Want to build a discussion skills program?
Information & Inspiration
from real teachers, real students & real research
Jim Moore is the English Department Chair at Blair Academy (NJ) and a Faculty Advisory Board member at R.E.A.L.® Discussion. We interviewed Jim about his approach to leadership and how R.E.A.L. supports him in balancing autonomy and alignment for his teachers. What follows is a conversation between Jim and R.E.A.L.® Partnerships and Program Manager Catherine…
Our School Partners: What We’ve Learned Works – and Doesn’t! When I jumped in to build R.E.A.L.® full-time in 2021, I never would have dreamed that by 2024 we would have worked with seventy school partners. When independent school leaders see the variety of schools in the R.E.A.L.® community, we often get a raised eyebrow…
Gwyneth Connell is the Director of the Grauer Institute and a Faculty Advisory Board member at R.E.A.L.® Discussion. We interviewed Gwyneth about her journey to becoming an academic leader and her vision for the recently announced collaboration between R.E.A.L.® and Grauer: an in-person PD opportunity this summer. What follows is a conversation between Gwyneth and…
Ralph Covino is the Humanities Coordinator at Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga, TN. He has been using R.E.A.L.® Discussion programs with his seventh grade history students since 2022. Catherine: Thank you for joining me today! We often like to start off thinking back to your own time in school. How would you describe yourself as…
Thank you to Jessica Wilson, Katherine Hammond, and Maggie Haire, the fourth grade team at Hutchison School (Memphis, TN), for sharing their R.E.A.L. Basics experience with us! R.E.A.L.® Basics is our research-based discussion skills program for elementary-aged students. Can you describe yourself as a student in three words? Jessica: Overachiever, rule-follower… maybe a little anxious….
If you’ve worked with us, you probably know that we have a propensity for action. We like doing good work and going far, fast – so much so that we sometimes skip thinking about how we work or how we message the work we do. This Spring, we decided it was time to think strategically…
“It’s easier to move a cemetery than change a curriculum.” – Woodrow Wilson I saw this quote on a slide the other day – and thought: what an inconvenient truth! But it’s not wrong: pedagogical change is hard. My perspective on this is hard-won: at R.E.A.L., we have worked with almost a thousand teachers to…
Caitlin Dunne is a high school English teacher at Blair Academy (NJ). She is currently getting her Doctorate in Education from the University of Bath. Her thesis, “Gender and Interaction in English Medium Instruction Class Discussions at a Turkish Secondary School” explores gender dynamics in classroom discussions. What follows is a conversation between Caitlin and…
Sumner McCallie is the Dean of Faculty and Curriculum at the McCallie School (TN) and a Faculty Advisory Board member at R.E.A.L.® Discussion. We interviewed Sumner about his path to McCallie and why he believes discussion skills are a cornerstone of McCallie academics and culture. What follows is a conversation between Sumner and R.E.A.L.® Partnerships…
These discussion skills are the groundwork for knowing how to have a conversation with each other, how to advocate for themselves, and how to make friends. Discussion skills are life skills.
-Bridget Johnson
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…
