- Tuesday, Oct 4, at 15:30, room 4.2. / BIM – groups 1, 2, 3, 4, 14, 15
- Wednesday, Oct 5, at 11:30, auditorium A2 / BIM – groups 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 32, 33
- Wednesday, Oct 5, at 15:30, auditorium A2 / BIM – groups 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 34, 35, 36
- Wednesday, Oct 5, at 15:30, auditorium A2 / BIM – groups 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22
Oct 3, 2011
Timetable - week 1, sem I, 2011-2012
The compulsory language course for 1st year students (click HERE to read about this course): The first round of introductory meetings will take place as follows,
regardless of which language students will choose to study (English,
French or German):
Oct 1, 2011
New beginnings
It is with great pleasure that I resume activity on our blog at the beginning of this new academic year. I have every reason to be happy and hopeful after I sucessfully defended my PhD thesis (Predarea unei limbi străine pentru domeniul medical în sensul dezvoltării de competenţe transferabile cu relevanţă pentru conduita morală în relaţionarea profesională) and was awarded the PhD title in the field of Educational Sciences.
To keep this short and looking forward, I invite all interested medical students and teachers to get in touch with me during the month of October so that we can plan together the EnglishMEDiator activities in 2011-2012! Here are just a couple of ideas:
- organizing presentations/workshops based on the results of my PhD research into the teaching and learning of key awareness, knowledge, skills and attitudes relevant to medical communication that is both effective and ethical at the same time;
- bringing our good friend Donald Lush from the UK to Iasi once again and organizing the 2nd EnglishMEDiator International Medical Congress on Medical Communication (building on the success of last year's event);
- improving the 2nd edition of the elective course on professional interactions and medical communication in English based on the rich experience we gained last year (this time, the course is scheduled to take place in the 2nd semester).
Again, I wish everyone a most rewarding academic year!
Keep an eye on EnglishMEDiator online and get involved!
The "PhD liberation day" was especially memorable because I was surrounded by a lot of people who are not only dear to me but also well placed to engage in further collaborative research and curricular developments aiming to improve the quality of medical education at UMF Iasi. Prof. Vasile Astarastoae, the Rector of UMF Iasi, was part of the PhD evaluation commission and present in the audience were Prof. Doina Azoicai, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, other colleagues from several disciplines (Modern Languages, Anatomy, Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases etc.) as well as medical students from different years of study.
More pictures and thoughts about the grand finale of the PhD era on my personal blog - HERE. To keep this short and looking forward, I invite all interested medical students and teachers to get in touch with me during the month of October so that we can plan together the EnglishMEDiator activities in 2011-2012! Here are just a couple of ideas:
- organizing presentations/workshops based on the results of my PhD research into the teaching and learning of key awareness, knowledge, skills and attitudes relevant to medical communication that is both effective and ethical at the same time;
- bringing our good friend Donald Lush from the UK to Iasi once again and organizing the 2nd EnglishMEDiator International Medical Congress on Medical Communication (building on the success of last year's event);
- improving the 2nd edition of the elective course on professional interactions and medical communication in English based on the rich experience we gained last year (this time, the course is scheduled to take place in the 2nd semester).
Again, I wish everyone a most rewarding academic year!
Keep an eye on EnglishMEDiator online and get involved!
May 8, 2011
Temporary break from blogging
Due to a currently busy schedule, the EnglishMEDiator online areas will be updated again in summer 2011 and face-to-face activities will be resumed in September 2011.
In the meantime, feel free to explore what's currently online and share your ideas with us by commenting to this post.
Thank you!
In the meantime, feel free to explore what's currently online and share your ideas with us by commenting to this post.
Thank you!
Oct 9, 2010
Teacher's diary - 2nd entry for 2010-2011
As promised, I am keeping my own learning diary along with my students enrolled in the elective course "English Skills for Professional Interactions and Medical Communication".
