My name is Michelle Tham (tæm), and I am the owner of Wise Owl Learning, the Literacy Consultancy business that I established in Melbourne in 2016. I have recently relocated to Lennox Head, Northern NSW.
I hold WWCC for both Victoria and NSW, and I am currently registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) as a registered teacher. I am a THRASS teacher-trainer and apply the THRASS pedagogy to my tutoring.
THRASS is an acronym for Teaching Handwriting, Reading and Spelling Skills. It is a linguistically correct, explicitly taught phonetics approach to literacy suitable for all ages and ability levels. Over the past decade, Wise Owl Learning has worked with pre-schoolers to early secondary students, neurodivergent learners, adults with Learning Disabilities, and parents seeking support. On behalf of THRASS, I have trained teachers, teacher aides, speech therapists, student teachers and interested adults (see www.THRASS.com.au for more information).
I support students in perfecting their spelling, reading comprehension, vocabulary and writing skills to achieve their full potential. Explicit, consistent and linguistically correct teaching of English forms the foundation of my literacy support. Each program is individually tailored to help develop a growth mindset and life-long critical thinking skills in every student, regardless of age.
A sustainable approach, matching teaching to student needs.
Regular monitoring & assessment, with feedback to students & parents.
Liaison with classroom teacher and other professionals, as appropriate.
Remedial support for students who are below level for their age or with learning disabilities.
Motivation & encouragement to extend students into their ‘stretch zone’ and to reach their full potential.
I am very passionate about education, particularly literacy. I teach the 44 sounds (phonemes) of English and how we represent them using common orthographic patterns. Through Wise Owl Learning, I work with parents and students to set realistic, achievable learning objectives so they can reach their full potential. As a THRASS trainer, I am also privileged to work with teachers, speech therapists and educational psychologists and to show them how to apply this evidence-based, phonographic approach to achieving literacy outcomes.
Find out what I have been sharing recently on Facebook.