Want to build a discussion skills program?
Shannon Schmidt Shannon Schmidt is the Director of the The Amabel Boyce ’70 Center for Learning and Thriving at Garrison Forest School (MD) and a Faculty Advisory Board member at R.E.A.L.® Discussion. We interviewed Shannon about her approach to leadership and how building discussion skills align with the goals of the Boyce Center. What follows…
Thank you to Eamon Thornton for sharing his R.E.A.L. life with us! Eamon is a high school English teacher at the McCallie School in Chattanooga, TN. Here are his thoughts on discussion, R.E.A.L.®, and learning. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity. Name: Eamon Thornton Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia, but I was actually a boarding…
“To me, innovation in education is anything that helps learners make progress that wasn’t being done before. It doesn’t have to involve technology, and it doesn’t have to involve a newfangled design. In many cases innovation can mean executing something more purposefully and deliberately to produce enormous gains.”
“With individuals, if you want bridging to happen, the first step is to foster a space of self-definition: who you are, where you stand, what you stand for. Then, from there, people can start to see the other, acknowledge the other, listen to the other, and then finally have that “bridge” moment of seeing yourself in them.”
“Really, this isn’t just about redesigning assessment; rather, it’s about redesigning the feedback loop and making sure that we build student reflection so that teachers aren’t the purveyors of learning. These are the dispositions that we all want in our colleagues, employees, and supervisors, so let’s build them in our children.”
The Protagonists series highlights the main characters of our mission: the teachers out there hustling to make their students feel known, heard, and challenged through student-led discussion. Hometown Manchester, NH. My dad grew up there, too – it’s very much home. Favorite teacher growing up: who and why? Ms. Sears was my sophomore English teacher….
“I’ve kept that with me as a teacher: I want my students to feel like I believe in them and trust them, that every challenge I give them is designed to lead them to success.”
“Education can be really performative, even when it’s called ‘authentic’… one thing I like about Premise is that there’s no need to perform.”
“My middle schoolers are ready for more – more leadership, more say, more experiences – but we often don’t let them do more. There’s so much that educators can do to enhance education in middle school.”
“I’ve learned a lot about respecting [students’] boundaries and finding ways for students to contribute that aren’t verbal, but I do still believe that being able to articulate your thinking is an important life skill.”