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Organiser: National Union of Educators (NUE)
The course was excellently presented and well organised. I have learned a lot of
new ways to teach reading and spelling. I would very much like to link up for
collaboration in schools in the Free State.
Excellent presentation – informative, dynamic and great fun.
Wonderful presentation. An eye-opener – you have made it so interesting and
exciting. I am going to implement as much of what I have learnt.
Speaker inspirational. THRASS is just what I have been searching for. I believe
that this programme will change the “face” of literacy. I need a follow-up
course. All headmasters need to attend a course – we need their support and
backing. Keep up the excellent, inspirational and realistic, relevant work.
Fantastic! Inspired. Please could you visit our school!
Exceptional presentation! Inspiring new approach to the teaching of reading and
spelling! A highly motivating child/friendly learning experience for a class!
Alan – you deserve a knighthood for what you are doing for education!
Very informative! What a pity this course couldn’t be presented to our school as
a whole. Keep fingers crossed that we will be able to convince all of them.
Most enjoyable. Humorous, excellent, knowledgeable, passionate presenters.
Although very condensed, the general principles, aims and outcomes and benefits
came across clearly. Thankyou.
I thoroughly enjoyed the THRASS course. It completely changed my way of thinking
phonics, reading and handwriting should be taught. It is relevant and makes
sense. I can’t wait to start teaching THRASS. I think educators and learners
alike will get a lot of enjoyment.
Thought the course was very important for our education. We need to implement it
in all schools. Excellent presentations, enjoyed it, however, difficult to take
in all the information, in just two days.
Extremely well presented. Dynamic. Interesting, informative, only just need more
time. Feel whole school needs to implement to be a success.
I enjoyed every minute – hopefully school will agree to go along with THRASS.
Some great ideas and wonderful lessons to prepare. THRASS will definitely work –
sadly the financial situation of Government schools will hamper any kind of
progress or implementation of this programme. Ideas given will, however, be used
to the best of my ability with the resources we have been given. Hopefully Mr.
Alan Davies will succeed in convincing our Minister of Education to use this
system. Otherwise we have been empowered to go out there and make a difference.
Good luck.
The best I’ve attended in 26 years. Very worthwhile. Practical, integrated and
very necessary in South Africa at the moment. Never seen such a comprehensive
programme.
Excellent – will work wonderfully with our contact based approach. Thankyou.
This was a very excellent course. It was informative and done explicitly. I
think that the time limit is not enough though. I loved every minute of it.
Very good and informative. Lovely materials to take back to school. What was
most effective? - showing how it is put into practise in schools with learners.
Excellent! Time well spent!
Better than all the reading courses I’ve attended. Exceptional. It’s really
sensational and I can’t wait to see the results. I believe they gonna be
amazing.
I found the concepts very interesting – turning previous assumptions and
thinking upside down. We do have remedial classes at our school, but now need to
brainstorm how to implement THRASS and how to integrate it with what we already
have. For us, we would have liked a little more explanation relating to high
schools but also felt quite overwhelmed at times with all the information we did
get! So thank you very much for the revolutionary ideas.
Excellent concept especially idea that letters make different sounds depending
on the box. Good teaching device for - let’s look at spelling of word, ‘right
phoneme wrong grapheme’. Got confusing though on the second day. Would have
liked watching a video on actual application.
The course was well presented and very informative and interesting. Thankyou.
Fantastic course, very intense. Presenters surely knew their materials.
Very informative course. However, develop charts/cards in print script because
print in certain schools are more favourable. Thanks.
Was very informative. It is clearly evident that Alan Davies has done extensive
research. Two days of “lots of information” was a bit too much for my brain to
take in. Thanks.
Very interesting, would like to attend a follow-up. Should have aids available
for purchasing. Should make time for individual worksheet to be sure that they
understood information given by the lecturer. It was extremely successful. I
enjoyed it very much. It made a difference to everyone who attended.
