THRASS ACCREDITED CERTIFICATE,
GTG, SOUTH AFRICA, JUNE 2-3, 2008

Thoroughly enjoyable. Excellent presentations and interactions. Very informative. A great time! 

Interactive and enjoyable. Alan presented it well and his enthusiasm seemed to rub off on everyone else. The Sing-A-Long songs were great fun. This course will be of great value in my future teaching. 

Awesome. Fun and well worth it. Loved the interaction. 

Well presented and very interactive. Very informative. 

Valuable and sensible in the way that phonics should be taught. Alan is excellent in his delivery and he explains everything to perfection in a short period. I now have a good basic knowledge and understanding to be able to teach THRASS. 

Engaging, interesting and intense. Two days very well spent. I can’t wait to teach it in a classroom. 

Extremely informative and educational. Alan is an amazing speaker who captured me from the beginning. I didn’t know a course could be so enjoyable. 

I enjoyed the course very much and very informative. 

Fantastic. It is so fun. I have enjoyed THRASS from doing it in the Kwena Basin. I love the Sing-A-Long. Can’t wait to teach THRASS again. Alan is very amusing and is great at what he does. Delivery is excellent. We all understood. Every teacher should do this course. 

Enjoyable. I have taken in a lot of knowledge and understanding over two days. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the THRASS course. I learnt so much. It was very educational and well presented. I look forward to using THRASS when I teach.  

Extremely beneficial and will help me teach literacy in my classroom one day. 

An amazing two days. I have learnt such a lot and I agree 100% with the THRASS programme. Course was fun, interactive and very interesting. 

These past two days have been very educational. I am excited to teach reading and spelling. 

Interactive. Informative. Well presented. I learnt a lot. Lots of fun. Gave me confidence to teach spelling etc to children. 

Entertaining, educational and concise. I really feel excited to teach THRASS. It made me think more carefully about phonics and the reading process. 

A great course, very challenging yet thoroughly enjoyable. A great two days. I have learnt so much and feel more equipped with unique tools to encounter the teaching of reading and writing. 

Very useful information – must do course for all teachers. Very interactive – great ideas on how to involve children. Use of raps and songs – very entertaining – children will definitely be eager and willing to learn. Use of resources – computer, cards etc – very innovative and many ways shown in which to use them. Very enthusiastic – made it very enjoyable. 

Enjoyable with large array of information. I enjoyed being part of the course and having to actually do what the children have to do, because through doing the actions one learns what to do. Interaction and interactive parts were good and kept the course alive. Your enthusiasm is contagious and makes one eager to learn. 

Great and very enjoyable. I learnt a great deal. I believe that this way of teaching will be very beneficial to children. 

THRASS is a very worthwhile way of teaching phonics. It makes sense and is easy to understand. I thoroughly enjoyed the course. Great resources. 

Very interesting and fun. The singing was second best to the lecturer - who was funny and knew what to say to gain our interest. Very worthwhile. 

Very interesting. Could have been a bit longer but in the time we had I learnt a lot and feel confident enough to teach this method. Alan was very interesting, fun and a really good lecturer. He really made it interesting and easy to understand. 

Great course. A lot of passion and an extreme amount of effort and thought put into the presentation. Could have been over three days, making it more enjoyable. Alan was great and related extremely well to all of us. He is very determined to help the future generations. 

Really good. THRASS is a brilliant way of teaching children the skills of reading, spelling and writing. The course was extremely worthwhile, fun, interactive and I really enjoyed it. It is evident that Alan and Hilary are filled with passion and are determined to help our country. 

Very interesting and fun. The songs and music are brilliant. Really think it is a very useful programme. 

Very interesting. I have learnt a lot.

After having taught THRASS when I was on teaching practice in the Kwena Basin, I was uncertain about what I thought of the programme. After doing the course, all the problems that I had were addressed – and I definitely see the value in using this approach. 

Very valuable and enjoyable course, given in a logical, entertaining and exciting manner. THRASS is a vital part of the learning process within school and can be done in a manner suitable for both children and adults. 

A very informative course. Some schools that we have been to on practice have THRASS in their classrooms but they don’t know how to teach it. This course will help us to teach the children properly. Very well presented, excellent visual aids, great enthusiasm. 

