Speaker’s Corner

Luyferivas is committed to bilingualism, and to ensure that the children are confident speaking in English the school has implemented what they call Speaker’s Corner. The name comes from the famous site in Hyde Park where on a Sunday morning anyone is welcome to speak on any subject, as long as the police consider their speeches lawful. Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park originated in 1866 when protests against the government ended in riots in Hyde Park. In 1872 the right to speak freely in Hyde Park was established and since then historic figures such as Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and George Orwell have been known to use the area to demonstrate free speech. 

https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/hyde-park/things-to-see-and-do/speakers-corner

At Luyferivas our Speaker’s Corner is not so much an area for debate, as it is an area to practice speaking in English. The YLE and KET classes have two teachers assigned to them, and while one of the teachers works with the children on grammar, reading comprehension or vocabulary, the other teacher takes small groups of children to the Speaker’s Corner to practice their oral expression in English. Much of what goes on in the Speaker’s Corner at Luyfe is preparation for the speaking portion of the official exams. This involves comparing pictures, story-telling, asking, sharing and justifying opinions and talking about themselves. Students can be asked questions about their hobbies, their families, holidays, school, friends or any other topic they are familiar with. 

Working with the children in small groups has many benefits. The children receive more individualised attention and can be given specific pointers on how to improve their answers in an exam. The children listen to their classmates and hear common mistakes coming up again and again, which helps them to internalise and correct these errors. Sometimes they hear a classmate speak with such fluency and ease that this inspires and motivates them to improve their own fluency. But most importantly this work in small groups helps the children to overcome their shyness and fear of speaking in public.  More and more in today’s society adults need to feel confident speaking in English in meetings, presentations or conferences. It is essential that children learn to speak in public and build their confidence speaking in front of others. Students at Luyfe are not only preparing for an exam, they are preparing for their future.