Kang GURU Connection Club Network Please Note: Until further notice, Kang Guru is unable to admit any new language clubs into the KGCC. English clubs may still apply to join however please understand that until the future direction of the KGCC network has been reviewed, new applications will be placed on a waiting list until further notice. KGCC News - January 2008 Maggie Brady worked with Kang Guru for the last 6 months of 2007. Maggie's time at Kang Guru was only for a six month period and it was terrific and it was terrific that Maggie was willing to join the staff of Kang Guru to help us out. Maggie finished with Kang Guru on December 19th. Many thanks to Maggie for all of her hard work with clubs and especially for her work with the recent e-learning activities by SMP Joeys/Wallaby Mobs. Check out that wonderful activity in the December 2007 magazine. Thanks Maggie from all of us at Kang Guru and from the clubs too. For the first part of 2008, Ayu Kusumastuti , an IALF teacher, will be joining Kang Guru. One of Ayu's main tasks is to help with the review of the Connection Club network in Indonesia. Ayu will also be visiting clubs in January and February.     DON'T FORGET JOEYS, a special club for SMP students and teachers.   KGCC CLUB KIT 2008 All you need to know about starting and running a successful language club Contact Ayu for all KGCC News and with your questions about language clubs and the KGCC Club Guide/Kit Australian Scholarships International Scholarships The PEACE Scholarship Program The Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program (SSEAYP) Sampoerna Foundation

The Kang Guru Connection Club network has over 60 active English language clubs all over Indonesia. KGCCs and their members help KGRE and KGRE, with assistance from AusAID, helps them. If you have an English language club then why not join the KGRE Connection Club network. It is all FREE and fun. Connection Club Profiles as of January 1st, 2008 KGCCs of the Month Archives 2001 - 2007 Clubs can check KGRE's Travel Plans for 2008 very easily on this website Have you read about KGRE's Quick Fix segments on KGRE? Check them out! They will really help you with your English. Asia Calling Listen and learn about current issues in Indonesia and Asia Australia In Focus A great site for students to find out about Australia Environmental Task for KGCCs (April May 2007)   JOEYS - KGCC #100 Check it out out NOW. If you are an SMP student OR teacher then contact KGRE about the Joeys Club and the activities and fun that goes with it. In fact, your SMP school can join too!

The Latest KGCC Pouch October-December 2007
The Pouch July-September 2007 The Pouch April - June 2007 The Pouch January-February 2007 The Pouch October-December 2006 The Pouch July-September 2006 The Pouch April/June 2006 The Pouch January/March 2006 The Pouch September/October 2005 The Pouch July/August 2005 The Pouch May/June 2005 The Pouch March/April 2005 The Pouch January/February 2005 The Pouch November/December 2004 The Pouch September/October 2004 The Pouch July/August 2004 The Pouch May/June 2004 The Pouch March/April 2004 The Pouch January/February 2004 The Pouch October/November 2003 The Pouch August/September 2003 The Pouch May/June 2003 The Pouch March/April 2003 The Pouch Jan/Feb 2003 The Pouch Nov/Dec 2002 The Pouch Aug/ Sept 2002 The Pouch June/July 2002 The Pouch March/April 2002 The Pouch Jan/Feb. 2002 Bulletin No. 2 Nov/Dec. 2001 Bulletin No. 1 Sept/Oct. 2001

Clubs can check KGRE's Travel Plans for 2007 very easily on this website by checking the latest KGRE Activity Calendar.

If you are interested in cross-cultural information about Indonesia and Australia then why not read articles from IALF's Cross Cultural Newsletter called ‘Different Pond Different Fish’.

Some Suggestions for Holding Discussions in a Club Meeting

If discussion activities are not going well then some of the reasons may include:

• The discussion topic may not interesting or even familiar to the participants
• The vocabulary or language required for the discussion may not be sufficiently well-known by the participants
• Leadership and guidance to get the discussion going may not be motivating enough
• The discussion group may be too large
• Can the participants discuss the topic in their own language? If members have difficulties discussing the topic in Bahasa Indonesia then they will definitely find it very difficult to discuss the topic in English. Perhaps have an introductory discussion in Bahasa Indonesia first and then after some vocabulary work move onto discussing the topic in English.

How to Develop Discussion Skills and Ability

• Make sure that participants are interested and have opinions on the topic. This can be done by beginning discussions in Bahasa Indonesia. Gauge the interest and knowledge of participants during this session.
• If appropriate, move on to discussing the topic in English, possibly after some added input such as necessary or helpful vocabulary and ideas. This next session could be done immediately but maybe it would be better to do it at the next meeting thus giving members time to prepare their ideas and their expected input.
• Start the discussion off in a relaxed and easy manner, perhaps with some simple questions or a survey related to the topic. Presentation of a practical problem associated with the discussion topic may be a good idea. For example, the topic of ‘cannibalism’. The practical problem or dilemma could be that students are lost in the desert and the only thing to eat is the body of their dead best friend. What would they do? Could they eat the body or not OR would they just die?
• If knowledge or interest is low then it may be a good idea to change to a more suitable topic. Involving students in the selection of discussion topics is often a good idea.