STUDY GROUP WORKSHOP TO BE OFFERED SOME STUDENTS LOVE TO SIT QUIETLY IN ROWS and enjoy a superb large-group lecture. Others want to join in the discussion and often raise their hands during lecture to interject questions or comments. As OLLI teachers—and former public school teachers—both of us have had many opportunities to observe different learning styles in the classroom. We’ve discovered that many LLI's address this need for class participation through the study group format. Students who have participated in study groups say that they’re able to explore topics in greater depth and at the same time enjoy more social interaction.
     Study groups, though, are by no means unorganized, unstructured chit-chat sessions. Instead, they are focused discussion groups led by one or more facilitators who encourage student participation, usually through carefully prepared questions that keep the group on track. Classes become, then, a sort of "Socratic dialogue" with students taking a more active role in directing their own study. 
     We would like to encourage interested OLLI members to learn more about facilitating study groups. During the last four weeks of this fall session, we will offer a workshop for members who are interested in learning more about successful study groups. We will meet at 2:00–3:30 at Tallwood on Wednesday afternoons, Oct. 17, 24, 31, Nov. 7. Participation in this informal workshop does not obligate you to become a group leader.
     Please contact us for more information. Or if you’re unable to attend at this time but would perhaps be interested in participating in the future, indicate this in your response, as we may hold another workshop in the winter session. We hope to see you there!

IT'S FLU SHOT TIME!

By Dick Chobot, Executive Director

OLLI IS ONCE AGAIN HOLDING A FLU SHOT CLINIC at Tallwood in cooperation with the INOVA Fight the Flu Program. Flu shots only work for a single season since the strains of the virus gradually change over the course of a year.
     Flu shots will be given on Fri, Oct 19, from 1:00 to 5:00. Sign-up sheets are available in the Tallwood office. We also are trying to schedule a clinic at Lake Anne if the church will allow it … more information to follow.
     You should consider getting a flu shot if you:

• Have chronic medical conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease      • Are 50 years of age or older      • Have contact with people at high risk for complications of the flu      • Are a health care provider      • Provide essential community services      • Have demanding family or work responsibilities      • Have holiday or winter vacation plans      • Are around children frequently

     Special Considerations:

• People who are allergic to chicken eggs, thimerosal (often found in contact lens solution) or other mercury compounds, or other vaccine components should not receive this vaccine.      • Persons with a past history of Guillain-Barré syndrome should not receive the vaccine.      • People who are ill with a fever or who have an active respiratory infection will not be given the vaccine.      • You will be asked to wait near the clinic area for 15-20 minutes after receiving the vaccine. Please inform the nurse immediately of any symptoms such as hives, rash, swelling of the lips, tongue or mouth, or breathing difficulty. If such a reaction occurs later, seek medical attention immediately.

     Procedures:

• The shot will be given in the upper arm, please wear clothing that allows the sleeve to be pushed or rolled up.      • The flu shot works for a single season; the strains of the virus change annually. This shot contains those strains that are anticipated to be the most common this year.      • The charge for each shot is $25.00. We accept cash, checks and money orders but we are unable to accept credit cards. Checks and money orders should be made out to Inova Flu Shot Program. The nurse will have a stamp available for those who wish to use it on their checks.      • Shots will not be given to individuals under 18 … not a real issue here unless you are really lying about your age or want to bring your grandchildren.      • No pneumonia vaccine will be available.      • Medicare Part B is accepted as payment in full. Participants must show their Medicare card to the nurse if they wish to use this benefit. Medicare beneficiaries who have assigned their Medicare benefits over to an HMO or other managed care plan must receive their shot from their primary provider unless they wish to pay for it at our clinic.

OLLI BOOK CLUB

FOR ONE MORE DAY

THE OLLI BOOK CLUB will meet at 2:00 in TA-2 on Wed, Oct 10. The book for discussion is award-winning journalist Mitch Albom's second novel, For One More Day.      Albom recently spoke at Mason as part of the 2007 Fall for the Book Festival where he was awarded the Fairfax Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Literary Arts.      All OLLI members are welcome.

---

THANKS TO GUEST EDITOR JOHN WEST

COMMENTS/QUESTIONS/SUGGESTIONS ABOUT OLLI?

