Listen to some interesting news!

Great show: Nurses strike, toxins that affect nurses at the workplace and in the last half hour a show on brain mapping: the maps in the brain that control different senses.
Listen here.

Toxic Exposures to nurses

Nurses exposed to toxic materials. Read. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/12/MNHFTSBR4.DTL&hw=Nurses&sn=001&sc=1000

Cultural Competencies

Cultural Competencies:Read.
Watch.

READ CAREFULLY: FINAL EXPECTATIONS

ESL 26, Fall 2007
What you need to know (or remember) about class expectations.

Why?

I wanted to make sure everything is clear about grading and what’s expected in this class. I’ve reprinted the part on your first day handout about evaluations and grading. (Added information is in italics). Please reread it carefully and ask any questions.

Evaluation:

• [30%] Weekly Project work, end-of unit and ongoing. Midterm/Semester Portfolios.

150 points. Please note: Project work must be in your own words (no plagiarism), neat (preferably typed), with the module and unit clearly listed on the top. Portfolios must include all projects in proper order, with any extra work, corrections or assignments at the end. In addition you need to have your three service learning journals, your self-evaluation and your evaluation of the site where you volunteered. Organization and using your own words are crucial.

• [30%] Participation in classroom activities and group work. Includes ongoing attendance. 150 points for class participation, presentations and attendance. After five absences, 5 points will be deducted for each absence. Consistent late arrivals will accumulate towards absences.
• [20%] Final presentation (mid-December)

100 points (30 points content, 30 points, delivery, 40 points language)

• [20%] Fieldwork: Service Learning Project/Practicum (mid-December) 100 points Three journals should be included in your portfolios as well as a final self-evaluation of your volunteer work and an evaluation of your partner (hospital/clinic) so I can know whether I should continue sending students there. If you have completed your commitment and feel it is appropriate to ask for (and have received) a letter of recommendation, please include that.
• Make up work and extra credit will be allowed on a case by case basis. Each make up assignment will be worth 5 points, for a maximum of 50 points.

Grading:

• Letter or Credit/No Credit (You must receive 300 points to receive Credit/Pass.)

450 +points = A

400>450 points = B

350>400 points = C

300>350 points = D

under 300 points=F

Sorry, City College doesn’t grade with plusses and minuses

What? When? Where? How?

1. We do not have a final exam in this class, so you don’t need to worry about the Dec. 19^th final test date for this class. You’re free after class on December 17^th! Instead of a final exam you have a final presentation, your portfolio and your Service Learning work/reflections.

2. Final group presentations. Two of the presentations will be on Wednesday, December 12^th and two of them on Monday Dec. 17^th. There will be plenty of time for Q&A/discussion, so pick a topic that will encourage discussion. We want to all learn something from you.

The presentations will be in the Rosenberg Library. They have computers. You can either bring a disk, use a flash drive or email yourself. You will also need to decide if you want to be videotaped. I will then give you the tape or disk for you to keep. You may need to share the tape/disc with your group members. We won’t be watching it together. It is for your own personal scrapbook/portfolio/edification.

3. Portfolios: You will need to hand in a completed portfolio by Dec. 17th. No exceptions. See above for details of what should be in the portfolio. This can be handed in on Dec. 12^th and you will get it returned on the 17^th. If, however, you hand it in on the 17^th you will need to either:

Pick it up at my office at 33 Gough St. (arrange via email) after 1/14.

Give me a large envelope with your name, address and enough stamps. (Take it to the Post Office and weigh it. I can’t be responsible for not enough stamps.)

If you are taking ESL 20, I can give it back to you next semester. Or if you aren’t but want to come to class to pick it up, just arrange it by email.

4) More Mini-Talks about Volunteer (Service Learning) work. You have all learned so much and I want you to be able to share your experiences with one another. You will have another chance (maybe without the game board, but with the same questions) to share your stories on Monday, Dec. 10^th.

5) Service Learning Projects: Permission to use your words. I have been so amazed by some of your journal writings and would like to share some of your words with other ESL teachers either in a workshop or in a newsletter. I might also want to send some excerpts to the hospitals/clinics so they can see the value in what you do. Of course, I will only the positive aspects of what you say and will never use anyone’s name. I won’t give any information about you except, possibly your country of birth and whether you were a trained health professional in your country. Please let me know if you do NOT want me to use anything you have written or if you have certain guidelines you would like me to follow. Thanks.

6) Extra Extra Credit: If you need points or enjoy writing and write a short article on your experiences in service learning (not a journal, but an article), I will give you an additional 25 extra points (in addition to the maximum of 50 extra credit points). I may use the article in ESL newsletters or similar publication (after working with you on correcting it) and will credit you by name. This needs to be 250-400 words. You should put it to your portfolio.

Medical Errors- what do doctors do when they know?

Read about it. Also some news video clips.

Close to home

Marshall Chin's "dad's side was in laundry and mother's side was in noodles". He went to school at UCSF, worked at SF General. Now he works in Chicago.Those of you who are doing your final presentation on Chinese Americans should definitely read this.
It's Dr Chin, not Dr. Songcang Chen! Click here.

British doctor (also a knight) makes commitment to combat Malaria

after getting the disease as a teenager. Read about it.

SF Medical Students

take a stand on World AIDS Day, Dec. 1st. Read about it.

More information on Welcome Back Participants

Nabil Alsoufi and all he has and is accomplishing. Read more about where his hard work has taken him. (see page 363 in your book). Click here to see Nabil's website.

Sa Vang ( in your book pg. 337- homework)

graduated UC Davis Medical school in 2005. Updated story and picture. Anything is possible.

"First woman doctor in El Salvador"!

is a role model for her daughter.
Read .

Health disparities and inspiration

Some information about health disparities and disparities in the medical professions.
Click here.
Read about remarkable people who, like Sa Vang in your book, have fought against the odds to become health practitioners. Click here.

Food Pyramids- What to eat

Read about the food pyramids. See if you agree.

Herbal remedies by a UCSF doctor/benefits and disadvatages

UCSF's Science Cafe. Read and listen to a talk about the pro's and cons of alternative medicine/complementary/integrative medicine. What do you think?

Sicko Filmmaker, Michael Moore

I'm trying to put a video with Michael Moore talking about "Sicko".
Click here.

Health disparities

A good website for health disparities.
Click here.

I went to this fascinating talk tonite

about the brain and how meditation and mindfulness affect the brain.
They are doing studies to show these changes through MRI's. You can watch a video and read more about it. More to come. Check it out.

Stem cell research

New discoveries using skin cells. Read.

Listen to alternative healing.

Alternative view of healing hearing and seeing. Listen.

Science Care: Toxins in our environment and reproductive health

UCSF Med's Science Cafe. Read and listen to this conversation on toxins and chemicals in the environment. Listen here.

Radio broadcast about three young black doctors.

Interesting radio show about three Black doctors and how they work in their community.
Click here.

Aging Brain podcast from KQED.

Here's a link to a podcast on the aging brain.
click here

SF Chron article on Cultural Competencies in Health Care

Cool article. Just for you guys.
Click here.