Narrow the academic language gap to reduce the achievement gap

Ally

Reference
O’ Donovan, E. (2007). Narrow the academic language gap to reduce the achievement gap. Journal of Arts & Activities, 142(2), 41-42. Retrieved May 22, 2008, from EBSCO database.

Summary

In O’Donovan’s (2007) article, “Narrow the Academic Language Gap to Reduce the Achievement Gap,” the author mentions why teachers have to teach their students academic language and how teachers can teach their students new vocabulary successfully. First, the author states that the knowledge of academic language is very important to be successful in their school and jobs. If they know a lot of vocabulary, they can get an achievement in their speaking and writing. Next, the author explains the methods of teaching the words in class. Also, he gives us an example of the lesson that is designed by useful words. After that he mentions the rules of the specific word directions and how teachers can select the word lists. Finally, the author comments that all student need to use the academic vocabulary in their writing.

Reaction

Maybe, most EAP1 students in CESL should have been experienced learning the vocabulary in class. Especially, in my class, we choose the words that we don’t know when we start the new chapter. Then, the teacher writes the words that we choose on the board. After that, we try to select the essential vocabulary that is useful to know in many situations. Then, we pronounce the words, repeat after teacher and guess the meaning in texts. Sometimes we explain words to a partner or group members. We are given the definition of words by a teacher. It is difficult to use academic words in speaking and writing. Also, we are not familiar with using the academic words. But, if we could know lots of academic words, it might be very useful to understand the articles. However, just to remember the words is not a good way to improve English because our power of remembering might be limited. So, the teacher offers us opportunity to use several words in writing. It is very useful to remember the words and to know how to use the words in the texts. Especially, English learners like me have to try to use the academic words. In the classroom there are a lot of way to teach and learn but one of the important things is that we must develop using academic words.

A new phenomenon: sleep lines on the face

Masha

Summary

According the article “A new phenomenon: sleep lines on the face” describes the aetiology of sleep lines on the face and also, other wrinkles due to other reasons such as aging and ultraviolet radiation are mentioned here. Langer.K did the first wide study of skin lines of tension, therefore, the lines are called “Langer’s lines”. Furthermore, the skin lines as “sleep creases” could appear on the face and were related to the superficial musculoaponeurotic system. There are three cases of different wrinkles from the typical horizontal and vertical skin lines on the faces, especially the forehead. In all these cases, three men’s lines were unilateral and bilateral oblique wrinkles and these lines arose from sleeping prone, with their faces buried in the pillow. These men’s lines were compared with each other because they were the same age, sex, status, and had the same sleeping position in common, however, their socio-economic groups were different. In addition, this article includes a discussion about lines on the face. There have been many proposed physiological bases for skin lines, but aging and exposure to sunlight being more important bases then others. The changing of skin with aging and the number of wrinkles increases frown and crow’s lines. However, sleeping lines are not related to aging, they are caused by physical habit. Finally, we can reduce the sleeping lines by changing the sleeping position, but we can not stop the wrinkles of aging.

21st-Century Dentistry

Maged Basharahil

Reference: Shulman Matthew. (Feb 25, 2008), 21st-Century Dentistry. US & World Report. Retrived (June 04, 2008),from www.ebscohost.com.

Summary:

The article “21st-Century Dentistry” shows us some of new findings in Dentistry. The author explains three novel methods used in dental clinics. The advanced findings reduced pain, treatment and healing time. The author mentions the laser-assisted new attachment procedure, or LANAP, mini-implants, and digital impression technology. The LANAP can treat infected gums without using scalpels. It killed the bacteria and infected tissue by color distinguishing, helps reform the surrounding tissue, and less reinfection happen. Also, the laser heat seals gums and creates a physical barrier to bacteria. Also, it is used in reshaping gummy smiles in cosmetic clinics. The second advanced technology is Mini-implants. In fact, this kind of implants help the limited jaw bone patients to wear dentures. Also, it does not require scalpels, it is cheaper than conventional implants and can be inserted in one visit. At last, digital impression technology, that is used instead of traditional paste impression used in restorative treatment. It is more comfortable for patients, has less waiting time, and gives the patients more options to select color and type of restorative materials.

Reaction:

First of all, this article definitely interests me. Although, I am a dentist, I found new information in “21-st Century Dentistry”. For example, I am really happy to hear about Mini-implants finding. It will end the aging problem because in the past, we could not do implants of patients with limited bone in their jaws. These new findings helps the patients as well as the dentists. Also, digital impression helps the patients who suffer from gag reflex. In other words, some patients feel nausea and vomiting while impression taking. But, with the digital impression will finish this problem. Finally, I hope the scientists keep discovering new results.

