My name is Michelle Tham (tæm) and I am the owner of Wise Owl Learning, a Literacy Consultancy business located in Briar Hill (Greensborough), in north-east Melbourne. I am a Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) registered teacher, literacy specialist and THRASS trainer. THRASS is an acronym for Teaching Handwriting, Reading and Spelling Skills. It is a linguistically correct and explicitly taught phonetics approach to literacy (see www.THRASS.com.au for more information).
I am passionate about literacy, particularly supporting students to perfect their spelling, reading comprehension, vocabulary and writing skills to achieve their best potential outcomes. Explicit, consistent and linguistically correct teaching of English forms the foundation of my literacy support. Each program is individually tailored to help build self-esteem and life-long critical thinking skills in each and 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 required.
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 believe that there is a method of teaching reading, writing and spelling that doesn’t rely solely on visual memory. Instead, children are taught how to listen for the sounds in words and how to represent them in English using common orthographic patterns. Through Wise Owl Learning, I’m able to work with parents and students to set realistic and achievable learning objectives so that they can reach their full potential. As a THRASS trainer, I am also privileged to be able 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.
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