THRASS ACCREDITED CERTIFICATE,
GTG, SOUTH AFRICA, JUNE 5-6, 2009

Organiser: NAPTOSA

Thoroughly enjoyable. THRASS makes total sense. The presentation was superb. Alan’s passion was infectious! I now know what our Grade 1 teachers are raving about! 

Excellent in every way! Inspiring and exciting. Fun! 

Great value. I have learned and experienced a lot. My teaching of language and spelling is going to improve. Well done Alan and his team. Thumbs up to NAPTOSA! 

Brilliant. Informative. Kept us on our toes. Lots of new knowledge. 

What a shift! Celebrated saying goodbye to Fairy-‘e’ and Annie Apple! THRASS is a great programme for teaching English. Alan put on an amazing show and was an inspiration. 

Brilliant. I needed this 20 years ago but it is never too late! 

Excellent presentation – it has been empowering, mind changing and very positive. First read about THRASS in ‘Your Child’ magazine and have been interested since. It brings new life to my teaching. 

I was smiling all the time. A phenomenal and inspiring course. This has definitely changed my way of thinking and teaching. 

Thoroughly enjoyable – informative, logical and entertaining. Definitely want to implement THRASS!  

In ten years of teaching this has been the most meaningful programme I have come across. I am so grateful to Alan for his brilliant programme. It has been really amazing. 

Very informative and entertaining. We all now know, very well, after Alan’s explanations, how to implement and use the THRASS material. 

Great! Enjoyed lively interaction and singing. 

Excellent. Lessons were demonstrated and explained well. Lots of fun and interaction. Left us all motivated to get on board with THRASS. 

Excellent. We all enjoyed it thoroughly. 

Fun. Interactive. New take on phonics that is logical to teach and learn. Alan engages the audience. 

A vibrant and enthusiastic presenter, who over a two-day period was able to re-energise me. I can’t wait to get to school and start implementing what I’ve learnt. Fantastic! 

Absolutely fabulous! Very informative. Lots to process but with great practical implementation ideas. Dynamic presentation and super resources. 

Well presented and informative. Enjoyed it! 

This has helped to put a large piece into a “Reading Gogo” project, which will enable the schools to take a giant leap forward in helping children to read. Alan’s enthusiasm is catching. 

Extended my knowledge hugely on THRASS. Came here feeling sceptical but now feel privileged to have been introduced to it through Alan. His enthusiasm and passion for what he has created has filled me with a desire to actually want to teach spelling for the first time! 

Enjoyable. Alan had lots of energy. Positive and interesting. 

I now have a smile on my face! 

Excellent eye-opening course. 

An awesome two days. I wish I could spend more time learning, as a high school educator. I was initially sceptical but Alan has provided me with a way to help those that the system has failed - something I have wanted to do for years! I cannot thank Alan enough. 

Informative. A little overwhelming, given the time. Speaker able to interact positively. Lively person. 

Excellent. Keeps your attention all the time. Fantastic content. I can’t wait to start using THRASS. 

Quite inspiring. Full of fun. Can’t wait to try out the methods taught. 

Very enjoyable – quite keen to try with my Grade Ones. Got me excited about teaching again! 

Excellent course and presentation. It has been an eye opener and I cannot wait to implement it. 

A most informative course. Excellent presentation. I will be using the ideas from Monday! 

I am happy that I attended. It is very excellent. 

I have really learnt so much. We were asked to implement THRASS before we had done the course – impossible! Loved Alan’s presentation. Wonderful ideas – so motivated. 

Enjoyed it – new ideas. Introduced some fun into phonics. Presentation was excellent. Don’t knock the old system so much. You and I – and our grandparents – all learnt to spell with it. [“I disagree with your view that we ‘all’ learnt to read and spell with previous methods. Lots of adults, in the past and today, have problems with literacy and most parents and teachers, today, are not confident with the building blocks of the English Language – as is evident from these evaluations.” Alan] 

Very inspiring. I did English at university and can’t believe how much I’ve missed out on with regards to literacy. Thanks for giving me a better understanding of the basics of spelling, word formation, sounds etc. I feel empowered, not only to teach my class but to teach my own child! 

THRASS is an excellent tool to use in the Township schools with children who don’t speak much English. I really enjoyed this course and can’t wait to put it into practice. 

Excellent and the use of teaching aids was brilliant and relevant. This workshop is going to improve my teaching and also my learners’ reading. 

Excellent. Enjoyable. Very intense. Lots to learn. Learning material excellent. Alan full of energy and humour. Makes learning exciting. Excellent teacher. 

Very very good! Outstanding methods! 

Great course! Loved it! 

