Want to build a discussion skills program?
Information & Inspiration
from real teachers, real students & real research
Sarah Hanawald is the Senior Director of the Association for Academic Leaders at One Schoolhouse, a partner in innovation to independent schools around the world. What follows is a conversation between Sarah and R.E.A.L.® Founder Liza Garonzik. This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity. Liza: Sarah, thanks for being with us today. We are…
R.E.A.L.® Discussion is a professional development program that equips faculty to teach, measure, and celebrate discussion skills – which students use in the classroom, in the cafeteria, on the court, and, even, at the grocery store (said one sixth grade girl) and on dates (shared a ninth grade boy)! The system is based on the…
Rob Barnett is the co-founder of Modern Classrooms Project, a teacher-created, research-backed instructional model that helps teachers respond to every student’s individual needs. What follows is a conversation between Rob and R.E.A.L. Discussion founder Liza Garonzik, which has been lightly edited for clarity. Liza: Rob, we’re so excited to be speaking with you today. Tell…
As we head into 2024, “Civil Discourse” is a buzzword – and for good reason. The next Presidential election cycle looms large. Many campuses are still recovering from the hydra-headed ways politics ravaged their communities in 2020. The most strategic school leaders I know are taking a proactive approach, asking: How can we use ’23-24…
Thank you to Kennia Reddrick for sharing her REAL life with us! Kennia is a sixth grade reaching teacher at The Dexter Southfield School in Chestnut Hill, MA. Here are her thoughts on discussion, R.E.A.L.®, and learning. Hometown: Foxborough, MA Current City, School, Teaching Assignments: I currently live in Foxborough, but I’m teaching sixth grade…
We’re in the midst of a revolution. An AI revolution, characterized by increased interactions between humans and machines. In an AI-dominated world, do students still need to learn how to have in-person conversations with other humans? Our answer: a resounding yes. In this whitepaper, we examine: Read on to learn more.
R.E.A.L.® Discussion is a professional development program that equips faculty to teach, measure, and celebrate discussion skills – which students use in the classroom, in the cafeteria, on the court, and, even, at the grocery store (said one sixth grade girl) and on dates (shared a ninth grade boy)! The whole system is based on…
For many teachers, class discussion is a chance to dive into content: to unearth new meaning in a text, debate the impact of a historical event, draw connections among ideas. At R.E.A.L.® we believe all of those things are true – but in today’s world, class discussion serves an even more important purpose: it may…
Achieving the mission of Nativity Preparatory School — in which students grow in character, deepen their faith, and develop transferable academic skills — requires a foundational skill set: the ability to express oneself and listen deeply to others. We partnered with Nativity Prep to break discussion into teachable, assessable skills, starting in sixth grade. Read…
Thank you to Brendan Flanagan for sharing his REAL life with us! Brendan is an English teacher at Gill St. Bernard’s School in Chester, NJ. Here are his thoughts on discussion, R.E.A.L.®, and learning. Hometown: Middletown, NJ Current City, School, Teaching Assignments: AP Language & Composition, English 10, and Digital Literacy at Gill St. Bernard’s…
