. 

Very interesting and educational. Made me rethink the way I learnt and teach reading and spelling. I can see myself using THRASS to teach my students, even the ones who are most challenged, but might have one or two problems. I am very glad that I came to this workshop. I will also enjoy passing on this knowledge to the other teachers in my school. I hope that this program is taken up by the Ministry of Education. 

I have been rather fortunate to be exposed to the wonderful world of THRASS. The resources which are available are innovative and can only help improve the quality of teaching reading and spelling. It has been very nice to spend time being empowered to help others in a meaningful way. Many thanks to Mr & Mrs Davies and staff! 

Very good. I believe the programme will have its most utility in the Reception to Class 1 population where we typically teach the foundations of Reading, Spelling and Writing. I like the fact that the programme uses all the modalities of teaching which tap into a number of learning styles and learning skills. After Class 1 it would be very useful with children with learning difficulties (generally) or more specific reading difficulties (e.g. dyslexia). My experience is that many of these children have very strong performance skills. THRASS would definitely tap into their differential abilities. 

Intense. In a country with scarce resources such as ours, it is amazing but a bit sad to see what is possible. I can’t immediately see how this programme can be used at secondary level given how our schools are organised. But I like the multi-sensory approach and I think if I can figure out how to use it with children 14+ it could be a useful programme. Today’s children are inclined to several activities and this is what would make this useful. 

As a young teacher with a special needs class, I found the workshop to be very enlightening. What I have learnt here will be taken back to my school and hopefully implemented in the coming school term. Time constraints in my opinion forced the information to be taught very quickly and so a longer workshop may be necessary. 

Very enlightening. I was guilty of teaching one phoneme at a time. This course made me realize the brilliance of teaching similar phonemes together – not only together, but through movement and music. I also strongly endorse the methodology of integrating the linguistic terminology as early as possible. The use of repetition and rhythm in learning the phonemes would make learning even more enjoyable. 

Informative, educational, enlightening and comprehensive.  It caters for some of the problems that we as teachers experience. You are empowered with the knowledge, explanations, strategies, methods, assessments and scheme of work. In the end, students are empowered to take charge of their learning. That’s what we want. I pray that teachers, government etc embrace this concept. 

Very informative, opening a new approach to the teaching of phonics. This approach will certainly make life easier for teachers in the Junior School as the students will know that letters can represent more than one phoneme – it’s all about which box they are living in at a particular time. I can see us having even better readers and writers in the future. 

Well presented, very interesting. I can see the children being enthusiastic if this programme is used. 

Very well organised, and it is a very useful approach to reading. I strongly believe that this could be the way forward in teaching our students. I am very excited and eager to try the Sing-A-Long resources in my class. It was interesting to see THRASS work with actual children in a class setting. 

Very interesting and informative. It made me really think about how children actually learn how to read, write and spell. The interactive activities were just right and cater to all ages. The music especially was entertaining, has catchy rhythms and children actually get to “see” the sounds of the language. A good presentation, easy and simple to follow. 

Interesting and informative. I particularly liked the idea of linking graphemes with the same phonemes.  I think this will be a useful alternative to what we do at present i.e. teach isolated graphemes and a related sound. The presenters made the workshop lively and interactive. I must particularly commend Janine for her lovely singing. All in all, an excellent three days.

Alternative programme for the teaching of reading, now need to apply it to truly assess it. Would have liked to see the programme utilised with dyslexic students and secondary students lacking the basic reading skills (struggling readers). Dynamic presentation. 

We need to get some of the other resources because this can work at my school. The presentations were entertaining and informative. Good idea to use the children, but some of them could have been children with severe reading difficulties. Then I would have been completely sold on THRASS. 

Very informative and I enjoyed it. I think it would work well as an additional teaching aid for young readers 3 to 10 years; and children who are experiencing difficulties with reading. 

Very interactive. I teach children after school in a homework club and this programme will be very helpful. I especially like the Sing-A-Long section because it is a very good tool. It is very easy to remember songs and children like music and doing the actions will make the lessons more fun. 