Great. Well presented and I enjoyed it very much. I will definitely take this with me. 

Excellent. We would like to take part in the next THRASS Family SING-A-LONG at Linder! 

Wonderfully inspiring. Excellent presentation. 

Well presented. Excellent! 

Great. I can’t wait to implement what I have learnt. My literacy teaching skills have been renewed. 

Uplifting and a new perspective on teaching. I am inspired and excited to go to work on Monday! 

Wow! Unbelievable. An excellent course. Cannot wait to implement it on Monday! I’ve been searching for answers for over twenty years of teaching and finally I have a solution. 

Interesting ideas and approach but far too much to take in over two days. Very well presented. 

Well presented, although it needs a lot of work to bring it to your classroom, but I think at the end the children will benefit and reap the rewards. 

Excellent.  

Good course. 

Excellent. Great humour and interaction. Brings spelling alive and looking forward to using it! 

Brilliant comedian! You should make a DVD for a 15 Minute slot for daily phonics. Thanks for an action packed two day learning experience. Now my child can grow! Bravo! 

Excellent, had so much fun. Inspired to introduce at our Grade R section. 

Very informative. Wish it could have been for longer. A challenge to go back and implement. 

Light bulb stuff! 

This was the second time around for me. Brilliant! 

Really enjoyable. Alan is a fantastic person. Keep up the good work. God Bless! 

A very exciting, dynamic programme. I enjoyed the course thoroughly. 

Alan was good but too much information in a short space of time. 

Great. I learned a lot and realised that I have to change the way I teach reading. Very impressed. 

Brilliant! 

Really enjoyable. Learnt a great deal. Feel eager to start implementing the programme in my class. Sing-A-Long is a stroke of genius, the kids are going to love it. I had lots of fun. 

Awesome. When I heard about THRASS, about 4 years ago, and that it was a ‘dad’, I thought it would be rubbish – but I have been blown away by this course. My mind has changed and I feel, at last, we can have literate children – all of them! 

Brilliant. Information was exceptional. Re-training of knowledge – well linked. 

Excellent. Brilliant presentation from Alan. 

Excellent workshop. Informative. Disciplined dedicated lecturer. 

What a fantastic entertaining course. Alan has inspired me and filled me with wonderful ideas which I will now teach to my class. 

Excellent. Good presentation. Alan was very active. Keep it up! 

Excellent course. Set out very clearly. Very enjoyable. A very interesting way for children to learn. 

I still have a long way to go. I am a bit confused when spelling and splitting the words but I think this would be very helpful to the growing children because they won’t be confused as I have been. Everything will be clear to them. I wish I was taught this way. Very good and excellent presentation. 

Very interesting and very informative. 

I had a wonderful time. An interesting way to teaching phonics, spelling and reading. 

Excellent presentation skills. Too much information over a short period of time. Feedback sessions from teachers could be very helpful after taking the THRASS course. 

Excellent. An excellent aid to teaching phonics. 

Interesting. I wish to attend one more workshop for clarity. I enjoyed the sessions. 

Now I can teach THRASS. I did not understand all the different skills. Alan was great. 

The teaching was great! 

An eye opener. I enjoyed the course. Excellent presentation. 

Well presented. Learnt how to spell the words I have problems with! Excellent teaching guide lines. 

Very enriching. Cross-curricular. Fantastic. Multi-skills dealt with within a short space of time. 

Impressive. Learn quite a lot of things. I feel I have been depriving children. Keep it up! 

Sparkling presentation. Thanks for sharing your THRASS with us. 

Very good lessons. Will help a lot in school. Continue with the good work. 

Very informative and fun! As a non-native English speaker, THRASS makes sense! I bought the yellow picturechart and picture cards for my child a year ago but couldn’t really use them. Now I know it is fun, even for adults. I’ve already started to implement the yellow picturecharts in my English lessons (English as a foreign language for adults!). I enjoyed the course very much. 

Fun, fun, fun! I have learnt so much. Presentation excellent. Could be over three days? 

Very informative. Exciting. Entertaining. Feeling enthusiastic about doing THRASS in school. 

Full of energy and informative. Glad I attended – even on a Saturday. 

Absolutely great. Totally inspiring. Made us want to go back and start THRASS straight-away! 

Fantastic course. 

Very enjoyable and informative. Great deal of information learnt about THRASS. Excellent. 

A lot of insight and I enjoyed it, while learning a lot. 

Fascinating and the approach makes a lot of sense. What is also valuable is the wealth of resources – physical and electronic – to support the work. It was a great learning experience and lots of fun! 