Really enjoyable. Feel I am privileged to have had the opportunity to attend this course. The knowledge and passion of Alan is inspirational. You have me convinced! 

Fun, interactive course, the resources are really great. 

Excellent. Interesting and interactive. We will benefit a lot from this course. 

A lovely, very worthwhile course that every teacher and student teacher should do. Phonics will be better understood and will make more sense! Very enjoyable. 

Enthusiastic course which brought me to realization on what THRASS really is. Beneficial towards our profession, hope to make use of it in my classroom. Time should’ve been spent over a few days – became a lot to grasp. Excellent. 

A worthwhile course which taught me a lot and changed my views towards phonics. Essential programme to use for schools and tutors not just in Foundation Phase but Intersen phase as well. 

Out of this world! It would be awesome if all lectures were presented in this manner. Great work! 

Very good, nice and interactive, fun. Resources we received are valuable and can be used in a number of ways. 

Beneficial. I have been enlightened on most of the things that I took for granted in teaching reading. 

A great course, and was extremely well presented. It will be helpful in the future. I enjoyed the course and will take away a lot from it. 

THRASS is the most wonderful weapon teachers can use in order for a child to know his/her phonics and helping with spelling and reading. I am so glad that Alan introduced the THRASS to us, to show us how it works. It is really amazing.

A worthy course. I wish all schools could use it. Learners will definitely benefit from it and we could improve our literacy skills.

Exciting. I have got the necessary knowledge to pass on to the next generation. Having attended this course, I will become a better English primary school teacher. 

Interesting. However after lunch Mr Davies was too fast. I believe that it was too much for two days. 

Incredibly informative. It increased my reading and writing knowledge. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole course although I found that I often got a little bored when concepts were constantly repeated. I will certainly use the concepts that I was taught as a future teacher. 

Fantastic and very interesting. I’ve learnt and gained a lot. I’ve learnt that one letter doesn’t make one sound and it is my duty to teach young ones that letters make different sounds so they can be life long readers. I’ve also learnt that the nature of the spoken language affects learning. If THRASS can be taught worldwide it can change children’s lives. Educators can speak one language, if we can be in one boat. It is the desire of my heart to be the first THRASS Lecturer one day to help or teach pre-school teachers because that is where the foundation is. 

A lot of detail was given and the examples that Alan used were related to us and also the school context. Very informative and a rude awakening to the way phonics should be taught. 

Quite enlightening, especially for some of us who have just been introduced to the program. We enjoyed the lessons. The presenter was good. Use of electrical gadgets went a long way in helping us understand. 

I am so excited. Can’t wait to put THRASS into practise. I think the learners and myself will be able to solve spelling hassles. A well-presented, beautifully organised programme. Easy to understand instruction and excellent aids.  

T – Terrific, time well spent. H – Holistic approach to teaching literacy. R – Radical but insightful (a rarity in education). A – Absolutely wonderful, a worthwhile course. S – Superb. S – Simple, yet effective. An approach that makes so much sense! I’m inspired, motivated and raring to go! 

Enjoyable – and I learnt a lot. The presentation was excellent. A great learning tool. 

Very worthwhile. I learnt a lot and think this is a very clever and good way of learning. 

Extremely worthwhile. I now have confidence to teach using the THRASS method. I learnt more about phonics in the past two days than the year – it kind of all makes sense now. Alan is a great presenter. Thank you for a lovely two days. 

Really enjoyable. The THRASS program is very practical and enjoyable in the classroom. I have a better knowledge of phonics and this will help me be a better reading and spelling teacher. The music and songs were great and children will enjoy and learn from them. 

Very informative. An eye opener as to how much it can help learners. 

Good value, helpful and practical. Too much repetition – went too slowly at times and could be fit into a one day session. Alan is a good speaker – interesting and entertaining, loved the experience stories about children. 

An eye opener as I struggled to decode words. This course has given me a tool for myself and to pass that to the learners. I think it needs more than two days. Enjoyed it! 

Enjoyable. I will utilize the programme in future school experiences, as well as in my own classroom. 

Very interesting. Learnt a great deal that I will definitely use in the future. Alan was great. 

Fantastic, so enjoyable and lively. I love the music and songs and how we can actually teach literacy skills to children through music. Wonderful resources. I finally understand what THRASS is all about and I am excited to go out and start teaching it. 

