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By Lorraine Kasyan, October 4, 2015 8:05 pm

Please join me as I broaden my reach – reclaim my name – reenergize my focus – and explore new horizons at LorraineKasyan.com

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By Lorraine Kasyan, April 20, 2015 8:35 pm

Wesley Fryer (@wfryer), Brad Ovenell-Carter (@Braddo) and others have spearheaded Sketchnoting over the years. As I explore this new medium I cannot help but think about the times when I did in fact attempt to get my students to take ‘proper notes’ and to stop doodling. I admit it. There were those students whose drawings seemed obsessive and counter productive to their learning. They seemed so very off topic and often controversial. Oh, how I wish that I had captured that teachable moment and helped them listen with intent and create images that connected the content to their understanding. I am now quietly obsessed with my own exploration of Sketchnoting and it makes me a novice and explorer all over again.

The subject of this post is one of my peers. When I took this job last October I had to slowly navigate the ropes of ten diverse schools, three distinct geographic districts within my county and two intensive education PEP schools (within other schools). Phew, I was daunted by the fact that my charges spanned sixth through thirteenth grades, some schools ‘tech’ savvy and others who struggled with the not enough blues. All these differences hold their own stories. Tonight I speak of one of the most welcoming Media Specialists within my area. He had held his role just a few months longer than I had and that gave us the gift of equal footing and extremely honest communication.

One of the first times Mr. Stone and I met I commented how very difficult it was to keep track of all the requests and tasks that crossed my desk. The new steps to software installation and connections for hardware. Java updates, grade book woes, iPad apps, and overhead projectors. I was filling up legal pads faster than I could replace them and often did not get to peruse the notes to file appropriately or type a response to the teacher in need. (There were many doodles and pictures on these pads.) Wayne showed me his moleskine pad. It was no bigger than 2.5 by 4 inches. He said, “This is what I do. Every time someone asks me for something or I have to follow up on technology I write it in here. I just cross things off as I go and when the book fills up I start a new one.” His notepads looked just like the ones I took with me to India for ease of travel and accessibility. They fit in his back pocket. The connection I felt when he offered me one of his extras filled me with gratitude. I did not take him up on it but started looking for those tattered moleskine notebooks of my own.

So, the post wraps itself up! Wayne helped me with my first Sketchnoting adaptation before I even knew it. His doodles matched mine. There was information in that notepad but symbols, and arrows, and faces, and dots were there too – all connecting his own learning with the tasks ahead of him. One other type of making meaning, but one that resonated with me. Thank you Wayne, and thank you Wesley (@wfryer), Sylvia (@sylviaduckworth), Erin (@KleinErin), Sherrill (@sherrillknezel), Stefanie (@stefanieBnc), and most of all Rachel Smith (@ninmah) for inspiring me to overcome my novice perfectionism. Sketchnoting is in my blood; I am using paper and pen as well as many iPad apps as I explore. I will take it one step at a time illuminating the connections of my new learning journey.

Now, where is that notepad?

April, 21 addition: Enjoy this student artifact, thank you for your kind words.

Isaac made meaning by sketching plot, themes, characters and conflict.

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By Lorraine Kasyan, August 1, 2014 11:54 am

Taking a hint from the Island

Writing a blog that sustains the author is one endeavor – writing one that engages others is quite another story. This year, I hope to do both as I turn this journey from teaching to demonstrating learning through technology. That is not exactly the shift, but a new position and redirection of my professional path requires a statement. The last year has held many profound experiences both personal and professional. Traveling to India stands as a highlight but the loss of another dear friend and two canine companions causes me to pause as I look towards the new school year beginning in just a few days. How will I live as a positive change agent in the classrooms and schools that I serve? How can this new role as ‘Digital Technology Facilitator’ be one that inspires students and teachers to embrace this exciting age of creativity while also encouraging a global awareness of compassion and problem solving?

One step at a time – that’s how! I will meet the needs with small tools and build broader projects as we nurture trust. Learning green screen technology on the iPad sent me looking on the web for tips and tricks. This statement, “One way to depict the cycle of education is that it moves between the development of learning and the subsequent expression of understanding” (Sam Gilksman) really hit home. There is no doubt that education cycles between theories, policies, standards, and assessments. But it also cycles through the tools that allow our students to express what they know. Digital technology delivers a ripe landscape for creative expression. Keeping up with the tools is almost as important as continuing to understand the students who will use them. These children of smartphones, tablets, global unrest, and extreme climate change. In them lie our clues. Clues to how they learn and what they need from us.