Alan was very enthusiastic and passionate. Too much info at one go. Two days is not sufficient. I’ve learnt very little and am sceptical that I, as a non-language teacher, can implement this. Less videos, slower pace, more concrete examples needed. 

Fantastic course and presenter. Great use of visual aids and charts etc. Website – great for downloads. Video clips – fantastic to see THRASS being taught by other teachers/schools. 

Excellent. Taught in a way that one actually understands the theory and concepts. Lovely to see real life videos of people teaching THRASS (more videos would help a lot). 

Alan is a dynamic presenter – I love THRASS! I am going to use it both as a mom and an educator. You have also exemplified brilliant teaching skills: some great ideas to put into practise from Monday! I love teaching – you have inspired me! 

Alan’s enthusiasm was absolutely infectious! I have so many new ideas that I am wanting to now implement with my Grade 4 learners. I have learnt a great deal, but my learners will be the ultimate benefactors of this new-found knowledge. A fantastic presentation. 

Excellent teaching tools to implement THRASS in an effective and exciting way. I was sceptical about its use in the Intermediate phase. I now have a greater understanding of how to use it in Gr 4. Thanks to Alan for the wealth of practical tips and knowledge. I am inspired to use this programme. 

Wonderful! Alan’s enthusiasm encourages me to make arrangements to get sponsors so that all the teachers in my department can do this brilliant course. 

Very interactive. Very well presented. Lots of information and fast pace. Interesting and informative. 

Informative. The information was useful in teaching learners in a playful, fun and interactive method. Need a total transformation from old way of doing phonics. 

Excellent presentation. Alan was vibrant and easy to listen to for two days. I had heard one or two negative comments about THRASS, but will now be able to explain each of the comments in a knowledgeable fashion. Looking forward to putting into practise that which I’ve learnt! 

Alan was dynamic and enthusiastic. He has a great passion. The course was a little too long – by 2pm on both days people were suffering from overload. Thanks for the teaching aids and tips. 

Friday: Excellent. I loved your actions and sharing about practice in schools, especially those in England! Saturday: Outstanding. Such an encouragement to see our Rainbow Nation in SA begin to spell, read and enjoy it! 

I enjoyed the passion that came across in the presentation! It was motivating and enjoyable. I am looking forward to implementing THRASS in my classroom. 

I like certain aspects of the THRASS programme but I do feel that, as a Speech & Language Therapist, it would be difficult to teach it to the children I work with as they are between that ages of 3-4 years. I would rather go the synthetic approach and add in a few aspects of THRASS. 

Alan was a dynamic presenter. THRASS appears to be a very effective way to help children with reading. I just think that, as a speech therapist, the school teachers and principal should attend this course so that it can be implemented throughout the whole school. 

Very interesting. As a speech therapist, it completely changed my views on spelling, learning to spell, as well as the reading aspect. I think it is brilliant but will require all teachers at my school to attend the course before implementation so it can be done correctly. I work at a school for children with autism and I think this will revolutionise our teaching of reading and spelling. 

Very well presented. As a speech therapist, I found the course very interesting. It helped to provide clarity of how THRASS works and I loved all the ideas of how to make THRASS fun and interactive. 

Thoroughly enjoyed – which was well administered and organised. Very informative and looking forward to implementing the programme in a therapy context. Excellent presenter with excellent use of language, knowledge and presentation skills with an even more impressive programme. 

Fantastic! Alan was an amazing teacher with his humour and interaction. After three years of attending parents courses I have finally understood the reasoning behind THRASS. I would recommend this course to all teachers. 

Fantastic. Brilliant. Energetic. Informative. As a parent, attending in a private capacity, I am very keen to being teaching my daughter THRASS. I would recommend this to anyone. 

Very interesting. Dynamic speaker. Easy to follow and I came with only a basic understanding and have already done the THRASS Sing-A-Long. (I think it is important to come on the course with some background knowledge.). Wish we had this when I was at school. It makes sense. 

Presentation was very good. Learned a lot of English sounds. Will do THRASS in class. It will definitely help children with spelling and reading. Make course over three days. 

Brilliant and very enlightening. I would like to attend more courses on THRASS, to become more comfortable with all I have learnt. All teachers should attend this, for effective implementation. 

Thank you for your energy and passion – you are an inspiration. I think THRASS is a genius method born from love of children and teaching – and your delight in children and people in general really comes through. I was however disappointed in your trashing of Letterland – you are entitled to feel strongly about a method which seems to contradict your own – but it felt a bit unprofessional. If you ever have to reflect, I think you could come to see some dovetailing of the two systems – particularly in very early reading i.e. two year-olds just having fun with letters. Keep going – you are great. [“Sorry. No dovetailing – written English is not a one-letter-one-sound system and the sooner children understand this the better – especially in early reading. However, I would enjoy watching you teach the digraphs and trigraphs of English using the Letterland characters! Can I come?” Alan]

A wonderful two days. Really enjoyed the enthusiasm and great classroom tips. We have decided to only do THRASS next year. Goodbye ‘Hairy Hatman’! 

