Meet Me in the Middle: A Conversation with Ellie Walsh-Moots

Meet Me in the Middle: A Conversation with Ellie Walsh-Moots

Ellie Walsh-Moots is a Social Studies teacher, former department chair (and Jeopardy! Teachers Tournament quarterfinalist!) who lives in Nashville, Tennessee. She is passionate about studying middle leadership – that is, the experience of school leaders who maintain teaching responsibilities – within schools. A Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Grantee, Ellie spent part of 2022 researching…

Cotter’s Blotter: Introverts, Civility, and the Power of “And”

Cotter’s Blotter: Introverts, Civility, and the Power of “And”

by Cotter Donnell Welcome to the latest installment of Cotter’s Blotter, a recurring blog post where I share some of the education resources, interesting ideas, and captivating questions we’re thinking about at R.E.A.L.® Here’s a quick roundup of some of the ideas that have been on my mind and some of the things we’ve been…

Building Confidence and Conversation Culture: A Case Study with Girls Preparatory School

Building Confidence and Conversation Culture: A Case Study with Girls Preparatory School

Empowering girls to use their voices has always been mission-critical for Girls Preparatory School (GPS), an independent day school for girls in grades 6-12 based in Chattanooga, TN. We partnered with GPS to create a school-wide Conversation Culture that would activate voices throughout the entire community. Read on to learn more!

Cotter’s Blotter: Learning Loss, Stellar Teachers, and SEL

Cotter’s Blotter: Learning Loss, Stellar Teachers, and SEL

by Cotter Donnell Welcome to the latest installment of Cotter’s Blotter, a biweekly blog post where I share some of the education resources, interesting ideas, and captivating questions we’re thinking about at R.E.A.L.® Here’s a quick roundup of some of the ideas that have been on my mind and some of the things we’ve been…

A Gen-Z Response to ChatGPT

A Gen-Z Response to ChatGPT

Since OpenAI launched its groundbreaking ChatGPT AI chatbot in late November, the education world has been abuzz. Will such a sophisticated language model negate the need for writing instruction? Will it completely upend the road rules surrounding paper-writing and exam-taking? Will it further alienate tech-dependent students who may already feel distanced from the “real” world?…

Cotter’s Blotter: AI, Black History Month, & Future-Proof Skills

Cotter’s Blotter: AI, Black History Month, & Future-Proof Skills

by Cotter Donnell Welcome to Cotter’s Blotter– a biweekly blog post where I share some of the education resources, interesting ideas, and captivating questions we’re thinking about at R.E.A.L.® I hope you find them inspiring and thought-provoking. Artificial Intelligence and a More Hopeful Future Anyone paying attention to current discussion in the field of education…