Brandon Learning Centre: British Education - process, preparation and practicalities

When you are presenting in a foreign language, there are a few steps you need to think about: Read your speech or poem to a native speaker and get feedback. If at all possible, get a native speaker to record your piece for you. Finally, don't take yourself too seriously; you are making an effort to communicate which is invariably appreciated. As part of our French classes, students are encouraged to present in French. We always start off with poetry as the rhythm aids pronunciation. The following is a poem I particularly like by Raymond Queneau. The narrator is teaching chicks about eggs. After describing the shape and colour of the shell, the teacher realises that he can't show the chicks the interior as, if he does so, he will be removing the source of their existence! Which came first, the chicken, the egg, or the lesson about the egg? La leçon de choses Raymond Queneau Venez, poussins, Asseyez-vous Je vais vous instruire sur l’œuf Dont tous vous venez, poussins.

Spring is a time for new life, a message paralleled in the glory of the Resurrection. Even in Hong Kong, I can see signs of spring through the pollution! A.E. Housman's work A Shropshire Lad contains the following poem which is ideal for this time of the year. The beauty and simplicity of the images attracts the listener to the poem's key message of seizing opportunities to enjoy nature's beauty now. I particularly like to think of cherry trees wearing white for Easter. Read this and then go for a walk... from A Shropshire Lad II Loveliest of trees, the cherry now Is hung with bloom along the bough, And stands about the woodland ride Wearing white for Eastertide. Now, of my threescore years and ten, Twenty will not come again, And take from seventy springs a score, It only leaves me fifty more. And since to look at things in bloom Fifty springs are little room, About the woodlands I will go To see the cherry hung with snow. Ad Gloriam Dei.

Technically this is a hymn but it reads wonderfully and is perfect for a children's Easter recital. What could be more joyous and reflective of rebirth at this time of year than the voices of children? At Eastertime the lillies fair And lovely flowers bloom everywhere At Eastertime, At Eastertime, How glad the world at Eastertime Delightful and to the point. Perfect!

The shopping heaven of Causway Bay has been taken over! The usual marauding gangs of trolley wielding shoppers have to play second fiddle to shoals of Smurfs, gaggles of Greek Gods and a whole legion of Romans. It's Sevens time. Brandon Learning Centre on Leighton Road is right in the middle of the action and we have a bird's eye view of the carnage as it unfolds. It is fascinating to see which children have realised that something unusual is going on (very few) and how many take the squadrons of cross-dressing Rugbymen in their stride. Does any of this have a connection to public speaking? Not really but it is great fun!

I can't revise until... I've tidied my desk, sharpened my pencils, made a cup of coffee, rearranged my notes (continue ad infinitum) As Easter revision panic looms, the excuses build up, creating a wall between you and exam success. To misquote The Art of War; know your enemy. Identify whatever you do instead of revising and build it into your revision timetable. In scheduling your prevarication, you avoid running behind time which creates additional panic. Admittedly, a twenty minute block marked "tidy desk" looks less impressive than one marked "advanced mathematics" but this is the reality so name your demons!

We had some wonderful parties when I was little. Everyone would take it in turns to entertain; to sing, to recite or to dance. You don't have to wait until Saint Patrick's Day to start this tradition in your own families and, when you do, consider something by WB Yeats. The wonderful lyricism of the language appeals to every audience and the simplicity of his visions will delight. The Lake Isle of Innisfree I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made. Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee, And live alone in the bee-loud glade. And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow, Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings; There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow, And evening full of the linnet's wings. I will arise and go now, for always night and day I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; While I stand

Robert Emmet (1778 - 1803) has the dubious honour of being the last man to be hanged, drawn and quartered by the British for his leading role in the 1803 uprising. An incredible character who combined bravery and romanticism, he is one of the greats of Irish history. Outside Ireland, anyone who lives in San Francisco, Washington or Iowa can see his statue. For people living in Emmet County Iowa, Emmet, Nebraska or Emmet County, Michigan, you are living in towns named to honour an inspirational man. To bring Emmet's words into your house, how about reciting one of his poems this Saint Patrick's day? My Own Land - Robert Emmet This world hath many a glorious land, Where beauty ever dwells, Old snow-crowned hills, and rivers grand, And happy summer dells. Of these the Poet in his lays, Loves evermore to tell, Where heroes died in former days, Where Freedom's martyrs fell. But my own land is dearer far, Than all, where'er they be, My own land - my own land