Charting a new course and committing to sharing it here. One day at a time.

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By Lorraine Kasyan, August 9, 2013 9:36 pm

There are so many opportunities to say thank you and to watch another person change the trajectory of someone else’s life. Folks in the medical profession do that often by healing an illness or repairing a limb. Helping a loved one through a major surgery recently made me think of the many ways we get to leave a legacy. How very grateful I am for talented physicians who specialize in quirky muscles, tendons, and bones that do not behave the way they are supposed to. Giving someone back the use of his or her arm and shoulder – wow, that is something to be thankful for.

Readjusting to life after my visit to India continues to surprise me.  There is a difference in the way I see and feel my surroundings. A deeper hue or reflected vision. Everything feels crisper visually. The subtleties of birdsong and shadow, sunlight and wind, feel like tender gifts. My senses are alive in a new way and so are my connections to people. India in all her humanity and chaos has created a shift in me that makes me want to pay attention.

This new view makes me eager to get back into my classroom and try once again to do a better job this year than ever before. To create new lessons, find great literary companion pieces, show my students their power and connect them to the world around them – both here in Western NC and across the globe in Mumbai or Delhi. The path ahead energizes me. The policy changes, new student tests, budget cuts and adverse legislation, teacher measurement tools, and financial trimming create a hum in the background of my mind, but they do not overtake my senses. I see smiling faces, hopeful new students, classes coming together as a family, surprise leaders, and thoughtful analysis that changes minds and spurs hope awaiting me.

My legacy. I am mindful that every child matters. Each set of eyes is related to a family with hopes, dreams, challenges, and frustrations. Each set of eyes belongs to caregivers who love them, who toil and work diligently to support and nurture them. And just in case I encounter one who is not that lucky, I am honored to be that set of eyes.

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By Lorraine Kasyan, July 14, 2013 10:17 pm

Just time for a brief hello. We have been busy first at a women’s center, the rural village schools, and then traveling with our host families out of town. My visit was a two hour journey and we were busy the entire time. My hosts were Dr. Pawar and his wife and they took us to several other schools in Daund as well as a village school. I have seen the slums in a rural area, the sugar cane fields and factory, the inside of a treasured medical facility, and so much more. Here are a few faces from the last several days.

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By Lorraine Kasyan, July 10, 2013 11:25 pm

You know, it is an amazing thing to be treated as a dignitary just because you get to do the work you love in life. I mean today at The Bishop School we arrived at 7:30 am so that we could attend Assembly. Assembly happens every morning and consists of prayers, pledges, the national and school anthems, news and today an introduction of guests. Bill Worley and I have had an inspiring two days visiting the school and the respect and generosity showered on us has been truly humbling. I stood in front of a hall of over a thousand students, not the entire student body as the monsoon rains moved us indoors, and was asked to share a few words. Speaking in front of groups is not my favorite thing and to be honest, I think this might have been the largest group I have ever addressed. When words flow from your heart it makes them easy to find. Looking out at the sea of faces dispelled my normal nerves. I had seen these children in the halls, said hello and observed a lesson or two. It was easy to find the words to share my observations and hopes for their futures. Today was one for the books.

My lesson! Well, the Assistant Headmistress to the upper grades, Mrs. Gura, was going to have me come to her room sometime after 11. I thought I would have time to prepare a bit more, but the plan changed and I was moved to 9:15. Back pack and supplies in tow I marched with my lovely guide, Mayuri, up to the room where the students were already waiting for me. 48 tenth graders stood in unison to say, “Good morning, Ma’am” and well, they stayed standing. Phew, no time to unload, no time to regroup or find my ‘stuff’ all of which has been sorted and repacked in the bags I have been toting around the world. This is it. I started with distributing cards to them, little tickets that were to have their names in English and Hindi printed on them.  Rifling through my bags I got out the bare essentials and began.

The lesson was taped and it also flew by. Their eyes were eager, their hands readily shooting towards the ceiling. The windows were open as they are in the entire building with no air conditioning only breezes. So my instruction harmonized with birdsong and the continuous honking of cars, trucks, and taxis. I told them I was going to talk about poetry as a jumping off point. We spoke of the difficulty in writing and I elicited the term writer’s block before moving forward. There were vocabulary words that I had to put on the board to make sure they would understand the imagery in the poem.  Hmm, one half of the board was covered in foil, the other half a traditional green chalkboard of about 4’ by 4’. No well for the chalk. Another scramble uncovered a small piece of chalk not two inches in length, sitting on the desk. There was no eraser.

