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

Ever sat at your desk and thought: ''if only I could arise and go now!'? Try this poem by Amy Lowell for size...   One of he things I love about this poem is that it is simple and accessible but speaks to a common human reaction. Who hasn't looked up at the sky and wondered where the planes were heading to?    For anyone in Hong Kong who dreams of exotic breaks, I refer to you McDull's trip to the Maldives; adventure is in the heart not in the eye.     Amy Lowell - An aeroplane     An aeroplane, an aeroplane Oh, how it hums in the sunny breeze With silver wings and a silver tail And silver shining on its nose. It looks like a bird or a dragonfly, But it isn't, it is a flying machine. It flies so high that it is lost to sight, And then it comes back, and we see it again. Who is in it? Who is it? Where does it go? Will it fly off to the ends of the sky And leave us forever and ever behind? I wish I were in it, I wish I were...

 Imagine that you are a ten year old boy and you are asked to write a quick descriptive piece ahead of your school interview. Where do you even start? Panic fills you, your mind refuses to co-operate and you are left with a blank sheet of paper.  If you are looking at Winchester College, your child will be asked to write a descriptive piece ahead of their interview.   Skills building depends on repetition; the more you practise, the easier you can access the skills under pressure. Think of an athlete repeating drills.  Stop the panic, learn a framework!  Here is a quick start for you.   Remember the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell. Count them off on each finger.  Imagine that your prompt is: the cave, or a picture of a cave.  Sight: what can you see? Write it down Hearing: what sounds are arounding you? Are they different volumes? Write them down Touch: can you reach over and touch anything? Can you feel the gr...

 For the last twenty years, I have been working with students who are hoping to get into selective schools. Our parents are successful, motivated people and they want to help their children as much as they can. Which leads us to one of the biggest errors in interview preparation.... memorisation.   It is always so disheartening to try to interview a child and be bet with a barrage of pre-prepared answers. At best, these are unengaging, at worst they are garbled, rotobotic and express ideas unlikely to be natural for a ten year old.  Is your child REALLY reading Great Expectations? Really? Or do they gravitate towards Harry Potter and the Wings of Fire series?  An interviewer wants to know what makes your child tick, not how well they can memorise Wikipedia...  Do you remember how you used to talk about picture books when your child was young? Try to re-tap into their natural curiosity. A heartfelt discussion about whether Ron or Hermione would be a better f...