Đây chính là một cơ hội rất lớn để các bạn có thể tìm hiểu về HYEC và giao lưu với các thành viên CLB qua các thế hệ khác nhau..

Come to our party and enjoy, everyone!

Rất tiếc vì gần đây CLB không post topic lên sớm cho các thành viên được…BCN CLB sẽ cố gắng để sớm cải thiện tình hình..

Anyway, đôi khi việc chúng ta không biết trước nội dung thảo luận cũng có thể là 1 điều hay vì như thế sẽ làm cho chương trình sinh hoạt có tính bất ngờ và thú vị với thành viên hơn chăng?..:)

Hi vọng được gặp Panda ở HYEC…(Mình thấy film Kungfu Panda rất hay…ko biết liệu bạn có phải là fan của film này?;))

Program for September 5, 2010

TRAVELLING — DESIGN YOUR OWN DREAM TOUR

Just like young people around the world, we love travelling. Many of us like to see beautiful natural sceneries, or magnificent man-made landmarks. Some likes to witness and immerse in different cultures and ways of life. Others love the sense of adventure. Alternatively, many others just want to find tranquility in a serene retreat.

Discussion Questions

1. What are the major objectives/characteristics of your dream trip? Which one is the most important?
2. Do the characteristics of your dream trip change depending who (and how many) you are travelling with?
3. Do you think travelling can make people become more responsible and caring towards the earth, and towards each other? What other social and environmental benefits does travelling bring?

Design Your Own Dream Trip

• Imagine that you discussion group is a group a friend, and you’re planning to go on a trip together for a few days (4 days maximum).
• Plan the trip together to the smallest details: destinations, means of transport, itineraries and program of activities, accommodation, foods and logistics, etc.
• Each group will present their group’s dream tour to convince everybody that their tour is the most exciting.

Program for August 29, 2010

BODY IMAGE & PLASTIC SURGERY

Body image is a person’s perception of his/her own physical appearance, and is heavily influenced by cultural and fashion trends the person is exposed to. Barbie doll is currently considered to be an ideal body type by most young women. The implication is that most women of today consider themselves as overweight and not pretty enough. As the result, many of them have a very poor body image and a low self-esteem.

With the increasingly easy access to plastic surgery (sometimes, also called “cosmetics surgery”), many women have decided to use irreversible physical interventions to their bodies to obtain their ideal body image. Many are satisfied with the results. But there’re also many, who have regretted their decisions.

Discussion Questions

1. Do you think that it’s bad to consider Barbie an ideal image of beauty? Why do you think that so many of young women today hold themselves against Barbie’s standards? Is the media at fault?
2. How do we construct our own body image without the aid of universal standards like those of Barbie?
3. Do you think that men are increasingly conscious about their body image?
4. What is your ideal body image for men / for women? What famous actors/actresses/singers represent your ideal body image?
5. Is plastic surgery good for self-esteem? Should we discourage the use of plastic surgery?

Program for August 22, 2010

OUR SHOPPING HABITS

After over two decades of economic reforms, from a very low starting point, Vietnam is set to attain middle-income status in the next few years. Together with an increasingly integrated market, and a very young population eager to follow global trends, Vietnam’s consumers’ habits are rapidly changing.

Vietnamese are increasingly brand-conscious and will overcome any barrier to obtain the objects of their desire. A quick trip to any chic café or bar in Hanoi or Hochiminh City, one will find Apple, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Calvin Klein being proudly shown off by many young (and even not so young) patrons.

Many Vietnamese, especially older generations, find it strange when their children buy new watches, mobile phones, or pieces of clothing when the old item is still perfectly usable. Citing environmental concerns, some even suggests that this type of consumerism is harmful to our society.

Discussion Questions

1. Are you brand-conscious? What brands do you like the most?
2. How often do you go shopping? Do you consider window-shopping a pleasurable pastime?
3. When you decide to buy something, what are the most important considerations (utility, brand image, price, popularity, etc.)?
4. Where do you prefer to shop (shopping malls, small boutiques, flea markets, etc.)?

Program for August 15, 2010

EXPLORE BAI TU LONG BAY WITH HYEC

This week HYEC will not hold a regular meetup at Nguyen Du primary school.

We're gonna be on a fun trip to Bai Tu Long bay (more details here).

Program for August 8, 2010

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN EDUCATION

Increasingly, women and men find themselves working/studying side-by-side in most domains without any preconceived gender bias. Women’s job performances are considered at least equal to those of men.

Additionally, in many of the traditionally male-dominated areas, women actually enjoy many advantages over men. The Boston Globe recently reported that companies which had more than 50% of female managers outperformed those that didn’t. Many Ivy League universities are complaining that they must lower their standards for male applicants in order to keep the numerical balance between genders.