Informative and exciting. The approach is sound and relevant. It would be beneficial to students as young as 3-4 years. The phoneme and grapheme approach is natural and should be easy to implement. The interactive nature of this strategy would be of great benefit to students with differing learning abilities and styles. The tutors were knowledgeable and delivered the information in a fun and understandable way. 

Informative and well-presented. The demonstrations were instrumental in highlighting the ways in which the skills in THRASS could be implemented in the classroom. It is another good teaching tool for acquiring the English standard, and it is good that the lessons are set out on a daily basis. 

The course educated participants to the options available to practitioners who have the responsibility of educating the next generations of our people. The technique employed works and I believe that it allows for personal interpretation of the material, so that the teacher’s ability to teach effectively stems from the teacher’s willingness to embrace the programme. 

Three wonderful days of exposure to a strategy that has many advantages. I like the emphasis on the teaching of graph, graphemes etc. I like the idea of the picturechart as a graphic map for where the sounds are located. However, I was concerned that I didn’t see the use of the strategy with connected text. This would have demonstrated the power of the strategy for use by children to decode new words which they might meet in their reading. Notwithstanding that, I thought that the three days were well spent! Great job! 

A very informative and interactive workshop which provided much food for thought about the teaching of phonics. Do your resources provide text which incorporates the spelling choices which are to be taught? Well done! 

Thorough, very detailed, very comprehensive and well balanced. I like the multi-sensory approach and the interaction allowed. It just seems to me that with all the detail teachers might take some time to fully master the teaching methodology adequately. However, it is a tremendous course which I thoroughly enjoyed and should make every attempt to have it implemented in my school. 

An excellent workshop. The classification of vowels and consonants will definitely make the teaching of writing, spelling and reading easier and more enjoyable for not only students but also teachers. The THRASS programme is complete. It covers all the necessary areas. The activities are also limitless. I am very pleased to have been part of this workshop. 

Fantastic! Alan and his team have done a brilliant job in conceptualising this THRASS program. The presentations were very insightful and made me re-think some of the strategies I have used to teach reading. This approach provides a wonderful cross circular and multisensory guide, which I can use to enhance what I have been doing with children’s language development. We are going to have fun with THRASS! 

Well presented. THRASS offers numerous solutions to some of the literacy problems which I have encountered at various levels of learning. If properly implemented, I believe that it would produce better students. I especially liked the variety of learning styles which the programme addresses. As a teacher, I have been exploring various different phonics programmes to enhance the reading levels of my students, so far THRASS is the best I have encountered because of its variety. 

Though I teach students at a leading secondary school on the island and students who can be considered highly competent readers and spellers, I found the course extremely informative about the teaching of reading and spelling. I perceive the THRASS programme very suitable for teaching at the primary level, commendable for the multi-sensory approaches used, and the methodically structured lessons. I believe too that though the programme is structured primarily for the primary level, the kinds of activities demonstrated can be used at the remedial level at secondary schools where there are reading difficulties, and in many cases, spelling problems. 

Fantastic. Very innovating. It involves the use of the senses (children need this muti-sensory approach). Children can be actively involved in the learning process. It is an excellent way to incorporate it with the technology that we’re using in schools. I strongly believe it is worth trying. 

Very intense, but especially informative and enlightening. It provides a much better way of learning the sounds of English. This enables children to become better spellers and readers. The music, as well as the charts and interactive book, provide sensory stimulation for pupils. I was extremely impressed by the performances of the children in the demonstration lessons and I am looking forward to implementing it in my class. 

A unique approach which can have a variety of applications in our classrooms. It was presented in an engaging manner. 

This has been a very good experience. I learnt many things about the English language that I never knew before and many bad habits that I never knew I had. Keep up the good work. 

Very educational and informative. It should have been extended (for one week) and more teachers should have been involved. I hope the Government of Barbados will allow it to be implemented in schools across the island.