On February 11, the final round of the English Debating Contest was held, providing a key opportunity for those who love English to discuss current topics of interest. The ten leading students from the audition round continued to the finals.
Professor Barbara G. Howell speaks
The first contest was held at DTU in January 2016, with the support of Professor Barbara G. Howell, from Lorain College in the USA. Many students participated, and were able to practice their persuasive English skills, their public speaking ability and the other necessary attributes required to meet the demands of international integration.
Professor. Barbara G. Howell, said: “I have taught Critical Thinking here for 10 years and am impressed with the English ability and presentation skills of DTU students. I have found that their English has improved year by year and now believe that their accents, intonation and fluency are approaching those of native speakers. In times when English plays an important role in global integration, you should try hard to improve even more. Dr. Le Nguyen Bao, the DTU Provost, founded the Debating Club five years ago. Since then, regular meetings have attracted active and enthusiastic students who speak excellent English. The Club will continue to hold many more debates in the future.”
The jury and students
In the finals, the ten students were put into five debating groups with five topics:
- All students should be required to volunteer in their community
- In-person learning is better than online learning.
- Animals should be kept in zoos
- Social media does more harm than good
- Beauty pageants should be abolished
The inspired students clearly expressed their refreshing and interesting opinions and displayed their understanding and ability to convince their audience in English.
The winners were Frances Summer Dale V. Dy, who came first, Nguyen Thien Huong second, and Duong Phan Van Anh and Le Thanh Chung, who both came third. Six consolation prizes were awarded, to Le Duc Anh Tai, Nguyen Vy Nhat Ha, Phan Quynh Nhat Vy, Le Khac Anna, Trinh Thanh Ly and Nguyen Duc Huy, and those who entered the audition round received certificates of participation.
Nguyen Thien Huong, who finished second said: “In 2018, I entered the contest and won a consolidation prize, so this is my second time. The experience I have gained then and since, together with self-study have now helped me win second prize, and my English and public speaking skills have improved significantly. I can now clearly express my personal opinions, and demonstrate my understanding of interesting topics in my life. In doing so, I’ve also learned a lot about the world.”
(Media Center)