The Year 6 children of Eleanor Palmer Primary School in north London are full of expectation, as are the teachers who are fans of John Hegley's work. Britain's 'alternative poet laureate' is first spotted in the school playground picking up dried leaves and muttering animatedly to himself. This is the lesson planning. When John eventually bursts into the classroom, he announces that he will shortly change into a suit so they can talk about the word 'coathanger' and other words which describe what the object actually does. Next John hands out dried leaves for the class to write alternative words for 'elephant' and asks for volunteers to come to the front and sing their answers as he accompanies them on a ukulele! Hegley manages to direct their contributions in an entertaining way that illuminates the wonder of words, and show the crowd-control skills honed by twenty five years as a stand up comedian.

Video Series: Teaching Challenge
Release Date 2008