Many education experts say that these statistics are not a surprise. For many years, schools (especially primary schools) are mostly staffed by female teachers, whose style of communication is more suited to girls than boys. Many parents are calling for more male teachers and even single-sex schools.

Discussion Questions

1. Do you think the fact that many more girls are qualified for Ivy League universities is a problem that should be solved, or is it merely an inevitable consequence of natural differences in men and women’s intellectual capacity?
2. Do you think that boys and girls have different mental and emotional characteristics, and therefore, there should be different teaching methods for boys and girls?
3. How do we solve this problem? Recruit more male teacher? Should we encourage single-sex schools in Vietnam?

Program for August 1, 2010

DEBATE: HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS AND MOTORBIKES

However, this regulation is practically ignored by a very large percentage of high-school students. Our traffic police force is powerless against rampant violations by the students with ingenious tactics such as having an additional shirt to cover their regular uniform white shirts.

Recently, a growing number of parents, teachers and police officers are raising their support for lowering the minimum age limit so high-school students can use motorbikes legally.

Below are some starting points to help your team brainstorm your debate. You shouldn’t limit yourself to the suggested points, and you’re encouraged to try to find many more supporting ideas.

Pros (For):

• High-school students are physically big enough to control motorbikes safely.
• High-school students are responsible enough to follow traffic rules just like people over 18. Just a small percentage of students display bad behaviors; and this percentage is the same as that of adults.
• Bad behaviors on the streets can also be observed with students riding bicycles.
• Using bicycles does not reduce traffic jams significantly because a bicycle takes as much space as a normal motorbike.

Cons (Against):

• High-school students are physically too weak to control motorbikes safely.
• High-school students are immature and more likely to display bad behaviors on the road endangering themselves and the general public.
• In case an accident happens, the damage causes by a motorbike is significantly more serious than by a bicycle.
• Using bicycles encourages less aggressive behaviors such as racing, dangerous driving, etc.

The typhoon was changing its direction erratically, but HYEC.

Storms seem to be always unpredictable..

Program for July 27, 2010

DEBATE: AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN EDUCATION

Prepared by Bảo Ngoc & DNT

“Affirmative Action” is a term originated in the United States in the 1960’s, when President J. F. Kennedy issued a policy giving people with disadvantaged backgrounds a more “affirmative” priority in employment. This type of policy has been implemented in many countries and in many areas such as: health care, social welfare and education. In the UK and many other countries, this type of policy is more often referred to as “Positive Discrimination”.

In Vietnam, Affirmative Action is very popular. In university entrance exams, the exam scores of students with disadvantaged backgrounds (ethnic minorities, students from poor remote regions, etc.) are often boosted with additional “affirmative” points. Many education experts do not agree with this policy, but many government officials say that the policy is necessary for the social-economic development of Vietnam.

Below are some starting points to help your team brainstorm your debate. You shouldn’t limit yourself to the suggested points, and you’re encouraged to try to find many more supporting ideas.

Pros (For):

• Affirmative Action (AA) is needed to address inequality in our society. We should help students from poor regions acquire good education so they can contribute to the development of their homelands.
• Affirmative Action (AA) makes sure that everyone has equal opportunities to employment. Rich parents can afford to send their children to better schools and tutoring classes. Their children will do better in universities and will have better chance to get good jobs. Without AA, the children of the rich will get richer, and the children of the poor will get poorer.
• AA leads to a more diversified environment in universities. Students with many different backgrounds studying together can learn from one another. University graduates will have a broader perspective in life, which will lead to a more open and dynamic society.

Cons (Against):

• AA discriminates against talented students. Disadvantaged students with lower scores will get in university and take the place of more talented students.
• AA itself is a kind of discrimination. Rich people (provided that they get rich legally) are entitled to a more secured future for their children because they’ve worked hard to earn money.
• Giving places to students from remote regions with lesser academic capacity will lead to lower teaching standards in universities. The whole society will suffer as a result.

THIS WEEK SESSION (JUNE 18) IS CANCELLED DUE TO TYPHOON CONSON

Because of the coming typhoon Conson, we will cancel this Sunday's session. This is to make sure our members are safe at home when torrid rains hit Hanoi today and tomorrow. :-)

We hope that you'll come back to HYEC the following Sunday (June 25) to enjoy our great atmosphere and interesting discussions.

“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” — St. Augustine
“To live overseas is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” — Aldous Huxley

Most of us, especially young people, have at least once thought about living in some foreign countries. The fact is that there are millions of people who are now living outside of the countries where they were born. Traveling to foreign countries seems fun while living overseas may seem like a full-time touring opportunity. There are countless reasons for people to travel/live overseas, the most common of which are: the joy of change, sense of adventure, desires for challenges, opportunities to open their minds, to learn how to be patient and to satisfy their curiosities.