The Same People

ZhiChu Huang

Reference
Quindlen, Anna, (2008, June, 09th), The Same People, retrieved June, 06th, 2008 from Newsweek, 70.

Summary

According “The same people” (2008), the author discusses what the effect caused by gay-married in the modern society. One of the author’s sons cannot forget what the two boys did at the dinner table. They are not like author’s friends in high school because they made friends with gay. First, one of the most obvious changes of our lives is about the fight of gay rights. The great success has made them to break tradition with a simple answer, because “We are all the same people,” Ellen DeGeeners has said to John McCain. The CSC (California Supreme Court) also said the rules and rights of gays should be based on equality. Someone said that gay marriage is just a thing without following any normal rules. From the Roman poem in the second century it can be found that women should get married with men. Then, in order to find a way to keep the importance of different-sex marriage, some people want to get the support and find out ignored factors from laws against gay marriage.

Gay men and lesbians usually suffer to avoid the public. Their life styles are similar to the hetero marriage, but they cannot get enough rights as same as normal couples. So, without legal support and help, same-sex couples have to trend to depend on the people who do not care about them. Then, the author has a question about why we cannot accept many kinds of love around the world. If the same-sex couples can love and honor each other forever, so we should afford them and give them acceptance and support. The gay-marriage will be told about all around the world, and the younger people will easily find who is gay, and also easy to support them to get married. Maybe someday people will treat gay-marriage as a product of history, as the voting rights of women and black-white marriage.

Reaction

From this article, the opinions about gay-marriage begin to change to normal with the acceptance by more and more young people and organizations. The gay-marriage or gay-couples are hard to see in my country, but when I have been to America, I have seen gay-couples many times, even kissing in public.

At first, my opinions were the same as those people who do not accept the same-sex love. A large number of people think “Most men love women, and men should love women, so men love men are unordinary.” I never believed love will happen between the same sexes and even getting married. It never occurred to me and my friends and that is really such an abnormal thing to me. But after looking at them many times, I think they are not some strangers. Wearing, eating, studying, playing, most of them are the same as normal couples, beside their relationships.

Sigmund Freud has said everyone in the society has the tendency of bisexual, so the percentage to be the people who tend to be bisexual maybe the all people in society, that means 100%. Although I do not totally believe this opinion, I am not negative about the rights gotten by gays. From schools, barracks, monasteries, prisons gays are usually be found. Their becoming to gay may be affected by the society, so they should be seen as a normal part of society and get the same rights as other so-called normal couples.

With the development of society, gays are not seen as a mental disease as before, and are treated as a normal relationship. From to legalizing the gay-marriage and adopting their own children in some states or countries, many people can correctly treat the relationship between the same sexes. Now, in my opinion, couples or marriage depends on two people and whether they love each other, instead of have to base on male and female.

Revealing Medical Errors to Your Patients

Mohammed

Reference: Murphy, J. G& McEvoy, M.T.(2008)Revealing Medical Errors to Your Patients. Chest joarnal,133:1064-1065.retrived 05/22/08 from EBSKO database.

Summary

In Joseph G. Murphy and Marian T. McEvoy article "Revealing Medical Errors to Your Patients." The authors discuss how those medical errors can happen by professional physician. There are three common errors, over dose of anesthesia, which cause death, informing the patient what's happened to him by mistake, and mixing the name of patient with her husband in the patient's record. The patients must get all there ethical rights whether for personal autonomy and dignity or for the outcome of wrong treatment. Most of the studies show the patients were not informed about their medical errors. Also, the patients want to know full information even though cannot understand. On the other hand many states in the US recently did not accept the medical apology laws that protect physician against liability. It is clear to inform patients when the errors are harmful, but if it is near miss and they already fixed it, so, that unnecessary to be known. New studies show most of medical errors came from slight. Many physicians want to tell the patient every thing because recently anyone can get all information from medical internet websites. Recently, we can see decreasing in the number of errors or at least remaining it in the same level after the financial compensation. Patients and their families may be dismayed at the outset, in fact they accept the apology, and would like to know if the doctors learn about their mistakes.

Reaction

Medical errors are a significant threat to the lives of patients today. We have found a lot of medical errors come through negligence. We can't ignore newspapers which talked about some doctors who forgot some their stuff in the abdomen of the patient such as towels or even a clipper?? The social status created by the community which appears the doctors as over critic does not mean condoning the errors. Physician like ordinary employee all of them must be hold when they defaults. Somebody could argue that this may affect the work where the doctor may feel uncomfortable with the promise of self-confidence .We can understand that, but we must put some regulations to protect the patient's lives.Some of government like Saudi Arabia have some rules to keep those mistakes under control. One solution proposed is a comprehensive medical insurance, but for this discussion there is another place.