Good and I learnt a lot. Laola was amazing and full of enjoyment. We had a lot of fun and I wish you can do it for other people in South Africa.

I was never taught about graphemes in English because I’m a second language speaker. I will definitely use the skills and knowledge I’ve gained, especially when teaching second language learners!

I think this was a fantastic session. I’m from the rural areas and my accent sometimes is not that good. Also it will help me a lot in my vocabulary so that I can give the kids the best, especially where I am from. I enjoyed it very much.

I have learnt so much about graphemes and phonemes and how I should use it. And the sing-a-long tracks were really enjoyable, that I also really loved. THRASS is really enjoyable and I think all the teachers should use it, and that way more children will be able to read and write well.

I learnt a lot about teaching learners to write, spell and get better in a second language. It also taught me that a child is never too old to have fun while learning to spell, neither am I as a teacher!

I really enjoyed the THRASS training, it really opened my eyes and made me understand phonics better and how it could be taught more effectively. Exciting ways to teach phonics with using THRASS is rushing through my head during the training program. I look forward to teaching THRASS next year and experiencing it in the classroom. It is fun, vibrant and exciting.

Fabulous, it gave me a desire to learn more. I learnt that teaching, handwriting, reading and spelling is crucial for young learners to be able to learn.

Very interesting and it is the treasure for the rest of my life. I will use it effectively to the children I will be teaching. I wish that we could have had this incredible information in our primary schools.

I really enjoyed the course and how I could use it to teach the learners I will be teaching to read and write in such a way that they would really enjoy learning their language. I am a second language English learner and know how difficult it is to learn a new language, so I am excited to implement this in such a way that will enforce our learners and give them the confidence to learn.

Phenomenal. I really feel comfortable enough to teach the course. It has helped me to see how learners struggle with language and how the teacher must assist the learners with their problems.

Throughout the course I was engaged in the presentation and learnt almost everything I need to know about THRASS. It is clearly and effective and useful program to use in clips shown to us. I am very eager to teach this program in the classroom, as I can see how effective it really is.

I thoroughly enjoyed the course! I have truly learnt a lot from it and can’t wait to implement it. I battled with phonics as a child and I feel that THRASS would have benefited me. I would like to teach at a school where THRASS is being used. Laola, you put a lot of effort into teaching us.

A great way to learn more about evolving learners reading, writing and spelling skills. I think that it is creative and fun and a strategy of teaching that is beneficial to both the teacher and the learners. I will definitely be using this THRASS when teaching one day, as I truly believe it is worthwhile.

The course was fun and important to me because I was able to identify how words are sounded and spelled appropriately. This means I will be able to put back into practise what I have learnt in these two days, for I have the knowledge of how to use the THRASS materials. Also I have gained confidence as a second language speaker, to have the ability to teach THRASS next year.

Fantastic and I really enjoyed it. Laola delivers the information very well. She is clear in whatever she is saying. I love THRASS and will start by changing the words that I was pronouncing wrongly and correct them. I will teach THRASS wherever I go and wherever it is necessary to do so.

I’ve learned a lot. It was really interesting.

Had lots of fun learning about the chart and the Phoneme Machine. The course was quite challenging though but really I learnt a lot from it.

An eye opener. Not only was Laola passionate about THRASS but I myself learnt a lot about integration amongst the letters. What made it interesting was the different sounding of the letters combined with the action songs. I will definitely be teaching THRASS, as of Monday, as I have been equipped with the teaching guide etc. but had no clue on how to use this. This was of good benefit to me and I really would feel guilty if I did not share this with my learners.

Very well presented. It gave me good insight of how the English language works. It gave me a new outlook on how to teach phonics in the Foundation phase. I will be using this to help learners to be more familiar with the English language and how to integrate it with other learning areas.

Very informative, It is very cleverly designed and it can be very effective if it is implemented correctly. I like the way the international phonetic alphabet is incorporated. The THRASS chart is user friendly and I like the fact that the children are actively involved in their own learning.

I learnt a lot during this two day course and I also gained more skills to make reading, spelling and writing fun for children at Foundation Phase. This course I think can help us and the other people to improve the way we use English words. I look forward to use the knowledge effectively.

This has been a blessing to me as a future teacher. From the stages that we dealt with, I learnt through the THRASS chart, it is possible for a learner to identify the locations of pictures, letters while at the same time their vocabulary will be enriched as well as this happened to me where as I learned that we always learn, we do not always know. It also helped me know that the way we pronounce the words can influence the way we write/spell. I am going to practice THRASS on the school that I will be working in, because in Lesotho, THRASS has not been introduced yet.

A good opportunity, as a future teacher, and I have developed basics in speaking English as a language of instruction. I believe that THRASS is one of the resources we need, especially in rural areas where most of the schools and teachers lack skills of teaching, reading, writing, speaking, listening and pronunciation skills. I have enjoyed learning from Laola’s teaching skills.

Very exciting and I’ve learnt a lot. I so wish I was introduced to THRASS while I was a primary student because there is no way for the learners to struggle in spelling and reading if they are introduced to the course and I believe that the knowledge that I’ve gained here I will be able to implement it to my learners. It helps me a lot in knowing how to pronounce words.

The workshop was great and we learnt a lot. It will help us especially the second language speakers to develop our English language and make a change in our rural areas. We will improve our rural areas English language in future teaching by bringing the THRASS in our areas.

Very stimulating to me as a student teacher. I regard it as very crucial for the benefit of the young generation especially because lots of important things were taught. This THRASS programme will help us become very effective in our teaching.