Yesterday's theme was "Applying for a Scholarship Abroad". With the help of your colleagues who designed and delivered the workshop, I learned about the actual IFMSA scholarships available through SSMI. I was amazed to see that a medical student from Iasi has the opportunity to experience (medical) culture not only in Europe, but all around the world, from Chile and Peru to Russia and Indonezia, from Sudan and Egypt to Iceland! Too bad I'm not a medical student, now that I know everything about the medical practice scholarship in Chile...
Another thing I learned yesterday was that the university walls which I had brought down at the first seminar remained down and did not stop other people from coming in. We had three guests, one from Malaysia, one from India and a Romanian student in Dentistry. They were treated warmly and seemed very interested in the topic, using the opportunity to clarify things which we, Europeans, think everyone should know by default.
This brings me back to the countries where scholarships are provided this year. I once had the chance to travel to Kyrgyzstan to work in an international summer camp where a truly international team of teachers taught academic writing to students from aaaaall over Central Asia. These students were brilliant in their fields and had won research scholarships in the US or UK, but they lacked the academic writing skills required to bring their knowledge and talents to light in an effective and ethical way. That's where I learned that Europe is NOT the centre of the Universe, that English is NOT the lingua franca everywhere in this Universe, that the "western" way of thinking is NOT the only one to aspire to. Three very humbling lessons of the kind which cannot be learned sitting at home and talking with folks of the same cultural background. I cannot stress enough how much I have been learning since, thanks to that experience opening my eyes and redefining my mental map of humanity. That's why I'm sorry I'm not a medical student this year...
But let's move on. As the workshop turned to CVs and letters of motivation, I learned about myself that, in some ways, I no longer think like I used to when I was a student. Years of experience working in projects which you have to win through project applications similar in essence to CVs and letters of motivation have taught me a couple of things. First of all, when applying, clarifying agendas is crucial. Who is offering the scholarship? Who are they? What are their goals regarding the scholarship program? Then, who are we? What are our goals? Where do these two sets of goals meet?
Then, what do the sponsors need to know about us and how does this informaton need to be presented? CAREFULLY read through the specifications several times, starting with eligibility. It would be an unfortunate waste of time if I applied for the scholarship in Chile only to get a reply saying "Sorry, since you're not a medical student..."
I think that the workshop was an excellent chance for students to find out about their opportunities and to start thinking about how best to approach them. Don't take my word for it. Here's what one of the students wrote to me after the workshop:
"Today I listen some of my class mates because they prepared a project. It was an interesting project and after all they told to us, I decided to go into the SSMI group [...] I want to thank [...] my classmates because they informed me about all the opportunities that I will have like medical student."
What more can you hope to achieve in less than 2 hours?
I also realized that the students need further guidance and practice on the topic of applying for scholarships abroad. At least 2-3 more sessions like this. It's something we could set up through the EnglishMEDiator circle in the form of a short course or workshop. I'll have to think about it and talk with the SSMI team. That's an ACTION POINT for me.
Now here are my thoughts for the teams organizing the coming workshops. In my first diary entry I said that I had learned about the importance of saying clearly what you want from people, so here's what I want from you:
1. Do your research FIRST. Speaking with one of the teams after the workshop, I could hear a storm of ideas about what to do and how to do it, but none based on previous research. Before you can teach others, you have to know what you are talking about. Do you think that your colleagues yesterday evening had dreamt all that information about scholarships? Read, think, discuss and THEN come to me with your ideas. Don't forget that you chose your topics to learn about them. You are not experts... yet!
2. Learn from the team who did the first workshop. In my opinion, their key strengths were: excellent teamwork and communication behind the scenes, working with the teacher for support, bringing the latest information available and keeping it real, thus greatly reducing the distance between classroom learning and real life application. Their weaknesses were: not introducing themselves at the beginning, not checking their pronunciation beforehand (e.g. the names of the countries), not providing a take-away handout with key information, tips and links.
3. Stay focused on the course objectives. This is not about having a nice experience Friday evening (well, that too), but about learning new and useful things about professional interactions and medical communication in English. Never take your eyes off the list of learning objectives provided in the course description. NEVER. They are your "ten commandments".
Thanks again to the wonderfully put together team who successfully handled yesterday's workshop. Don't forget about the movie I gave you as a reward. The movie is about real students and their real experiences at an English class. They are alive today and can be reached on the Internet. Enjoy!