A. Discussion Questions

Your understanding of the two above-mentioned quotes

1. How do you understand the two quotes by St. Augustine and Aldous Huxley?
2. Where in the world would you like to visit the most and why?

Your personal experiences

3. Which foreign countries have you ever been to? Please share with your group your most memorable experiences.

Your opinions about living overseas

4. What do you think makes a person dream to have a brand new start overseas, even though he/she may already have a comfortable life in his/her home country?
5. Assuming there are no constraints (finance, job opportunity, visa, etc.), which country would you want to be a resident of and why?

B. Group Presentations

• Each group chooses a country to represent.
• Imagine that your group’s job is to launch a marketing campaign to make your chosen country as tempting / inviting as possible.
• Ataround 6.45pm, each group will have 5-7 minutes to give a short presentation (a “sales pitch”) to the club.
• Everyone votes for their favorite sales pitch. There will be A COOL PRIZE for the most convincing “sales pitch” !

C. Vocabulary

Countless (adjective):

vô số, không đếm xuể

Adventure (noun):

sự phiêu lưu, mạo hiểm

Enjoyment (noun):

sự thích thú, sự thưởng thức hay tận hưởng

Curiosity (noun):

sự tò mò, tính hiếu kỳ

Self-sufficient (adjective):

độc lập, tự túc

Resident (noun):

cư dân

Constraints (noun):

sự cưỡng ép, đè nén, kiềm chế

Ideal (adjective):

lý tưởng

Brand new start (expression):

sự khởi đầu mới

Tempting (adjective):

quyến rũ, mời mọc

Program for June 6, 2010

THE POWER OF SETTING GOALS

Prepared by Lê Duy Hiếu

“The most important thing about goals is having one.”
—Geoffrey F. Abert

“I want to be successful in life.” “I want to become the richest man in the world.” “I will marry the most handsome man in the world.” “I want to own a piece of land on the Moon.” “I want people to love me.” “I want to become the President of Vietnam.” “I want to speak English like a native speaker.”

Most people are like this: They have many aspirations, and they know what they want, but why is success still eluding them? Besides, if knowledge is power and the forerunner to success, why do they find themselves aimlessly wandering? There are many different answers, but the fundamental answer is the absence of a proper goal.

Discussion Questions

1. What is a goal?
2. What are the differences between Aspirations, Purposes, Goals and Objectives
3. What are some of your biggest goals in life?
4. Why do so many people fail to achieve their goals?
5. How to set SMART GOALS and achieve success?
6. Define a few SMART GOALS of your own.

Vocabulary

to elude + somebody/something (verb):

Lảng tránh ai/cái gì

aspire (verb), aspiration (noun):

ước mơ, khát vọng, khao khát. E.g. I aspire to be a famous artist. My aspiration is to become a famous artist.

forerunner (noun):

tiền đề, nền tảng

SMART (acronym):

(S)pecific, (M)easurable, (A)ttainable/Achievable, (R)ealistic/Relevant, (T)imely/Trackable

Program for May 30, 2010

AGONY COLUMN

Prepared by Trần Phương Hoa

Have you ever read an advice column (sometimes also called as “an agony column”) such as: "Dear Abby", "Dear Anne", or "Dear anh Chánh Văn" (Hoa Học Trò)?

Among those who read agony columns, some hopes to find the solution to their own agony by reading the columnist’s advice for a similar situation. The rest simply enjoys reading about other people’s private lives and problems.

Alternatively, you may prefer online agony columns which don’t have a columnist. In this case, the readers themselves can give many valuable and useful advices.

Discussion Questions

1. What are the most common issues in an agony column?
2. What are the main advantages and limitations of an advice column?
3. When you have a problem, who do you turn to for advice? What's the best piece of advice ever given to you?
4. Who was the latest person you gave advice to? What problem did he/she have? What did you say?

Role-playing Game

We will try to solve some real-world problems, and see who the best agony aunt/uncle is.

Vocabulary

column (noun):

(trong ngữ cảnh của bài này) một chuyên mục trong một tờ báo/tạp chí.

columnist (noun):

người phụ trách, người viết bài chính trong một chuyên mục

agony (noun):

một đau đớn về thể xác hoặc tâm hồn, một nỗi khổ

agony column / advice column (noun):

Chuyên mục tâm sự, gỡ rối

agony aunt / agony uncle (noun):

người chuyên trả lời các bức thư bạn đọc trong chuyên mục tâm sự