Enjoyed it very much. Learned a lot. I am going to try this so that pupils can
also get excited about reading, handwriting and spelling. I learned, one person
can make a difference (Alan Davies). I want to make a difference in pupils
lives, too.
Lovely ideas. Fantastic presentation by Alan. Extremely dynamic.
Excellent. Very intense.
At last! I see how it can work. Thank you for an excellently presented course. I
am very excited to go back to school and show the children how to make sense of
all the previously difficult spelling rules. I now have a useful and practical
tool that I can use with my children. Thank you for empowering me.
Very good. Thank you very much.
Excellent programme. Suggestions : allocate more time. Two days is not enough
time. Too much information to capture in two days.
Nice to see a more speech-therapy approach. Think it will help with less
referrals to SLP’s.
Interesting and entertaining.
Awesome. THRASS makes sense. Course helped to answer questions as to why we do
certain things with regards to reading and spelling. Don’t have to rely on
remembering rules that always seem to have exceptions, that tend to confuse not
only the learner but dare I say, the teacher too. Would appreciate a refresher
course. Headmasters, HODs need to attend this course. It would be helpful if
programme and material was more accessible locally. Your passion for THRASS was
incredibly inspirational.
Excellent! Very good presenter! I learned so much. Thankyou.
Terrific course presenters! Humour with learning. Really beautiful pictures.
Answered so many questions I had about reading and writing. Superb idea. Shall
be the way for the future. I wish you all the best and thank you for being so
PASSIONATE ! What an example. Well done you.
A very worthwhile course. Lots of practical tips and guidelines. Teacher and
Child friendly. Very well presented, kept one interested. A good challenge to
try at our schools. Thankyou.
A whole new way of thinking. Good presentation – very entertaining. Lots to
think about and take back.
An excellent presentation and method of teaching. Thank you for clarifying
misconceptions regarding phonic blends, digraphs etc. Very excited to begin
using the system.
Excellent. Everything makes so much sense now. I wish our whole staff could have
been here.
Two days well spent. A mindshift. Will help to implement THRASS. Thankyou.
Very enlightening – thankyou!
Interesting/entertaining. Learnt a huge amount. I want my granddaughter to learn
to read and write according to the THRASS method. I need to work out how best to
implement THRASS at High School!
Enjoyed it very much. Have a new perspective of reading and spelling and how to
help learners in Grade 8 with poor reading and spelling skills.
Gestalt! Hooray! May I have a job pleez?
Alan is dynamic and entertaining in the way he teaches the programme. His
enthusiasm makes one interested in THRASS and easier to use it.
Excellent. Learnt a great deal. Many new ideas to be introduced.
I thought the course was excellent. Learnt a lot and am much more confident.
Really looking forward to applying what we learnt. Just concerned about getting
enough resources to implement it in class.
An excellent presentation! I thought that this would be a good idea with
children with a weak understanding of phonics.
Thanks for an excellent presentation!
Fantastic course, very interesting. I learnt a lot but the time was not enough.
I will definitely start implementing this at my school.
An absolutely amazing course. Very inspiring with a great deal of knowledge and
skills which can be used in a classroom to make our learners excited, positive
and successful.
Great. Very interesting. As an upcoming educator, I’m confident that I will be
teaching children relevant ways of speaking, writing and reading. I’m currently
studying teaching and majoring in English.
Absolutely fabulous. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Loved the humour, and especially
the ballet! Seriously, it’s something that I would love to implement at my
school. This can work, if everybody comes on board and is motivated to implement
it. Thank you very much.
Very good presentation. Allow more time for questioning. Very enjoyable – give
more clarity on the purchase of equipment. Could we get it G.E.D. approved and
funded by the G.E.D. I think it’s a very valuable method to use in schools. It
has changed my way of teaching and thinking.
Exciting and sensational course and delivery. Can’t wait to implement. Thank
you.
The course has been informative and helpful. Thank you for sharing your
knowledge with me. I look forward to using the ideas you have shared.