Interesting and worthwhile course. It broadened my view on the literacy programme and how important the basics of phonics is. The interactive quality of the course was very worthwhile and it shows one how to actually teach THRASS and how fun it can be to teach in the classroom. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the course. It was interactive and the multisensory approach assisted with my learning. THRASS is a great system which makes sense. I know that learners and teachers who use this programme will derive benefit from it. The teaching resources are brilliant. It was great to have the opportunity to learn from Alan first-hand! 

Really informative. Learnt more about teaching children to read and spell than I have in three years! 

Extremely enjoyable, interesting and useful. The most I have learnt in the past six months, that I feel will benefit myself and the learners. Alan’s enthusiasm is amazing and very catching! 

Brilliant! Fun! Very informative! Shown me the importance of THRASS and why I should use it to teach my future learners. 

Very educational and well presented. I learnt a lot and look forward to using it in the future. 

This course has really been so enjoyable and informative. I really feel that I am prepared to go into a class now and teach THRASS. Thank you for your enthusiasm and all the useful resources. 

Both interesting and worthwhile. Before the course I didn’t really know what THRASS was or why it would be good to use. Now one day when I teach I would definitely use THRASS. The way Alan kept it interesting even though it was a long course was great. He explained well and covered everything nicely. Thank you for a wonderful course. 

Exceptionally useful and I learnt a lot that will be useful as a future teacher. Alan was very clear and made it easy to understand. I would definitely recommend it to other teachers. 

Fantastic.  Very easy to understand. I have learnt so much in the last two days! Alan was great and the materials were very big and colourful. Excellent. 

Very helpful course to teach reading and spelling. Thoroughly enjoyed the course, especially the interactive software and rap CD. Alan is very enthusiastic and made the course worthwhile as his passion encouraged my learning through the course. I can’t wait to teach THRASS. Good Luck! 

Highly educational. I learnt an enormous amount of information which I will be able to use in the future and pass on to colleagues. I enjoyed every moment of this course. It was very interactive. Good luck for future presentations and projects!

Excellent course. Turned my view about phonemes and graphemes of the English language around. Can’t wait to use the resources in my classroom and I think the THRASS programme should be implemented in schools all around South Africa. 

This course has taught me many new things about phonics. It has shown me how the old way of teaching phonics does not work. It is a very interesting course with depth into how children learn. Overall an excellent course. Resources are also very useful. 

A very interactive course which has changed my view on phonics. This THRASS programme will lead to higher achievement and better understanding within all learners. I thoroughly enjoyed the two days and found it challenging at some points but came to grasp the concept. 

I really enjoyed this course. I have learnt more about the English language coming from a background of Afrikaans first language. As a parent I will introduce THRASS to my children. 

Really exciting and very meaningful. I learnt a lot of new words and various terminology. The examples were really interesting and classroom implementations were very meaningful. 

A well done presentation. It was really interesting and will benefit my teaching. The presentations were excellent and kept our interest. 

Good. Very educational. I liked it. Wish we could have gone through the exercises in more depth. 

Very interesting. Even as an Intersen teacher it has helped me a lot with my own growth. THRASS should be implemented from Grade R - I was a victim of Letterland! Alan is very entertaining and kept my attention the whole time. I have convinced my mum to also do the course! THRASS rules! 

Enjoyable. Truly a worthwhile course and program. I would prefer using THRASS in a class than Letterland etc. Alan is a great speaker and lecturer. I look forward to using THRASS soon. 

A very informative course, helping me with my spelling issues that I’ve trouble with. It has also given me plenty of ideas to implement in the classroom, especially in the grade 4 to grade 9 level that I will be teaching in, as the techniques can be used at any age level. 

Educational, interesting and I now have a great knowledge to take into the schools that I will be teaching at. It has helped me a great deal as I am poor at spelling and pronouncing words and it has made my life easier and given me more self confidence to teaching spelling to my learners. 

Very interesting and informative – and fun! 

Enjoyable and helped me understand mine as well as my learners spelling mistakes. It was a great two days. Thank you for all the laughs. 

Very well structured and prepared. Loved the enthusiasm from Alan. He made it fun and understandable. I thoroughly enjoyed the songs and being able to sing. It was great that we were actively involved in the course. The best activity was the Grapheme Snap game! Every teacher and learning teacher should do this course.

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