[GLN EC Sunday] Topic 6/12: Qualifications

It is generally true that earning some qualifications will assist us in having better access to admission to a company, plus giving a strong indicator of one’s level of educational background as well as chance of promotion. Nevertheless, having experience and good problem solving skills are still as crucial as earning some qualifications. For instance, in certain companies your experience will mostly determine the salary range you probaly get. Let’s join us this Sunday and discuss the roles of qualifications and how do you plan your future life.

                                                              QUALIFICATIONS

                                            Sunday, December 6th 2013

                     10th  Floor, Keangnam Landmark 72, Pham Hung Str, Tu Liem, Hanoi

2:30 – 3:00 Breaking the ice 

Making friends with others

3:00 – 4:00 Discussing in groups

1. How do you understand qualifications in terms of academic context? Tell us the difference between diploma, degree and certificate.
2. What are the benefits of people who acquire qualifications over those who don’t?
3. Do you plan your career ahead with or without paper qualifications? Why?
4. In what fields or certain kinds of job do you think paper qualifications are prerequisite for career advancement? Justify your choice.
5. Higher academic degrees such as PhD, doctorates are undoubtedly associated with substantial contribution to scientific knowledge and community. Yet many Vietnamese people hold these qualifications but their contributions, research in their chosen field are quite rare or not widely recognized. What are the reasons for this issue and how does it relate to scientific and technological development in Vietnam?

4:00 – 4:20 Playing a game

4:20 – 5:00 Group activities

Make a presentation, a play or a drama on the topic: Experience vs Qualifications

[GLN EC Saturday] 07/12: Workaholism

It's Saturday night and you're at home… working. This would normally be the time to give yourself a break and share some good times with your friends and family, but not anymore. Because of that big promotion, you've decided that work has to come first. Would our life be better and will you live happily with that way of working? Come to GLN Saturday meeting this week and we will discuss more about this aspect in a topic: WORKAHOLISM.  

                                                                      WORKAHOLISM 

                                                             Saturday, December 7th 2013

                             10th  Floor, Keangnam Landmark 72, Pham Hung Str, Tu Liem, Hanoi

                                                         

2:30 – 3:00 Breaking the ice 

Making friends with others

3:00 – 4:00 Working in pairs

1.      What comes to mind when you hear the word “workaholism”?

2.      Is workaholism the same as working hard? Why or why not?

3.      What are signs of a workaholic? Do you think that you are a workaholic?

4.      Why does a person become a workaholic? Can you share some possible reasons for this?

5.      What effects does workaholism cause for people?

4:00 – 4:20 Playing a game

4:20 – 5:00 Working in group

Your friend, Tom, has been drowning in his work recently. He said that he needs as much as good money for further future and he regrets that he has been wasted too much time on something silly before like watching TV, Jogging, shopping, traveling… He thinks that he will have much time for all of this when he retires from his job. So now it’s time for him to work hard. If he spends any time not for working, he is lazy. How do you help Tom recognize that he has been harming his health and his life also?

5:00 – 5:30 Free talk

[GLN EC Saturday] Topic 30/11: Sex Education

In a survey, Google Inc. has revealed that “sex” is the key word that Vietnamese people type most in the searching box of Google Homepage. When somebody hears it for the first time, they might think that “Vietnamese citizens have a lot of understanding of sex for sure”. But paradoxically, our citizens’ knowledge of  sex is truly restricted because the information related to sexual issues that they have been searching for on the Internet is not instructive and unscientific. In fact, most of Vietnamese youngsters misunderstand safe sex and the number of terminations in our country has been increasing dramatically. This proves that sex education is really problematic in Vietnam and improving it is more acute than ever. Let’s come and join us on this Saturday afternoon and have your own say about the topic.

                                                     SEX EDUCATION

                                              Saturday, November 30th 2013

             10th  Floor, Keangnam Landmark 72, Pham Hung Str, Tu Liem, Hanoi

2:30 – 3:00 Breaking the ice

Making friends with others

3:00 – 4:00 Discussing in groups

1.     Where do you get information about sexual issues? Do you think that you have firm knowledge of those?

2.     What is your definition of sex education? How is it important with societies and especially with children and teenagers?

3.     How is about sex education in Vietnam? What do the old and the young think about it?

4.     The fact has shown that Vietnam is one of the countries having the highest rates of abortions and Vietnamese youngster’s understanding of sex is very limited. What should schools and our society do to enhance sex education?

4:00 – 4:20 Playing a game

4:20 – 5:00 Playing dramas

A man whose wife was dead raises his daughter. Time flies until a day the girl turns 13 and she realizes changes of the inside and outside of her body. She reaches her puberty and she feels upset and freaked out because of these changes so she asks her father to explain them for her and give her the right instructions. How can the father do in the situation? Work in your groups and then play your own dramas to express the ideas of your groups. 

[GLN EC Sunday] 24/11: Arranged Marriage

Would you ever consider getting married to a person you never meet or have just seen once? Most probably no, but this happens to many young males and females throughout India and other countries. Arranged marriages have caused many young boys and girls to destroy their lives and lock themselves into the surrounding of despair and unhappiness. Even though today’s western society believes in Love marriage, many parents in many cultures still practice arranged marriages as a good way to choose the partners for their children. What do you think about arranged marriage? Let’s come and join us and have your say about this topic.