Excellent, lively and motivated presentation of very good, original material.
Examples of lessons given practically, material to take back to school was
explained in detail so that it could be put to use readily in the classroom.
Ideas were given, we were inspired, and overall a good sense of humour
prevailed, making all of us take part with enthusiasm. Thankyou.
Very well presented, in fact an excellent course! Stimulating – can’t wait to
start with it. Thank you for taking the time to share THRASS with us here in
South Africa.
Real strategies, easily implemented. Excellent resources (a bit expensive for
poorer schools). You clearly know your ‘stuff’. Very exciting and motivating.
Thankyou.
It is a good course, especially for those who are doing English as a second
language. It will help them with both correct spelling and correct
pronounciation of the words.
The more you listen, the more you see how well thought out THRASS is. It’s
complex face belies its excellent practicalities.
Thoroughly enjoyable. As a high school educator who has not been exposed to
teaching reading, writing and spelling, it was an eye opener and very
educational. It was a lot to take in and I would need more practical experience
in order to be more confident in implementing it. I would enjoy a training
session specific to implementing it in a secondary school with English 2nd
language learners. Thank you for a riveting presentation.
As a high school teacher I don’t have background in phonics etc. Too fast, I
felt really lost yesterday – could be because I want to know how to apply to my
learners. Especially if I invest so much time in attending the course. Enjoyed
Alan as a presenter.
Excellent – not a dull moment! A little bit too much to absorb in two days.
Thanks.
Thank you for such an impressive presentation! We gained a lot of knowledge.
However, information was very compact. Course can be presented over a longer
period, time for questions were very limited (made off as not important!) [From
Alan: I think this comment is a little unfair. All of our break times, all six,
were spent answering questions – along with those asked before, in and after the
sessions.]
Stimulating but quite daunting. Would like to implement this for remedial work
for Grade 8’s who cannot read. I think one needs a bit more guidance on what to
buy to start off. Sincerely hope G.D.E. will decide to implement this so that
children will learn to read in the primary school. Reading is the weak link in
our school system.
Most exciting and mind-blowing. Should this come into schools as a whole,
everyone would get a chance to experience this, it will take off! Presenters
were most inspiring and enthusiastic.
Fantastic. Looking forward to implementing it. Enthusiastic. Excellent. Duration
- not enough.
An excellent course. I would like to introduce it to our school as soon as
possible. We will consult with our principal to buy the equipment and to get
going. In the meantime we will introduce our fellow teachers to THRASS.
Thankyou. Interesting and well presented. A programme well worth investing in.
Day 1 was excellent. Day 2, perhaps a little repetitive.
It was presented in a very interesting and organised manner. It taught us some
excellent skills.
An outstanding facilitator – his energy and passion for teaching and
implementing THRASS is inspirational. Transformed my approach to teaching
spelling. Materials specifically designed for high school would have been very
valuable.
Excellent. Thankyou.
The course was excellent. I was interested from the word go and never lost
interest. An excellent teaching strategy. Thank you for a wonderful
presentation.
The course was excellent and very informative. Thanks so much.
Thoroughly enjoyed this course. Felt inspired to use THRASS and was amazed by
the ideas and success clearly evident. Alan Davies is an inspiration! Thankyou.
A very informative course and very good presentation.
Absolutely brilliant. Alan – you are an exciting, vibrant presenter. Could have
listened for two more days! It was as though you had watched me in my classroom,
telling them about Hairy Hatman hitting Sammy Snake on the head! I worry a bit
about implementing – but will give it a go. Really worthwhile and a change of my
20-year mindset. Thanks so much.
Excellent. Very interesting and well presented course. Very excited about going
to school and implementing this brilliant programme.
This course was most informative. It provides us with a way of teaching reading,
writing, listening and speaking and spelling as integrated units, showing
children how wounds and letters are linked. I feel inspired and can’t wait to
begin with my class.
Excellent, entertaining, fantastic course. Well done!
Enjoyed presentation. Practical approach. Very good!
