The Sound Way

High School and College Testimonials

TOOWOOMBA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL,

Mt Lofty campus, Queensland 

The Sound Way is definitely the best programme of its kind that I have come across. We have now put well over 150 students through the programme with excellent results. Students regularly increased their spelling age by 5 years in one term, with our current record being 6.9 years in 10 weeks. Students also exhibit marked increases in comprehension levels, regularly doubling their understanding.

The programme gives students the key to unlock previously firmly bolted doors to understanding by demystifying the English language so that students understand how words are constructed. The programme"s philosophy and structure also reflects the latest research on how the brain reprogrammes and learns.

As an English teacher with 10 years experience both in England and Australia it is an immense relief to be able to say to students, "I guarantee you success," and know that I can! The programme has made a huge difference to the students of this school.

Thank you Sound Way. It is a wonderful thing to see students who were scared of the English language fighting to read aloud. It doesn"t get better than that!

Patrick Deadman

Engaging Lofty Futures

Toowoomba Senior High School


NEWSTEAD COLLEGE

Launceston , Tasmania
(16 - 18 year old students)

"We were blown away with the results we gained after the 8 weeks of The Sound Way programme. We had students improving up to 5 years in spelling age and over 6 years in reading. Not only did the students improve in reading and spelling but also their confidence soared. One of the biggest buzzes for me was to have the dyslexic student come to the programme one morning and say, "guess what I did yesterday - I read". He had an assignment to do in class that involved reading and for the first time in his life he had been able to read the assignment, follow the written instructions and then respond in writing."

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CARINE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Western Australia

 

On the Road to Success:

These students at Carine Senior High School are celebrating their personal achievements in oral reading (word decoding) and spelling after completing The Sound Way in 2008.

Each received a certificate of acknowledgement from Craig Henderson and a book prize from the Principal of Carine SHS., Paul Ganderton.

Following that, we had a celebratory party, an important part of the cycle of literacy intervention in the lives of the 40 students currently completing The Sound Way programme.

Would we do it again? This programme has a definite thumbs-up from our whole school community. We have been using it for 10 years and consistently see a change in the skill level, reading accuracy and self-confidence of participating students. 

Of extreme importance are the students" own "post- Sound Way" reflections:

  • "I"m passing Maths for the first time."
  • "I got 20 out of 30 for my Science test. My highest before was only 12."
  • "I can now read all the words on my Sims games before they fall off the screen."
  • "I"ve tried lots of things in the past. I didn"t want to do this course because none of the others helped. But this one did!"
  • "I"m being nominated for Pathway 1 English next year."
  • "I"ve read all the "Harry Potter" books since finishing the course."

Teachers, students and parents alike, are all full of praise for this course.

Heather Helbig, Literacy Support Teacher,
Carine Senior High School.

THREE STUDENT TESTIMONIES FROM BOMBALA HIGH SCHOOL, NSW

1. I am a 15-year-old student in year 10 and I attend our local high school. I felt as though I was struggling with English and I had heard about The Sound Way programme, so I thought why not give it a go. I completed the programme in 6 weeks and I feel I have achieved a major goal.

My English teacher asked me to stay behind after one of our lessons. He told me how well I had been going and he asked if I had been seeing a private tutor. I said I had been working extra hard. I felt great! I was so proud of myself to know someone else noticed the change.

From the correct pen hold to the breaking down of syllables, this program has helped in every way possible. I feel as though I have achieved so much. I would recommend this programme to anyone no matter what your age or your ability. I would sincerely like to thank Craig Henderson for producing this programme as it has helped me immensely.

A.H.
(High school student - N.S.W)

2. I recently finished The Sound Way programme and I'm writing you a letter to let you know how much I've gained and how much I appreciated this programme.
When I first started I was spelling at the age of a 10 year-old (6 years behind my actual age) and I was reading at the age of a 14 year-old. Since I have completed this programme I've improved massively, and now when I'm spelling or even writing in class I find myself breaking down the words and going through the phonic communicators.
I would like to thank you for giving me this opportunity to improve my spelling and reading and I hope that future groups appreciate this programme as much as I do.

Samantha H.
(High school student N.S.W.)

3. Dear Mr. Henderson,

I would like to thank you for giving me and a handful of other students the opportunity to take part in The Sound Way programme because it has helped me to improve on my reading, spelling and writing skills.

I was alright at my spelling when I started the programme, but now I hardly get a word wrong. I also used to have trouble with my reading skills, it used to get embarrassing but now I feel confident to read out aloud. Overall I think my biggest improvement was on my writing. My printing used to be pretty messy and I could never link my letters together, but with a little practice I got the hang of it.

I appreciate what you have taught me and I fully encourage any other student with reading, writing or spelling difficulties to take part in The Sound WayProgramme.
Thank you heaps!

Raymond F.
(High school student - N.S.W)

WAIKERIE HIGH SCHOOL

South Australia

Bev Nitschke - Special Education English and Business Studies

The results were quite amazing.

None of the boys dropped out of the class.

An improvement was noted very early.

The improvement in self-esteem was quite remarkable.

It was quite moving to be a part of the sense of achievement, when the mystery of the English language began to unravel to the students.

There was a special bond between teachers/students, and the boys would seek us out at school to comment on progress made, (and check to see if we teachers had done our homework)

One boy gained a traineeship, his boss was so impressed with the fact that he had made the move to improve his language skills.

Teachers at our school, commented on the improved behaviour, commitment and concentration of the boys in their classes.

 

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TIWI ISLANDS TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT BOARD

To whom it may concern,

I am writing this letter to anyone who may be in a position to help give our kids a real chance to succeed in life. I have been a teacher, Principal and Vocational Education Trainer for 20 years, working with indigenous students from around the Northern Territory and the Tiwi Islands in particular.

At Nguiu on the Tiwi Islands, we have almost exclusively based our educational curriculum on the whole language concept for the past 20 years with devastating results. For twenty years we have been delivering 80% illiterate students into the Tiwi work force which has resulted in high levels of unemployment in an economic climate where there are real employment opportunities.

This surely can not be acceptable or possible in the year 2007. Yet it remains so.

Teaching people to read and write is not brain surgery. It is possible and it is achievable in a relatively short space of time. The Sound Way program is THE answer.

As co-principal of Xavier Community Education Centre in 2003 we implemented The Sound Way program. Within three months we had 15 year old students who were unable to literally spell ‘cat' able to read and write at a higher level than ever thought possible. We had students who could read only 20 out of 200 words all of a sudden able to read 150 words.

The pride, the self esteem and the willingness to start to explore career options were all born from the knowledge that they really can learn to read.

Make no mistake The Sound Way is THE answer. All we need is the people in positions of responsibility to take it on board, have a look at what it can do and get it into the schools.

It is as clear to me as the day is long that this is the program that can and will change the face of indigenous education and communities Australia wide.

Please don't muck around any longer. No more arguing about the merits of Whole Language and phonics. Too many lives have literally already been lost . There are real opportunities in many indigenous communities and The Sound Way WILL give indigenous people the tools, the confidence and the power to access these opportunities.

Yours sincerely,

Brian Clancy
Manager,
Tiwi Islands Training and Employment Board,
Nguiu, Bathurst Island,
NT 0822

 ** See Primary School Testimonials