Let’s Talk About It: Teaching Face-to-Face Communication Skills as Preventative Care for Teens’ Mental Health

Let’s Talk About It: Teaching Face-to-Face Communication Skills as Preventative Care for Teens’ Mental Health

Have you noticed that kids today aren’t talking to each other? We have. We see that today’s teens are connecting with each other, certainly — they spend hours interacting with one another from behind the comfort (and, at times, the agony) of their screens. Yet when kids are off-screen, together, they struggle to talk —…

Understanding the “Organ of Learning” : Brain Science with Glenn Whitman

Understanding the “Organ of Learning” : Brain Science with Glenn Whitman

Glenn Whitman is the Executive Director of the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning at St. Andrew’s Episocpal School, where he also teaches history. The CTTL’s mission is “to elevate teacher effectiveness, student achievement, and the whole child’s school experience using the most promising research and strategies in Mind, Brain, and Education Science.” What follows…

REAL Teacher Feature: David Barndollar

REAL Teacher Feature: David Barndollar

Thank you to David Barndollar for sharing his REAL life with us! David is the English department chair at Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh, PA. Here are his thoughts on discussion, R.E.A.L.®, and learning. Hometown: Houston, TX Current City, School, Teaching Assignments: English Department Chair at Shady Side Academy. Describe yourself as a student in…

Learning How to Talk: Action Research Exploring R.E.A.L. Discussion Instruction

Learning How to Talk: Action Research Exploring R.E.A.L. Discussion Instruction

One of the best parts of working at R.E.A.L.® Discussion is that we learn as much from the teachers who deploy our program as they learn from us. Callie Hammond, a middle school English teacher trained in the R.E.A.L.® method, recently shared her report “Learning How to Talk: How Teaching Middle School Girls the Steps…

Discussion Skills as Democracy Skills: One Educator’s Framework

Discussion Skills as Democracy Skills: One Educator’s Framework

Discussion skills are critical for learning and for life – and that fact has become even more glaringly obvious in our hyper-polarized world. At R.E.A.L. ®, we’re convinced that teaching today’s teens how to engage in thoughtful, respectful face-to-face conversations isn’t just good for their GPAs – it’s critical for our entire society. In our…

Congratulations to the Winners of Our National Student Essay Contest!

Congratulations to the Winners of Our National Student Essay Contest!

We are delighted to announce the winners of The First Annual R.E.A.L. ® Discussion National Essay Contest! We invited the thousands of students who have used R.E.A.L.® this year to submit an essay examining the role of face-to-face discussion in a tech-centered, AI-powered, ChatGPT-frenzied world. We noticed shared themes across the many submissions we received…

3 Tips for Handling ChatGPT in Your Class Discussions

3 Tips for Handling ChatGPT in Your Class Discussions

AI is on everyone’s mind – and teachers are no exception.  The recent rise in generative AI has educators undergoing somewhat of an existential crisis. If computers are smart enough to write an essay, to analyze text, and to draw connections and conclusions among various sources, what’s left for students to do? If teens have…

Reading, Writing…and Talking: What if America Had a National Conversation Skills Curriculum?

Reading, Writing…and Talking: What if America Had a National Conversation Skills Curriculum?

In what feels like a divided, screenbound world, here’s something I think most Americans would agree on: we need to re-learn how to talk (and listen) to each other. How can we do that? One step would be to make the instruction of conversation skills a national priority.  Why? Discussion skills are democracy skills. They…

Cotter’s Blotter: Reflection, Emotional Wellness, and “The Four Pivots”

Cotter’s Blotter: Reflection, Emotional Wellness, and “The Four Pivots”

by Cotter Donnell The end of the academic year always feels so full – full of fun events, big emotions, and new ideas. I don’t know about you, but my mind has been running in overdrive for the last few weeks! Here are a few things that have caught my attention. Enjoy! Making time for…