You don’t need a play-by-play here. The time flew by. The students were eager and thirsty for each step. They wrote and spilled words from their pens and pencils in rapid succession then shared their words with the group. They were delighted when I asked them to turn the cards over and write a favorite word of their own for the group. These were passed to the front, collected, and a student chose one from the pile to use for the next bit of writing. It was uncanny that the word chosen was ‘friends’. We set out to write again after I revealed the term and were still writing when the bell rang. No one stopped. We continued, the passing minutes elapses, the next teacher arrived and still they wanted to keep going. To share. To continue. I asked them to pick one word that was a favorite to say out loud. I wanted to create a verbal wave and to let them hear the similarities in their responses. It was priceless. They stood while I again repacked the backpack and spoke a chorus of “Thank you mams” I floated out of there.

I have other observations from this day. There are many differences in what these children perceive the expectation to be. They had a bit of difficulty with the idea of no rules. Their cards also contained a bubble chart with India in the middle. I have to look at these more closely before I write about them.

Great things. Thanks for reading.

(more photos coming, again, the bandwith issue)

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By Lorraine Kasyan, July 9, 2013 1:43 pm

One of my gracious hosts today. I love this photo as her earnest gaze, tilted head, and reminder in the background to speak English really portray the elegance of The Bishop School.

There are just too many words. I have two days worth of experiences to share and their range is so huge that I almost do not have a place to begin. We are learning about the culture, relishing in the wonder, respect, and graciousness while also wading through the chaos and decay that is India. So many of our speakers have reminded us of the fact that this country is ancient compared to the United States.  In that statement flows the current that the nations have much to share with each other. Wisdom and resilience learning reciprocally with democracy and inventiveness. Many folks talk of corruption here. A society that is based in many ways on bribes and a system that often breaks down and does not care for all. This does not, however, speak to the heart of this beautiful place.

In my visit to a school today I witnessed only the wonder of learning, a great pride in education, and a mass of young people smiling and reaching towards the future. They want to study hard. They monitor each other. They embrace the strict rules and large class sizes. The Bishop School still has Physical Education, Drama, Art, Debate, Football, Cricket, Boxing, and Basketball. There is dance and the choice of languages as well. They must all learn computer programming. They do this in 35 minute classes. The older students must take exams before placing in their next step and all of them said their goal was to earn in the 90^th percentile. This desire to do better and to listen attentively in order to learn as much as they can is the rule – not the exception.  I am honored to visit here. Tomorrow I go live in front of a class of 48 students. Wish me luck!

(photos will be added as soon as I have the bandwith!)

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By Lorraine Kasyan, June 23, 2013 5:13 pm

Living in the mountains of Western North Carolina gives me endless opportunities to view the vast array of changes in nature and the gifts that permeate land and sky. One of those gifts is corn. Passing fields of billowing corn is mesmerizing. Seeing them cut at the end of the season will cause a moment of melancholy as well as a drastic change in landscape. That is why as the year ended this new crop of optimistic corn stalks brought me to tears. The first glimpse felt like an optical illusion. “Is that really a plant or am I seeing things?” The tiny starts so new that it took a few days to really tell that yes, we are on our way. Rows and rows of oscillating promise, firmly planted, rooted to do their part, dependent on the weather and the elements to ensure their success come the end of season.

Thus my musing, once again, on these glorious students of mine (ours), as they get ready to go off into the world to do amazing things. Yes, the students in the class of 2013 are poised, hopeful and ready, just like these glorious rows of corn starts. They want to fill out, reach for the sky, soak up everything around them, and actualize their potential. Speaking of their abilities I would like to share some of their final projects with you. The Senior Project/Graduation Project process has a long tradition here. Students spend a semester studying the topic of their choice and build around it. Research, community service, a professional mentor, and a final product are all woven into a culminating presentation in front of a group of judges from the community. This process empowers. A digital portfolio is required and most students constructed a website to showcase their work.

Here are the links to all of them. Look at the topics to find one that interests you. Send them a comment if you feel so inclined. To be working by their sides, as they stand eager to stretch towards the future is truly an honor. To the new crop!