Yesterday's theme was "Applying for a Scholarship Abroad". With the help of your colleagues who designed and delivered the workshop, I learned about the actual IFMSA scholarships available through SSMI. I was amazed to see that a medical student from Iasi has the opportunity to experience (medical) culture not only in Europe, but all around the world, from Chile and Peru to Russia and Indonezia, from Sudan and Egypt to Iceland! Too bad I'm not a medical student, now that I know everything about the medical practice scholarship in Chile...
Another thing I learned yesterday was that the university walls which I had brought down at the first seminar remained down and did not stop other people from coming in. We had three guests, one from Malaysia, one from India and a Romanian student in Dentistry. They were treated warmly and seemed very interested in the topic, using the opportunity to clarify things which we, Europeans, think everyone should know by default.
This brings me back to the countries where scholarships are provided this year. I once had the chance to travel to Kyrgyzstan to work in an international summer camp where a truly international team of teachers taught academic writing to students from aaaaall over Central Asia. These students were brilliant in their fields and had won research scholarships in the US or UK, but they lacked the academic writing skills required to bring their knowledge and talents to light in an effective and ethical way. That's where I learned that Europe is NOT the centre of the Universe, that English is NOT the lingua franca everywhere in this Universe, that the "western" way of thinking is NOT the only one to aspire to. Three very humbling lessons of the kind which cannot be learned sitting at home and talking with folks of the same cultural background. I cannot stress enough how much I have been learning since, thanks to that experience opening my eyes and redefining my mental map of humanity. That's why I'm sorry I'm not a medical student this year...
But let's move on. As the workshop turned to CVs and letters of motivation, I learned about myself that, in some ways, I no longer think like I used to when I was a student. Years of experience working in projects which you have to win through project applications similar in essence to CVs and letters of motivation have taught me a couple of things. First of all, when applying, clarifying agendas is crucial. Who is offering the scholarship? Who are they? What are their goals regarding the scholarship program? Then, who are we? What are our goals? Where do these two sets of goals meet?
Then, what do the sponsors need to know about us and how does this informaton need to be presented? CAREFULLY read through the specifications several times, starting with eligibility. It would be an unfortunate waste of time if I applied for the scholarship in Chile only to get a reply saying "Sorry, since you're not a medical student..."
I think that the workshop was an excellent chance for students to find out about their opportunities and to start thinking about how best to approach them. Don't take my word for it. Here's what one of the students wrote to me after the workshop:
"Today I listen some of my class mates because they prepared a project. It was an interesting project and after all they told to us, I decided to go into the SSMI group [...] I want to thank [...] my classmates because they informed me about all the opportunities that I will have like medical student."
What more can you hope to achieve in less than 2 hours?
I also realized that the students need further guidance and practice on the topic of applying for scholarships abroad. At least 2-3 more sessions like this. It's something we could set up through the EnglishMEDiator circle in the form of a short course or workshop. I'll have to think about it and talk with the SSMI team. That's an ACTION POINT for me.
Now here are my thoughts for the teams organizing the coming workshops. In my first diary entry I said that I had learned about the importance of saying clearly what you want from people, so here's what I want from you:
1. Do your research FIRST. Speaking with one of the teams after the workshop, I could hear a storm of ideas about what to do and how to do it, but none based on previous research. Before you can teach others, you have to know what you are talking about. Do you think that your colleagues yesterday evening had dreamt all that information about scholarships? Read, think, discuss and THEN come to me with your ideas. Don't forget that you chose your topics to learn about them. You are not experts... yet!
2. Learn from the team who did the first workshop. In my opinion, their key strengths were: excellent teamwork and communication behind the scenes, working with the teacher for support, bringing the latest information available and keeping it real, thus greatly reducing the distance between classroom learning and real life application. Their weaknesses were: not introducing themselves at the beginning, not checking their pronunciation beforehand (e.g. the names of the countries), not providing a take-away handout with key information, tips and links.