I WANT TO PUBLICLY THANK JOHN WEST for taking over so ably for me as guest editor for two weeks while I was out of the country. Without John's expertise and willingness to serve as my backup (I'm not sure how I came up with the intriguing title of "guest editor"), you might have had to miss the weekly news about OLLI that you've come to rely upon. John West, Guest Editor, Sep 21 & 28      In his quiet, unassuming and humorous way, John continues to help make this newsletter the best it can be. In addition to serving as backup editor (and as Webmaster assistant), John is part of a small, important team of reviewers that includes deputy editor/proofreader Karen Hamilton and Publications Committee chair Gordon Canyock; the team carefully reviews the draft of each issue and provides me with comments, corrections and suggestions before we go to press. Thank you, John! -- Rod Zumbro, OLLI E-News editor

HERE'S HOW to express your views--       • Publicly (if you would like your comments published in this newsletter): Email your "Letter to the Editor" or "Letter to Ms. Ollie Ettakit" to the editor. Anonymous submissions are acceptable if you provide contact information so we can verify that you are an OLLI member. Whenever an official response is clearly appropriate, the editor will obtain and publish the OLLI response in the same issue so members will have more complete information and a balanced picture of the matter.      • Privately--           • Contact any Board member or the Executive Director;           • Send an email to the entire Board (email the editor or the office to have your message forwarded to all members of the Board);           • Submit a suggestion online or in the box in the Tallwood social room or on one of the "parking lots for ideas" in classrooms; or           • Contact the office by email or phone (703-503-3384).

DONATION OF COMPUTERS. As a follow-on to the recent tech tip on donating a computer, OLLI member Bob Naylor quotes a Post article about upcoming dates for such donations: computer equipment and peripherals accepted free, with $10 fee for CRT monitors, at American Legion Post 270, 1355 Balls Hill Road, McLean, on Sat, Oct 13, 9:00-2:00; and the same at Herndon High School, 700 Bennett St., Herndon, on Sat, Nov 10, 10:00-4:00.

By Dick Chobot, Executive Director
NEXT FRI, OCT 12, FROM 1:00-3:00 in TA-1, Dorothy Schoeneman will present a program on the Peace Corps 50+ Program. Dorothy herself is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer or RPCV, having served from 1999 to 2001 in Mali. She also is the regional recruiting coordinator for the 50+ Program.
     When I met recently with Dorothy and Julius Kassovic, the 50+ Program Manager, I was surprised to learn that:

• Hundreds of individuals our age have served and are currently serving in the Peace Corps. We are valued for our experience.      • While serving, medical coverage and dental is provided; and, in case of illness, transportation to and treatment at an American-standard medical facility.      • Intensive language instruction is provided before placement, as well as language support during placement … and remember, the literature on brain health extols the value of complex cognitive tasks like learning a new language.      • Peace Corps service does not affect a volunteer’s Social Security benefits.      • The Peace Corps covers the cost of transportation to assigned location, medical and dental care, and a monthly living allowance.      • Vacation is accrued (two days a month).      • Upon completion their assignment (usually two years, plus three months in training), volunteers are given just over $6,000, which can assist in readjustment back home.

     The few individuals I have known who have served as Peace Corps volunteers have agreed with the slogan, "The toughest job you will ever love!"
     Come and check it out next Friday.

To kickoff the Arts at Mason Festival

  By Eileen and Charles Duggan, OLLI members
IN EARLIER EDITIONS OF OLLI E-NEWS, we alerted OLLI members to mark their calendars for the first annual Arts at Mason Festival that will be held next summer: Jun 12-29, 2008. The festival will present offerings in theater, dance, music, film, visual arts and more.
   To officially introduce the Mason community to the festival, the festival board has invited all of us to attend a complementary wine and cheese reception on Wed, Oct 17, at 6:00 in TheaterSpace on the Mason campus. This will be your chance to hear in detail what specific performances and special events are planned.
   So, please come out and join your fellow arts lovers in the unveiling of what will become an annual arts event in Northern Virginia.
   TheaterSpace is on the first floor of the Performing Arts building, the red brick building immediately behind the Center for the Arts. Directions can be found at www.gmu.edu/cfa/directions. If you can make it, please rsvp to Jessica Timmins at the Theater of the First Amendment by phone (703-993-2195) or email.

By Elizabeth Crawford, OLLI E-News staff writer

By Jan Bohall, OLLI E-News staff writer

FOR TICKETS, call 1-888-945-2468 (phone orders are handled by tickets.com) or visit the Center for the Arts Box Office, Tue-Sat, 10:00-6:00. More info on tickets at the CFA tickets page.