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By Lorraine Kasyan, April 24, 2013 12:01 pm

There are many updates for the student learning that is taking place. Nadiya followed up on her discovery and has collaborated to validate other sources. She also contacted the author of one of her books and received an email in return. Garrett found out that finding the answers to deeply scientific questions was easier than locating the political loophole that allowed the recent GMO extension to pass through legal avenues. He tried for several hours to find the sections covered by the passing of the bill. This growth was substantial as Garrett began his research fully in favor of GMO’s, desiring only to find evidence that their impact is far more positive than negative. He is now aware of the harm and possible negative impact associated with them and realizes the quagmire created when large corporations involve themselves in legislation. Finding out the facts proved to be a monumental learning experience for him. We have also had the benefit of attending a leadership conference with several captivating speakers. Guy Kawasaki, Terry Bradshaw, and Amanda Gore inspired my students in many ways. You know it was worthwhile when the content is discussed in multiple situations for over a week. Hearing discussions of enchantment, self-improvement, gratitude, joy, and spirit is delightful. These students are applying their experiences in their daily interactions. All in all it has been a valuable few weeks.

Future Leaders: A few of the students waiting for the speakers to begin.

I am leaving for a few days to attend my orientation for an Educator’s trip to India this summer. Sponsored by The Center for International Understanding, I am both honored and humbled by the chance to meet other educators who envision a world where borders dissolve and cultures cooperate. Before I leave, let me share the list of topics for this year’s graduating class. You will be amazed by the diversity here. I am learning so much as I act as mentor, guide, and collaborator for this amazing group of students. Please let me know if you have any questions or contacts for any of them.

List of Topics for 2013
Molecular Gastronomy
River pollution
Foodcycling
The Tradition and Decoration of the Kimono
Sewing – Uniform design
Guitar Crafting (building an electric guitar)
Bass Guitar
Orthotics
Cinematography
Forensic Science and the Steps of Decomposition
Genetically Modified Crops
Photographic Documentation of Rural Appalachia
Occupational Therapy
Art Therapy
Music Therapy
Herbal Remedies
Tattoo – Evolution of Design
Tattoo – History and Culture
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy
Screen-printing
Homelessness – Women and Children
Bacterial Infections – Causes, Treatment, and Prevention
Plant Identification and Natural Remedies on the Appalachian Trail
Welding
Slavery in Western North Carolina – George Avery
Nutrition, Exercise and Health
Music Homogenization
Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacteriaceae
The History of Revivals
Out of School Migrant Youth Workers and Services for Education
HTML and Net Neutrality
Foster Care
Russian Folktales
Diseases of the Eye and Services for the Blind
Creative Writing
Kindness and Self-Esteem in Children

Wow! Look out world, we are setting sail to make a difference.

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By Lorraine Kasyan, March 20, 2013 1:46 pm

Powerful Learning is personalized, rigorous, and relevant.

Working on primary documents.

Formal research papers are never a favorite activity in high school. I have assigned them for years and each time I realize that my students cannot see the value in the process unless the topic is important and of interest to them. With Graduation Project, the research paper is directly linked to the student’s choice but this component remains the biggest hurdle and cause for discontent. However, there are students who dive in and relish their new learning. Nadiya is one of those students and I just have to share a recent breakthrough for her. Nadiya is studying the slaves of Western North Carolina, specifically those who served at the Smith-McDowell house. She has been using primary documents to uncover the conditions endured by the slaves there as compared to the slaves in other parts of the country. She happened upon George Avery, a slave who gained emancipation and land from his owners. Her research focus narrowed down to focus on the conditions of Mr. Avery’s life and his progress as a free man.  Her research uncovered a learning gem for her. She happened upon a current article discussing his life that in her words “was inaccurate and held many assumptions that could not be proven through the primary documents she had been studying.” I asked her if she shared her discovery with her mentor, a professor of history at UNCA. She had not done so and proceeded to send him the link and her assessment.  How delightful!

Much of our class is stored online in a Moodle platform. She posted this update, “I don’t want to brag myself but this is what my mentor said when I sent him a link to an article that made a whole lot terrible assumptions. This is something you cannot do unless you can back it up. You cannot make things up unless you can prove them.”

His reply was, “Thank you for forwarding this article to me. I would certainly like to see his sources. Unless there are documents to back this up, there is a great deal of speculation and assumptions about George Avery and W.W. McDowell. I am going to see if some friends with WNC and McDowell history can substantiate any of this. There are a lot of assumptions about McDowell’s intent expressed. Good research and great questions!”

Nadiya immersed herself in her topic and became an expert. Her careful exploration of primary documents found in the archives of the Smith-McDowell House Museum prepared her to question another source for accuracy and substance. This spark of independent learning validated her hard work and added fuel to the fire of her inquiry. She is amazed and aware that the research process has rewards that go beyond the typical student’s need to just get it over with.

The system works when it is personalized, rigorous, and relevant.

Good reminder.