3. Stay focused on the course objectives. This is not about having a nice experience Friday evening (well, that too), but about learning new and useful things about professional interactions and medical communication in English. Never take your eyes off the list of learning objectives provided in the course description. NEVER. They are your "ten commandments".
Thanks again to the wonderfully put together team who successfully handled yesterday's workshop. Don't forget about the movie I gave you as a reward. The movie is about real students and their real experiences at an English class. They are alive today and can be reached on the Internet. Enjoy!
Oct 1, 2010
Teacher's diary - 1st entry for 2010-2011
I know that this time the academic year began on Sept 27, but for me it did as it always used to, on the 1st of October, when I delivered my first 2010-2011 English seminar. One down, 200+ to go... I hope I make it through another year!
For me, this has been the best seminar of my career so far. To understand why, I need to go back to when 2009-2010 ended. I was really struggling then, trying to hold on to HOPE, something without which I can't even crawl out of bed in the morning. It felt like I had been backstabbed and all my energy was escaping through a hole in my back I could not see or reach or plug.
Who could have done that? Well, lots of people, but there's one I believe I did not tell anyone about. When asked about what they took from the English seminars, one student wrote "Nothing, really". I am quite sure that this was not an understatement, but a perfectly accurate estimate from the part of this particular student. I imagine the text would have continued like "and I can't wait to leave this country in my blood-stained BMW that daddy bought me, while yours couldn't even get you a proper bycicle so that you can go and teach this b***t somewhere in the countryside and not in my face".
Nothing could have been easier than to dismiss the note as beloning to the only ignorant among so many beautiful and inspiring students whose answers were completely different to this one.
However, I couldn't wash away those two words. It seemed as if the student had tatooed them on the inside of my skin. That's because my whole identity as a teacher is built on one idea - that ONE student matters. Mass education has yet to prove its magic, as so far it has eluded me. A simple conversation between two people may still be more educating than years and years of listening to lectures and taking notes (could it be that this student - possibly due to years of neglect from parents - had simply forgotten how to respond to someone else's invitation to talk?). In this case, I'm afraid I did more worse than good. In short, I failed.
I needed help and for many reasons, this being the least of my worries. Luckily, I was surrounded by loving people who caught me in my fall and took me far away from it all. That's all they did, but it worked.
I now feel stronger than ever and full of life and hope and laughter. I realized that I had backstabbed myself from the inside by working too hard to change things which I didn't have a good understanding of, while not taking care of myself in ways which were important to how I am built inside. I'm glad I walked away, even if with a limp.
Those words - "Nothing, really..." - are still there today and I am ready to wear my tatoo with pride. That student was honest and true in every way, while others weren't. Fake people and fake relationships - the world of medical students has its fair share of both. Students who think one thing but say or do another. Students who have developed great skills to sell empty heads and dried-out souls in smart clothes and cool smiles. Some are masters at convincing themselves of it, too. I feel sorry for them because I think that, when alone, they know exactly how they are and why. But they know it with their hearts, and their hearts don't speak Romanian or English as well as they do.
I am different this year. I am no longer trying to do for others what they should do for themselves. That's their job and they shouldn't be robbed of the experience. Learning is one such experience, intimate and personal. Similarly, if this University is ever to become a place that I love, then it's my job to make it a place that I love. Identically, if it is ever to become a place that students love, then it's their job and privilege to make it happen. I don't know about them, but today, I loved my university.
I am busy enough with myself and that's all I need to focus on. The rest will come, I have seen it today. Today I am proud of myself. I managed to do well something which I have struggled with for years and which must have robbed off my husband (finally), since he is a master at it. It sounds simple: "tell people what you want from them" (he would have continued "for crying out loud, woman, please decide today if you want boiled or scrambled eggs!"). It's disrespectful towards them not to do so.
So here's what I want from you this year and which is not up to me:
1. self-scrutiny
2. self-respect
3. self-care
With self-scrutiny, you may find out who you are.
With self-respect, you may wish to stand up for yourself.


With self-care, you may enjoy life and smile with you hearts and not your cheeks.

