It’s been a BIG year at REAL! Read more in our Annual Report
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A series about teachers (who are the main characters of our mission) out there hustling to make their students feel known, heard, and challenged through student-led discussion.
Thank you to Matt Tilford and Jack Fischer for sharing their REAL lives with us! Matt and Jack teach history at Woodward Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. Here are their thoughts on discussion, R.E.A.L.®, and learning. Names/Hometowns: Matt Tilford: Joshua Tree, CaliforniaJack Fischer: St. Louis, Missouri Current School: Woodward Academy in Atlanta, Georgia Can you describe…
Thank you to Shaila Richmond & William Berry for sharing their REAL lives with us! Shaila and William teach seventh grade English and History, respectively, at St. Catherine’s School in Richmond, Virginia. Here are their thoughts on discussion, R.E.A.L.®, and learning. Names/Hometowns: Shaila Richmond and William Berry, Richmond, VA Current School: St. Catherine’s School Can…
Today, we’re thrilled to welcome Peter Nilsson — AI expert, seasoned school leader, and diehard humanities teacher — to the blog. A prolific writer, Pete has spilled much ink discussing the role and purpose of in-class education in an AI world — and he’s bullish on the part school still has to play, even amid…
Thank you to Sydney Freibaum & Jennifer Cordero for sharing their REAL lives with us! Sydney and Jennifer are sixth grade teachers at Hutchison School in Memphis, TN. Here are their thoughts on discussion, R.E.A.L.®, and learning. Names/Hometowns: Sydney Freibaum, Memphis Jennifer Cordero, Memphis Current School: Hutchison Middle School, where Sydney teaches sixth grade English…
by Harriet Piercy Harriet Piercy has taught English at London secondary schools since 2015 and held a number of roles as a curriculum leader. She is currently joint head of the English faculty at Haggerston School in Hackney. She was recently a Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching scholar at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, undertaking…
Dr. Sarah Bennison is the co-founder and CEO of the Mattering Movement, an organization focused on combating the pandemic of loneliness and despair—that is, a widespread mattering deficit—that’s harming today’s youth. What follows is a conversation between Sarah and R.E.A.L. Founder Liza Garonzik. This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity. Liza: Welcome, Sarah, we’re…
As we turn the page to a fresh new year, we’re eager to see how seeds we planted in 2023 will bloom in 2024. One thing we’re most proud of from 2023? Developing our R.E.A.L.® Trainer program. R.E.A.L.® Trainers are teachers or leaders who have experience using R.E.A.L.® in their classrooms. They join R.E.A.L.® to…
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…