Report of Activities in First Year

Peter and I arrived in Rach Gia in December of 2013 to a splendid welcome by the
Rector, Vice Rector, Staff and Students. The steps to the Main Hall seemed a throng
of smiling faces as the car and the In-Country AVI staff brought us into the college.
From the very beginning, the obvious friendliness and huge welcome was easily
seen.
We were introduced to the college and took a guided walk around the various
faculties, many of which had students going about their classes so we could see the
extent of subjects taught. Our first impressions were that the faculties were very well
resourced.
A smaller group of staff, led by Mr Duc, took us out to lunch to show us how the area
is justifiably proud of its seafood. That evening a larger group gathered, including
people from various government departments and GIZ staff and we were provided
another sumptuous feast but especially the opportunity to meet people who have
become friends.
The college then set about settling us into the city. We received help to set up our
banking and finances. We were shown around the city and were assisted in finding
rental accommodation. I was also given the opportunity to learn to ride on the back
of a motor bike!
In preparation for work, I developed a simple test both for Writing/Reading and
Speaking to test staff competency in use of English. The decision was made to offer
English classes at three levels, each person having 3 hours per week of classes.
Classes commenced in the New Year. Classes originally started at 4pm but it
became obvious that this time was difficult for many. Numerous changes have been
made to groupings as numbers attending declined. Most of those who explained
their inability to attend, told of high work-loads and awkwardness of class schedules
as their reasons. I eventually formed two groups, each having 4 hours of classes a
week. One night a week was developed into a fun and revision night which anyone
could attend. As people from other government departments have heard about the
classes, several have sought permission and have joined the classes. This part of
the year is particularly busy for teachers so we now only meet for 4 hours a week, all
groups combined. The lessons concentrate on building vocabulary, pronunciation
and Speaking and Listening practice. Listening is particularly difficult but I have
noticed much improvement in vocabulary knowledge, pronunciation and confidence
in speaking. Individual teachers have requested special help with their English skills
development so I have searched out useful internet sites to enhance their learning
at their level. I have corrected the work of some who have wanted extra practice in
writing and have been a willing listener for those wanting extra conversation
practice. I have also responded to individual requests by staff members to check
their English translations for correctness.

When our schedules have allowed it I have assisted Ms Trang and Ms Hoa with their
English classes for students.
The college is very good at holding fun activities and celebrations for students and
staff. Peter and I were part of the 2014 Spring Festival, we cooked sausages on a
BBQ and served them in bread with onions and tomato ketchup. In Australia we
would call this a sausage sizzle and in Aussie slang would say we "stoked up the
barbie" Many said it was delicious and we sold out very quickly. International
Women's Day was another fun occasion, something that is not celebrated in
Australia. It was lovely to see the beautiful Ao Dai on the ladies. The staff feast for
the beginning of a new academic year amazed us. We were very impressed by the
facilities that have been developed and were present at the official opening of the
kitchen and student dining room. We were also delighted when we were invited to
plant a tree in the college grounds. Australia's Consul General to HCMC, Mr John
McAnulty, came to Rach Gia to visit us. The college gave him another of their
marvellous welcomes. On this occasion the students lined the road between the
Main Hall and the site where he also planted a tree. I assisted Ms Trang with the
English students on the college Open Day and an English Club for adults has now
been started. I anticipate helping to organise games and activities. The World Travel
Club carried out their enterprise idea of making money from providing breakfasts so
I enjoyed attending that.
At the end of 2014 I was happy to share my knowledge of teaching methodology
and prepared and delivered a four part workshop on "Pedagogy for the 21st
Century". Each section lasted 3 hours and were entitled:
Cooperative Learning, and this provided practice in many of
Kagan's Structures
Thinking Skills and Problem Solving skills and strategies
The stages of Enquiry Based learning
Authentic and Transparent Assessment strategies
25 staff members completed the course and received certificates of achievement.
I am currently preparing a program of Leadership Skills and these workshops will be
held at the end of March.
The college has assisted us to attend community events such as:
The Friendship Committee function held at the end of each lunar year
The festival arranged by the People's Committee for Lunar New Year's Eve
The First Full Moon Festival in Ha Tien
A visit to U Minh Thuong National Park
I was able to help the ladies who made the return visit from Westminster Kingsway
Vocational College. I attended their workshops and demonstration lessons and then
shopped for the resources Ms Irene needed for her return visit because it was easier
for her to explain to me what she needed. During the first visit we also had the
opportunity to go to Phu Quoc and staff members made sure we saw the many
things the island has to offer tourists.

One of the areas where I have been able to assist the Administrators of the college
is in the writing of grant applications. Submissions, though unsuccessful, have been
sent to three organisations:
the European Commission
Direct Aid Program from the Australian Government
Community Grants Scheme from the Wheeler Foundation
I can foresee that a staff member of the college needs to be trained to be the focal
person for future grant proposals and will try to help in this matter.
I have also had several personal learning opportunities. I attended a GIZ forum
where many groups reported on their progress with environmental protection
initiatives. I learned of the teaching materials that GIZ had published on the subject.
I consider myself to have been fortunate to have attended the three-day workshop
conducted by SEAMOLEC on modern digital communication. From this course and
with additional help from Mr Indra, I am writing an ebook to assist students of the
college. During one of Ms Trang's classes I noticed that the vocabulary used in the
Diploma student's text book was not of a very high standard and did not match the
much more difficult vocabulary needed for their TOEFL examination. My ebook will
provide students with the opportunity to do private study in some of the Advanced
Vocabulary needed. I recently attended a teleconference to report on work being
done by SEAMOLEC personnel in Indonesia to advance the use of distance
learning techniques. Ms Mai spoke of the work that is being done in this college
because of the SEAMOLEC initiative.
On a personal note:
In March last year we attended the AVI IN-Country-Meeting in Dong Hoi and this
year's meeting is fast approaching. Through this and through several social
occasions in HCMC we have formed strong friendships with other AVI volunteers.
Some of these people have visited us in Rach Gia and we have shared with them,
sights of the city. We have visited them in Can Tho and Dong Thap. We have been
able to explore many of the tourist sites of HCMC.
Our daughter visited us and with leave granted by the college, we were able to show
her some of the beautiful parts of Vietnam and also took her to Siem Reap to see
Angkor Wat, one of the wonders of the ancient world. During the college break in
August we were able to go to China. The college has also allowed us to hire a car to
collect friends from the border at Ha Tien.
In conclusion I would like to thank the college for making this a special year and
hope that the college, its staff and students feel that they have gained as much from
having us here as we know we have gained from you.