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

Simon Callow's Mystery of Charles Dickens is breathtakingly brilliant. He weaves exerpts from the novels into the complex rollercoaster of Dickens' life (comfort...poverty...marriage...death of his daughter...fame...love...railway crashes..) He transforms himself into Miss Haversham, Pickwick, Oliver Twist, Scrooge and carries the audience with him. The enactment of Bill Sikes' murder of Nancy is electrifying and utterly terrifying. The image of his dog being dragged out of the room will stay with me forever... "All this time he had, never once, turned his back upon the corpse; no, not for a moment. Such preparations completed, he moved, backward, towards the door: dragging the dog with him, lest he should soil his feet anew and carry out new evidence of the crime into the streets. He shut the door softly, locked it, took the key, and left the house" ( The Old Curiosity Shop , Charles Dickens, Chapter 70) Dickens is an author I loathed as a child (not unconn

Rearrange my pens in size order, wipe my desk, write a "thank you" letter, pay my credit card bill, loaf through Amazon... all things I have done rather than writing a chapter of my thesis. Displacement activities are myriad, I aways think that the less enticing a task is, the more you can justify doing it instead of your work. The old "well I'm not enjoying it so it isn't really wasting time" justification. Ideas: Make a realistic commitment. There is not point saying you will write an entire essay before dinner if you know in your heart of hearts that what you are really going to do is spend half an hour reading a magazine and half an hour in a blind panic meaning that you start writing fifteen minutes before you are set to eat. Break down your task into "chunks" - list each section on a piece of paper. Strike off items on your list as you write. Start at a time you know you can work; I like writing late at night and any work I produce

I was mortified to find that my e-mail account had been hacked today and a string of bogus e-mails offering dubious delights sent to everyone in my address book. I am deeply sorry for all the inconvenience. As for the hackers... To paraphrase the mighty J M Synge Lord, confound this surly hackers Blight their brows with pustules spatter, Cramp their larynx, lung, and liver, In their guts a galling give there, Let them live to earn their dinners In Mountjoy with seedy sinners: Lord, this judgment make from afar And I'm your servant, Jessica For the far worthier original (http://www.online-literature.com/synge/poem-selections/2/)

I have been reading to arthur waley's wonderful Chinese Poems   this week. I particularly enjoy the following poem as it illustrates the various groups who provide support and thus contribute to a student's achievements: family, friends and the application of the individual. The humble tone of the narrator is a joy. After Passing the Exam - Po Chui I (800ad) For   ten years I never left my books; I went up… and won unmerited praise. My high place I do not much prize; The joy of my parents will first make me proud. Fellow students, six or seven men, See me off as I leave the City gate. My covered couch is ready to drive away; Flutes and strings blend their parting tune. Hopes achieved dull the pains of parting; Fumes of wine shorten the long road… Shod with wings is the horse of him who rides On a Spring day the road that leads to home. Despite having been written over two thousand years so, there is a freshness and a sincerity in this poem which still resonat

I judged a Speech Festival a couple of years ago and was stunned by one of the candidate's performances. Not by their brilliance but by their ressemblance to a windmill. The boy in question was reading a serious, calm poem but had matched it with exuberant, dramatic gestures. Gestures will not win you a Speech Festival. At best they are unnecessary and at worst they are a distraction. Focus on the face and the voice and avoid oscillating wildly and you are in with a chance!

I have written three recipe booklets for Singtao newspaper (星島日報) Baking is one of my passions and I had an enormous amount of fun producing the booklets. The first two focused on cooking with children, the third on dinner party food and the next one which will be published tomorrow will have ideas for drinks parties. I can't find a link with public speaking other than one of the most important parts of giving a speech is sharing your passion. If you start from here, no matter how many mistakes you might make, your audience will be carried along by your enthusiasm and will be sympathetic and inspired.

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!

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!

Utterly unrelated to public speaking! We have just opened a second centre in Jordan (the Kowloon version, sadly not the Middle Eastern!) To celebrate the event, we have commissioned a series of adverts with the Kowloon Motor Bus company. Years ago, I had a student for one of the Hong Kong Speech Festivals whose poem described his heaven as travelling on top of a bus. I suspect that the poem was inspired by the following quotation from scupltor, Henry Moore; "I was in a dream of excitement. When I rode on the open top of a bus I felt that I was travelling in Heaven almost. And that the bus was floating on the air." (accessed at artarchive.com) Travelling on buses is incredibly relaxing. You have a bird's eye view of the world and there is nothing you can do to affect the speed of your journey. We dash, panic, and bumble our way through life. Sometimes it is worth stopping to savour the moment and what better way that by Brandon Bus?