Very educational and I have learnt a great deal. I have expanded my knowledge on the English language and have learnt a lot of new and different ways on how to teach and assess reading and spelling with young kids. I look forward to being able to share my new knowledge with my peers and especially and more importantly, the children.

I like the THRASS method. I will work with it here and maybe later in the Netherlands!

This course has highlighted the importance of learning not only the letter in the alphabet but the sound and meaning that letters can have either on their own or in combination with other letters to form words for good communication. The songs make the course applicable for young and old people and help re-in force what has been taught making learning a fun experience as well as taking away any limitations that learners might have experienced.

I enjoyed the course and thought it was great! Very effective even as an I.P ‘teacher’ primary school link. I did understand that it is good to know the background knowledge a child has been taught.

Good. I learnt a lot on it. I think you have to add more days because we learnt too much in too few days. It will be better if you can extend the days.

Very much interested to me because I can see it would help the learners. I have gained a lot on how to teach children reading, spelling and all of these I have learnt. This course was marvellous and it would develop the skills of the learners.

A very fantastic course. During the first day, I can say that I have gained a lot of knowledge. During the second day, it was still uneasy to understand clearly, but I have seen that I have gained a lot of understanding within these two days. I like that very much.

I enjoyed learning the THRASS programme because it teaches me how to teach phonics in schools. As a future teacher I learned different strategies how to teach it and also learned new vocabulary of phonics. At least by attending this training it will help me to improve English as well as learners. I will use all these packages to make a difference in my school experience.

Good and I have learnt a lot from it. I believe I will use all the information I got in schools.

Interesting the way it was conducted made sense in learning and teaching. It has enabled me to gain a lot in terms of teaching language and spelling.

Very useful and it was great to learn the fantastic ideas that we got. I, however feel that the course would have been better if it was done about a week or so.

Very fruitful and educative. It was really a learning experience. The course duration was extremely short so I suggest that in future it must be a bit longer.

Very helpful because I learnt a lot in terms of teaching phonics and correct spelling. I will use this information to develop the young children at schools.

Very interesting, especially how we could use the chart to build words using the phonemes. I really liked the fact that it includes so many senses, sight, hearing and touch and I love the music! I maintain that music is the best tool to aid learning and memory of what has been learnt.

A fantastic course and have learnt a lot in how to pronounce words. I believe that THRASS is a really good programme because it gets children actively involved. I have always heard about THRASS, but never really knew what it was about. Now I know.

The course was effective. I like it very much. I gained a lot especially about how to teach the THRASS board for example when teaching learners THRASS let children point to the letters using pointing finger because it goes in hand with brain. It was useful to me because I am a second English speaker and I was not taught well about phoneme and phonics so these two days I gained a lot and I will use it in my teaching years. You teach well and explain everything simply.

I found the traditional method had many holes in it or exceptions to the rules. THRASS seems to corner them all in a fun, interactive way. I believe there are some aspects I will definitely use while teaching, THRASS seems very effective and most definitely worthwhile.

Some interesting points and ideas. Seems to be an effective strategy.

The first day I thought the course was very difficult and for us as Xhosa speakers, I thought it was not easy to teach the THRASS in Grade R-2. But today I saw that you must try to do one step at a time and they will be familiar with the words and the pictures them it will be easy for them to get it. It was fantastic and educating and it will help the teachers to teach English the THRASS way.

Challenging and quite interesting, something new and exciting to learn and teach the children, Wow!

The course seemed difficult at first. As we went through it, participating and singing along, it became more exciting. I have seen and learnt things I never thought existed. People who do not have knowledge of THRASS are missing out a great deal.

It is easy for children to grasp and for the parents. This is an easy way to teach children English where it is their second language. The music that is integrated just makes it so much fun!

Interesting and very helpful. There were just a little interactive work forms (group work etc.) Most of all it was about listening, not about doing.

I enjoyed the course especially the interactive side of it. I have learnt a lot in terms of how to implement and teach it as well as what sounds I struggle with telling the difference between. I think this is a good approach and method that we as teachers can use to enrich learners English.

The course is good and helpful especially for the second language speaking person. It will help in terms of teaching language to the learners in spelling and writing.

I really liked the course. It was very interesting and gave me a good impression how to include THRASS in my lectures. The only thing I hoped for was a bit more interaction. I got a lot of information and will take a whole new experience with me.

THRASS is very good, it helps the teacher to be able to teach children to read, write and spell words easily. I have gained a lot especially in terms of teaching children handwriting because I was worried of how I would be able to tackle the writing by attending this two day course, my problem has been answered. With THRASS I will make a difference to the children of South Africa.

Great - it opened my eyes because I have never been taught about phonemes and graphemes so I gained a lot. I think that two days is not enough for us as second language speakers and I cannot say if I were to teach it I would be confident at this stage to stand in front of learners and teach it. It is a good program though. I think it will help both South African teachers and learners a lot.

I was very surprised at all I learnt over the past two days. I came in with certain ideas of what I thought was going to happen, but left very happy and excited to get started myself!

At the beginning it was confusing, but as the course went on I enjoyed it and learnt a lot. I would like to spread THRASS into the townships and rural areas. I just wish it could be a week of training!

THRASS is a great program to teach learners to read as well as write. I think if I was taught to read and write using THRASS my spelling would have been a lot better during my school career as well as now. The songs that were written for each phoneme are wonderful. They aren’t like the boring nursery rhymes that I learnt at school for each letter in the alphabet.