                                                               ARRANGED MARRIAGE

                                                           Sunday, November24th 2013

                                 10th  Floor, Keangnam Landmark 72, Pham Hung Str, Tu Liem, Hanoi

                                                        

2:30 – 3:00 Breaking the ice 

Making friends with the others

3:00 – 4:00 Discussing in pairs

1. What is arranged marriage? What are the differences between arranged marriage and love marriage?
2. Why does arranged marriage still exist in many places in Vietnam?
3. How bad does arranged marriage affect the family happiness, particularly the women?
4. What do you think are the solutions for this phenomenon?

4:00 – 4:20 Playing a game

4:20 – 5:00 Discussing in groups of five  

Supposing that you are put in an arranged marriage, your parents promise one of their friends that when you grow up, they will let you get married to the son of their friend’s family. As promised, when you turn 22, a wedding party is planned between two families without your agreement. You don’t want to tie yourself down because you know happiness is impossible for a marriage made up without love. What would you do to get you out of this situation? Make a drama to express your idea.

5:00 – 5:30 Free talk

[GLN EC Sunday] Topic 17/11: NEIGHBORS

In Vietnamese culture, neighbor relationship is regarded so important that a plenty number of people might make light of their brotherhood in comparison with it. And neighbors traditionally are the ones who are always willing to stand by and help each other to cope with all difficulties. In fact, neighbor relationship has experienced many changes in Vietnamese modern society because of the emergence of new life styles, the urbanization and the migration of people. Let’s come to GLN English club in this Sunday afternoon and raise your own voices about the topic “Neighbors”.

                                                                      NEIGHBORS

                                                           Sunday, November17th 2013

                               10th  Floor, Keangnam Landmark 72, Pham Hung Str, Tu Liem, Hanoi

 

2:30 – 3:00 Breaking the ice 

Making friends with others

3:00 – 4:00 Discussing

1. Where are you living? How is about your neighborhood?
2. Do you have many friends in your neighborhood? Why or why not?
3. What makes a good neighbor? What are benefits of a good neighbor relationship?
4. Have your neighbor relationship changed over the last 10 years? What are changes?

4:00 – 4:20 Playing games

4:20 – 5:00 Playing dramas

A student who is a boy from the countryside rents a house to study in Hanoi and he fancies a damsel whose parents are very rich in his neighborhood. Not only is the damsel beautiful but she is also an outstanding student of a famous university in Hanoi. Therefore she is a little bit arrogant. But the boy decides to flirt with her at all costs. Please work in your groups and make dramas based on the plot as funny as possible. Each group will have  4 minutes or less to play their drama. 

[GLN EC Saturday] Topic 16/11: PORNOGRAPHY

Formerly known only in form of video tapes over a decade ago in Vienam, pornography has become increasingly popular due to the advent and tremendous widespread use of the Internet. Despite its obvious social awareness, pornography is generally regarded as a taboo subject in many Asian countries.  But since porn existed a long time ago and the disappearance of porn is unthinkable as the sex industry is still making huge profit in all forms of media, it all boils down to question of how to live with porn and its related problems.  The meeting this week will try to address this question and hopefully, bring the general consensus among men and women, especially women’s empathy with men’s tendency to porn.

                                                                     

                                                   

                                                                 PORNOGRAPHY

                                                        Saturday, November16th 2013

                              10th  Floor, Keangnam Landmark 72, Pham Hung Str, Tu Liem, Hanoi

2:30 – 3:00 Breaking the ice 

• Making friends with others

3:00 – 4:00 Discussing

1. What is your interpretation of pornography? How do you know porn?
2. If you have ever watched porn, what were your feelings after experiencing it for the first time or possibly afterwards?
3. What are harmful social, psychological effects of porn on people?  Do you think there are any positive ones? If yes, then what are they?
4. Why do men watch porn more often than women do? What are our advices for heavy porn users to stay away from it?

4:00 – 4:20 Playing games

4:20 – 5:00 Working in groups

• This part’s details will be revealed in the Saturday meeting

5:00 – 5:30 Free talk

[GLN EC Sunday] Topic 10/11: Online Newspaper or Printed Newspaper?

Advanced technology enables us to access any kind of human knowledge just by a simple click. In other words, Internet has become increasingly popular. But will it soon become a substitute for newspapers, which has long been considered as anuseful way of conveying news. Let’s go to GLN EC this Sunday to discuss together and protect your arguments! 

                                            Online newspaper or printed  newspaper?

                                                  2:30 pm, Sunday, 10th November  2013

                                10th Floor, Keangnam Office Building, Pham Hung Str, Tu Liem Dist,Ha Noi. 

2:30 - 3:00 Breaking the ice

Making friends

3:00 – 4:00 Discussion in pairs:

1. What do you read more often, online or printed version?
2. What are pros & cons of  printed newspapers?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of online newspaper?
4. What do you think about the quality of information sources in Vietnam? What should be done to to improve it?

4:00 – 4:20 Play a game

4:20 – 5:00 Discussion in groups of five:

In group of five people, design and make presentation about your favourite column in a newspaper. (The topic can be about travelling, sports, lifestyles, education; and you are encouraged to make it eye – catching)

5:00 – 5:30 Free talk