With these three, you may feel better overall with yourself so you may then learn how to treat other people like you would yourself, with the same amount of scrutiny, respect and care. If the way you felt today at the seminar had any influence on how you treated each other, then you know I am right.

At least one of your colleagues needs that and countless others out there do, too. Your colleague was very direct and clear about it: "I don't like to speak in public because I don't want people to laugh at me. It breaks my heart."
"Together we stand, divided we fall" said Roger Waters at the end of his song. I already knew that WE = ONE + ONE + ONE + ONE... but today I learned that boy, we aren't few at all!
PS: More photos HERE and the archive with all the photos for download HERE.
Nothing could have been easier than to dismiss the note as beloning to the only ignorant among so many beautiful and inspiring students whose answers were completely different to this one.
However, I couldn't wash away those two words. It seemed as if the student had tatooed them on the inside of my skin. That's because my whole identity as a teacher is built on one idea - that ONE student matters. Mass education has yet to prove its magic, as so far it has eluded me. A simple conversation between two people may still be more educating than years and years of listening to lectures and taking notes (could it be that this student - possibly due to years of neglect from parents - had simply forgotten how to respond to someone else's invitation to talk?). In this case, I'm afraid I did more worse than good. In short, I failed.
I needed help and for many reasons, this being the least of my worries. Luckily, I was surrounded by loving people who caught me in my fall and took me far away from it all. That's all they did, but it worked.
Those words - "Nothing, really..." - are still there today and I am ready to wear my tatoo with pride. That student was honest and true in every way, while others weren't. Fake people and fake relationships - the world of medical students has its fair share of both. Students who think one thing but say or do another. Students who have developed great skills to sell empty heads and dried-out souls in smart clothes and cool smiles. Some are masters at convincing themselves of it, too. I feel sorry for them because I think that, when alone, they know exactly how they are and why. But they know it with their hearts, and their hearts don't speak Romanian or English as well as they do.
I am different this year. I am no longer trying to do for others what they should do for themselves. That's their job and they shouldn't be robbed of the experience. Learning is one such experience, intimate and personal. Similarly, if this University is ever to become a place that I love, then it's my job to make it a place that I love. Identically, if it is ever to become a place that students love, then it's their job and privilege to make it happen. I don't know about them, but today, I loved my university.
I am busy enough with myself and that's all I need to focus on. The rest will come, I have seen it today. Today I am proud of myself. I managed to do well something which I have struggled with for years and which must have robbed off my husband (finally), since he is a master at it. It sounds simple: "tell people what you want from them" (he would have continued "for crying out loud, woman, please decide today if you want boiled or scrambled eggs!"). It's disrespectful towards them not to do so.
1. self-scrutiny
2. self-respect
3. self-care
With self-scrutiny, you may find out who you are.
Sep 30, 2010
English Skills for Professional Interactions and Medical Communication
The 1st session of the elective course English Skills for Professional Interactions and Medical Communication for medical students in all years of study at the Faculty of Medicine Iasi will take place on Friday, 1 Oct 2010, 15:30-17:30, auditorium A2, BIM building.
More details about the course are available HERE.
More details about the course are available HERE.
Sep 28, 2010
2010-2011 First round of courses with 1st year students
All 1st year students at the Faculty of Medicine in Iasi who are interested in studying English as part of their 1st year foreign language course (compulsory) are invited to a first round of introductory courses as follows:
- Tuesday, 28 Sept, 17:30, auditorium A2, at the 2nd floor of BIM building (9-13 Kogalniceanu Street)
- Thursday, 30 Sept, 13:30 and 15:30, same location.
Weeks 1-4 are reserved for lectures with Prof. Anca Colibaba at the above mentioned times. Weeks 5-14 are reserved for seminars with myself, Assist. Ioana Crețu, according to a timetable which is still being worked on. Attendance at the seminars in weeks 5-14 is compulsory.
A description of the course is available HERE.
We are looking forward to meeting you!
- Tuesday, 28 Sept, 17:30, auditorium A2, at the 2nd floor of BIM building (9-13 Kogalniceanu Street)
- Thursday, 30 Sept, 13:30 and 15:30, same location.