Well presented and informative. I now have a much better understanding of THRASS and am sending that ‘Hairy Hatman’ on his way! 

Very much interesting and enjoyable. It motivates me a lot and challenges me. THRASS brightens the children’s knowledge. 

Excellent. Good time management and activities. Excellent learning materials. We need more training to be able to implement it effectively in future. 

THRASS is something that can be used immediately. I know that it is not practical but three days would be better than two.  

Alan is a great lecturer. Got goose bumps to see that your life long dream has produced fruit in abundance. Africa will be reading!  

Thoroughly enjoyable. Alan’s methodology is fantastic. Resources are really functional and easy to use. Speak a little slower for second language English speakers. 

Exceptional. Demonstrations were wonderful. Loved the acts! The energy was fantastic. Looking forward to implementing what I’ve learnt so far, although it is just the beginning of my long journey but very enthusiastic towards it. Well done to Alan for imparting such wonderful skills. 

Excellent presenter and material. I have been motivated and rejuvenated. 

Came across THRASS on the internet. This NAPTOSA course – Hallelujah! The picture is not clear but together. Awesome. Learning gaps gone. Behavioural problems gone! 

Hilarious. Excellent. Fabulous. Informative. Enjoyable. Interesting. Well organised. Rushed through at the end so should have been a longer course – with an assessment at the end. 

A fantastic experience which will improve my teaching style and approach. It focuses on lots of things. I am going to improve my teaching of spelling by breaking them down. Very informative. 

Thoroughly enjoyable. I will definitely be using these very powerful techniques with my two children. I will also be using the very good activities in Sing-A-Long during my teaching practice. I definitely see THRASS as not working harder but rather Working Smarter! Thanks for empowering me! 

I am a Montessori Directress and this course has brought a whole new meaning to teaching language. Thank you very much for your enthusiasm and love for the English language. 

Brilliant. It opened up a whole new concept for me on how to deal with my After Care students’ homework and improved my understanding of their problems – especially the ADD and ADHD children we deal with everyday. It was marvellous. 

Informative and it will change the way I teach. It made a lot of sense. There was a lot of info to take in a short period of time. Enjoyable. 

Enjoyed the presentation and feel a lot better with teaching THRASS. I am very excited about songs, games and all the chart that you have displayed. 

Really enjoyable. I attended this course as a student at Tukkies and now understand THRASS far more now, as I can relate it to my everyday teaching experiences. I look forward to implementing it with my class. THRASS is an excellent phonics programme. 

Wonderfully entertaining. Please consider training for only secondary teachers. I have learnt a lot of new information, however, I am not sure how to implement THRASS. You are doing wonderful work. 

Informative, as I teach at a school using THRASS and thought it a total waste of time, but after listening and watching Alan I now have a totally new perspective on how to use the THRASS programme and intend to use it on a daily basis in my class and at home with my own children! 

Interesting and informative. It ruled out old teaching habits. Alan was extremely funny, which broke the ice and made it more interactive. 

Great! Really enjoyed the course and feel very enthused. Found the two sessions after lunch on the second day rather heavy going. Thanks very much. 

Very interesting and well presented. I really learnt a lot from this course and I would like to learn more about THRASS and how to implement in our school.  

Presented in an exciting way with practical involvement making it easy to remember. Second day felt a bit rushed but feel relatively confident about navigating my way through the TEACHING THRASS guide, so as to learn the specifics. A well presented course. 

Very good and gives a lot of thought. Dynamic delivery but overwhelming as I know very little about the program. Monday is going to be a very different day! A wonderful two days. 

Alan is a wonderful and enthusiastic teacher who has made there two days an absolute pleasure. The passion he shows for THRASS is contagious and I am looking forward to implementing the new tools. I know that my little four-year-olds will not only enjoy the learning of THRASS but I will use one of the Sing-A-Long songs for our next concert! 

Very dynamic and entertaining. Provided lovely practical ideas for teaching. Did learn a lot and feel much more confident to teach THRASS effectively. Very motivating. 

Great workshop. Very informative and I now look at teaching in a different light. Lots of information given with great ideas and great energy. I am now better equipped and feel like I will have much more fun with my children. 

Delightful presentation. Kept audience enthralled throughout. Passion for subject matter so evident and a motivating factor for us to implement THRASS. Interaction with the audience was excellent.

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