When I was a child, my Grandfather had an impressive collection of Charles Dickens' novels. Bound in Morocco leather with gold lettering, we were not allowed to touch them. Naturally, the second he was out of the room, we did, and I remember the misery of being caught and not knowing what was going to happen to Little Nell in the Old Curiosity Shop. I mention this because we, at Brandon Learning Centre, have just done a series of classes based on Oliver Twist. It is incredible how fresh the human emotion is after almost 200 years and how relelvant the social commentary is to today's society. Dickens can be daunting but it is worth bearing in mind that he wrote his novels as chapters and reading each one and then pausing is an excellent way to prolong the excitement. Read the chapters outloud, preferably around a roaring fire and feel the characters come to life! "> To hear me reading an extract from Oliver Twist (simplified) "> The real thing - a wonderf

The Reassurance - Thom Gunn About ten days or so After we saw you dead You came back in a dream. I'm all right now you said. And it was you, although You were fleshed out again: You hugged us all round then, And gave your welcoming beam. How like you to be kind, Seeking to reassure. And, yes, how like my mind To make itself secure.

Whenever I become pessimistic about the future after reading the newspapers I think about my students. I have recently finished teaching a short public speaking class at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HK PolyU) as part of their aim of broadening the academic experience. This year's class had students from Hong Kong, Thailand, Mainland China and Nigeria. Diverse backgrounds but united in their desire to contribute to society and make a difference. Coming to public speaking early is an incredible experience. Watching this class shed their fears and develop public speaking skills was terrific. They also introduced me to an optimistic world view and shared their hope about the future. Whereas the newspapers are full of doom and gloom, this group are confident that they will try their best to make our world a kinder, more equitable place. Their new found presentation skills will help them to communicate and share their vision in the future and I am incredibly proud to have played

As a child, I remember being terrified and thrilled in equal measure by Alan Garner's novels. Set on the edge of the Pennines, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen builds tension from the first line. Two children become enmeshed in a mysterious adventure incorporating local legends, devious residents and portents of doom. The book is rich with imagery and the language will delight. How about this for a simile: "...thin as a rasher of wind.." Fabulous! Radio 4 is currently running an excellent play based on The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and I throughly recommend it (although I have to admit that I was utterly petrified in parts.) For anyone interested in public speaking, Phillip Voss's diction is a delight to listen to. "> To listen to the BBC dramatisation Any 10+ year old will be challenged by this novel. After a diet of watery fiction, this book is a sumptuous feast. "> To see details of The Weirdstone of Brisingamen on Amazon

Our first Speech Festival students of this year performed yesterday and, despite nerves, managed to enjoy the experience. Well done Jenny, Hayley and Alex on your first place prizes and Alvina for your second place. For students who are yet to compete; don't forget to warm up, smile and be confident. The Festival is about gaining experience, not winning. Savour the powerful feeling you get when you have a whole room of people listening to you and remember it whenever you need an extra push in the future. Good luck to all of you.

The day is coming to a close... to quote the hymn "night is drawing nigh/Shadows of the evening/Steal across the sky" What better time to reflect on your day and bring it to an end on a high point? Assuming that your audience has folded up its tents and crept silently away, try this exercise on your own in front of a mirror. The scenario is this: You are being interviewed by a radio presenter and have been asked to identify the highlights of your day. Use this framework: 1: Summarise the theme of the day 2: Give detail 3: Conclude on lessons you have learned/experiences you have enjoyed/things you never imagined would happen That is it. Three minutes to combine reflection and public speaking! For today, my speech would be: 1: Today started on a low, wet note and ended on a joyous high. 2: When I arrived at Brandon Learning Centre this morning, one of ths classrooms had flooded. After our brilliant air-conditioner men solved the problem, my spirits were lifted by

Push aside the porridge, move the muesli and use breakfast time to sharpen your public speaking skills! How? Every day, choose an article from the newspaper (or the news if you aren't a morning reader) and compose a swift presentation either arguing for or against it. Be disciplined; your presentation has to have a clear beginning, middle and end. It needs to be concise and you need to incoporate at least one piece of evidence to support your case. Push yourself; if you have a possible audience, get them to join in. This could be a perfect activity for the school run and both you and your children could be developing skills at the same time. The more you practice... the more fluent you will become. Five minutes every day and you will not only develop potential conversation skills but will also be on your way to becoming a skilled presenter on any topic.

Sometimes, a poem leaps out at you and grabs you by the throat. I discovered this short piece in a wonderful anthology called "London" which is part of the Poetry of Place series and has been put together with exquisite care by Barnaby Rogerson. The imagery of The Embankment is a profoundly moving plea, particularly as the weather becomes colder and we start focusing our thoughts to celebrations and warmth. I was especially drawn to the unexpected replacement of the familiar "moth-eaten" with "star-eaten." Sometimes,we need a poem which challenges our expectations, re-orders our priorities and shakes us out of our complacency. This would make a stirring performance poem; short and emotive and guaranteed to leave your audience wanting more. The Embankment - Thomas Ernest Hulme the fantasy of a fallen gentleman on a cold, bitter night Once, in finesse of fiddles found I ecstasy, In the flash of gold heels on the hard pavement. Now see I That wa