Very dynamic presenter. Suggest one day overview to general audience. Indepth
course at school that buys programme.
Very good!
Stimulating presentation. Inspired me and has given me new hope for
articulation, spelling and writing in the higher grades. Thank you. Appreciated.
Excellent presentation. Very energetic. Lively. Informative and exciting.
Inspirational and stimulating.
This course has been an eye opener. Brilliant and inspiring. I know that my
children and I will be less stressed when doing literacy.
Very good. Very informative. Could change lives.
I really enjoyed myself. A fantastic new concept. It has renewed my commitment
to teaching. Where were you when I studied? Thanks for giving many children hope
again. I really hope to get THRASS implemented in my school soon. Than you for
your great insight and sharing it with us. You are a wonderful, dynamic
lecturer. Well done!
Eye opening. It will:- eradicate illiteracy among learners and parents. Do away
with absenteeism (learners). Keep every learner attentive. Make our communities
and South Africa a reading country. Improve results in all 8 learning areas in
our schools.
Interesting. Inspiring. Give hope for children who find reading very difficult.
They can be helped.
Quite revolutionary for conservative thinkers thumped on by hackneyed practices.
My concern lies with the actual functional age of this mission in any
institution. Exciting though with a multi-skilled assurance.
Most interesting with lots of good and interesting ideas that I will enjoy
implementing. I did find it a little tiring towards the end.
Especially enjoyed the first day, the spelling techniques were good. Your break
up of time was good. Two days was a bit much. Enjoyed the speech therapist – she
should have had more time. Enjoyed the computer clips/videos to see how it
worked in a teaching situation. Sometimes wondered if the whole thing was not
just a marketing technique – felt like the board was a god. Will take away many
new ideas and good techniques. Have always battled with phonics so at least have
a handle on it now.
Had a very good time, with good knowledge gained. Thank you so much and good
luck.
I would like to compliment you on a well organised and enthusiastic
presentation. The content volume is a bit overwhelming and I think it would be
nice to have it in smaller chunks and to “practise” it between sessions. I’m
looking forward to implementing this programme. Thank you to all presenters and
organisers.
A well run course with a wealth of information. Great paradigm shift after over
40 years! Makes more sense grouping according to sounds. Thank you for all your
time and effort.
Presentation excellent. Information, excellent and enlightening.
Brilliant! I wish I had been taught this way!
Thank you for opening my eyes, and ears to a whole new world of phonics
awareness and teaching. Idea for instructions for writing a lower case ‘j’ –
down around lift dot!
THRASS opens up a whole new world – can’t wait to do some serious changes in my
approach to spelling and writing especially at school. Very excited but also
overwhelmed with new ideas.
Interesting and informative – some very useful skills to enable one to
understand/make sense of the English language! Good in raising one’s confidence
in teaching reading and spelling.
Very good. As a second language person, I can use it in my own life. Thanks.
Excellent! Excellent! I hope that the Minister will let all teachers attend the
course and that South Africa could benefit from this. AND WE WILL! Thank you so
much and I wish you well!
What can I say! I’m on board! G.D.E. should make this policy!
Very interesting. Great lecturers. Good pace. Would have been better done during
the week, not on a Saturday. Thanks very much.
Helpful, especially for my children who are going to be taught THRASS at school.
I would have liked to know more about how to implement this in the senior
primary. Although something was spoken about this , I don’t think enough detail
went into this. As an ex-teacher of disadvantaged children, I think it will
really make a difference in schools in Africa.
I really enjoyed the course very much. I hope that you can visit the Limpopo
Province some time soon. We need this especially in the rural areas. I thank
you.
Sensational, uplifting, pedagogically sound. Educationally edifying. Richly
rewarding. A most wonderful experience. Thank you and congratulations.
Very informative indeed. An eye opener to what can be taught to very young
children. A very interesting programme to be implemented from Grade R to High
School.