Weeks 1-4 are reserved for lectures with Prof. Anca Colibaba at the above mentioned times. Weeks 5-14 are reserved for seminars with myself, Assist. Ioana Crețu, according to a timetable which is still being worked on. Attendance at the seminars in weeks 5-14 is compulsory.
A description of the course is available HERE.
We are looking forward to meeting you!
Sep 16, 2010
EnglishMEDiator Circle update
Today, Sept 16, the EnglishMEDiator Circle had its first meeting focused on the 2010-2011 strategy and projects.
From now on, discussions and activities will be summarized in an online logbook on our collaborative wiki - HERE. Today's meeting summary is already there.
Also, a Yahoo Group has been set up to allow members to keep in touch and updated more easily - HERE. Today's meeting participants have already registered.
Last but not least, some of our projects will be carried out with the help of our online collaboration tool, the EnglishMEDiator wiki - HERE. Two of our project ideas have already taken off the ground.
From now on, discussions and activities will be summarized in an online logbook on our collaborative wiki - HERE. Today's meeting summary is already there.
Also, a Yahoo Group has been set up to allow members to keep in touch and updated more easily - HERE. Today's meeting participants have already registered.
Last but not least, some of our projects will be carried out with the help of our online collaboration tool, the EnglishMEDiator wiki - HERE. Two of our project ideas have already taken off the ground.
Sep 14, 2010
Events and opportunities - autumn 2010
Dear students,
this is to invite you to participate in the following activities related to learning English for medicine at UMF Iași:
- EnglishMEDiator Language and Communication Circle members meeting, Thursday, 16 Sept, 11:0, room 4.2. at BIM. / Întâlnirea membrilor Cercului Științific de Limbă și Comunicare Profesională EnglishMEDiator.
- Workshop Potențialul de învățare la un curs de limbă engleză pentru domeniul medical, Friday, 24 Sept 2010, 11:00, room 4.2. at BIM. See all the details in the workshop brochure HERE.
- Elective course (curs facultativ) English Skills for Professional Interactions and Medical Communication. A detailed description in Romanian is available HERE. The course is open to medical students from years II-VI.
UPDATE (Sept 15): All the available places have been claimed already and there is now a waiting list in case some students will decide to withdraw.
To get your name on the waiting list, write an email to Ioana Crețu at englishmediator@yahoo.com mentioning your name, year of study and intention to sign up for this course. The deadline is Oct 1st, 2010.
Thank you!
Ioana Crețu
Sep 1, 2010
ANNOUNCEMENT: re-examination dates
Re-examinations ("restanțe" & "măriri") for MG students in any of the English courses for medicine are:
- Tuesday, Sept 7, 09:00, room 4.2. at BIM, with Assist. Ioana Crețu
- Thursday, Sept 9, 11:00, room 4.2. at BIM, with Assist. Ioana Crețu
- Tuesday, Sept 14, 09:00, room 4.2. at BIM, with Assist. Ioana Crețu
Re-examinations ("restanțe" & "măriri") for AMG students in any of the English courses for nursing is:
- Thursday, Sept 9, 11:00, room 4.2. at BIM, with Prof. Anca Colibaba
STUDENTS WHO NEED TO PAY FOR THE RE-EXAMINATIONS SHOULD COME WITH THE RECEIPT OF PAYMENT IN ORDER TO BE ACCEPTED.
- Tuesday, Sept 7, 09:00, room 4.2. at BIM, with Assist. Ioana Crețu
- Thursday, Sept 9, 11:00, room 4.2. at BIM, with Assist. Ioana Crețu
- Tuesday, Sept 14, 09:00, room 4.2. at BIM, with Assist. Ioana Crețu
Re-examinations ("restanțe" & "măriri") for AMG students in any of the English courses for nursing is:
- Thursday, Sept 9, 11:00, room 4.2. at BIM, with Prof. Anca Colibaba
STUDENTS WHO NEED TO PAY FOR THE RE-EXAMINATIONS SHOULD COME WITH THE RECEIPT OF PAYMENT IN ORDER TO BE ACCEPTED.
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