I think this is a brilliant new way to teach reading and spelling skills. This
course provides a structured, exciting, practical way to teach the “How” to
teach reading, spelling. It also stimulates all the senses, e.g. visual,
auditory, sensory etc. Well done!
Thanks for the great course. Will help with spelling in the classroom. Did feel
it was too long. Should be broken up into smaller units.
Very informative. Will implement in my classroom.
The course was interesting and informative. Alan was very informative, amusing
and a very good facilitator. I am looking forward to trying this programme in my
Reception class. I appreciate the support and passion with which it was
presented. Many thanks.
The course was really interesting and informative. I can’t wait to start using
it in my classroom. Alan Davies is a great presenter. Thankyou.
Hopefully this will change the way the world approaches literacy. It certainly
seems like it can. Thank you – very powerful.
Excellent!
The course was presented very well. I feel the groups need to be smaller. It
would be advisable to be involved in more hands-on/practical lessons. When one
is involved in more hands-on activities then one grasps the concepts and
teaching methods earlier. Thanks for an excellent course.
Thanks for changing my view on spelling and reading. I’m now passionate about
making sure there is a change in the way I teach. So dynamic! Fantastic!
Very excited to encourage all teachers at school to attend the course (provided
the school agrees to pay!). I learned so much and will implement small things as
soon as possible. Thankyou.
Outstanding. Subconsciously I have felt uncomfortable with the teaching of
phonics in schools. THRASS is a huge relief and well overdue. It is in the
simplicity of the chart and constant reinforcement of keywords that makes it
user friendly. I now have to convince my head of department, who is entrenched
in the old system. Thank you Alan.
A great experience! All educators should be trained in THRASS, in order to
implement it as soon as possible! Alan is dynamic, kept me engrossed for two
days.
Thanks – interesting. Very impressed. Follow-up programmes will help (updates).
Convince Naledi Pandor it is a must module for new educators, AND existing
teachers – they should be re-skilled.
Fantastic, enthusiastic presenters. Too much to absorb in just two sessions to
equip. us to go out and implement it. Brilliant Mr. Davies – well done!
Inspiring. I feel it works in conjunction with the Montessori principles and
philosophies. It shows me how to break down, help and work with all the
different abilities and ages in my class. Thankyou.
Excellent. Very informative and user-friendly. Thanks so much!
What an eye opening experience. Thankyou!
Dynamic presenter! Exciting course. It all makes so much sense. A little
overawed at how to implement.
Very good presentation. Mind-blowing! Too much on the handwriting. Very
motivating.
A very good presentation. Possibly slower pace for explanations and practice of
phonemes/graphemes – could rather have less time on handwriting – letter
formation. Thankyou!
Excellent methodology taught. Lively presentation. Exceptional materials.
A very informative course – excellent presenter who keeps audience interested
and involved throughout. As a High School teacher I would have been interested
to receive more resources aimed particularly at 12-16 year old learners.
Entertaining, affirming, educational. Thankyou!
Very exciting. Implementation a bit daunting – but a wonderful challenge.
Thankyou.
Excellent! Can’t wait to begin and to start making a difference – at last! Thank
you for empowering us with this exciting new way of teaching.
Very good, but too much for two days. I need a follow-up course. All Headmasters
need to attend.
Excellent course couldn’t get enough. Going to be very useful. Makes so much
sense.
Excellent/inspirational. Please can you come and give a course at our school –
this year. Thank you. What fun!
Wonderful! Fantastic. Learnt a lot.
What a wonderful tool this programme is. It is so all encompassing. I wish I had
had it when I was a kid. I look forward to implementing it and seeing the
results. I especially enjoyed watching and learning the impressive teaching
techniques. Thankyou.
The most inspiring presentation to-date. What a privilege to have had “the man”
who invented the programme deliver it to us. Entertaining, and easy to follow.
So much energy put into the presentation. Very convincing. I loved the humour
and dramatics pumped in.
I am totally hooked – a totally credible system. I will start using it in my
classroom and with my own children right away.
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