Want to build a discussion skills program?
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 Alex Munro for sharing his R.E.A.L. life with us! Alex is a seventh-grade history teacher at Francis W. Parker School in Chicago, IL. Here are his thoughts on the value and practical steps of teaching discussion skills to middle schoolers. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity. Name: Alex Munro Hometown:…
I recently found myself nodding enthusiastically as I was reading Sian Leah Beilock’s article in The Atlantic, “Teach Students How to Think, Not What to Think.” Beilock, a cognitive scientist and the president of Dartmouth College, argues that higher education should focus less on ideology and more on helping students develop the skills to think…
Sidra D. Smith, Ph.D. | R.E.A.L.® Discussion | Director, Independent Schools Program After many years as a school leader, this fall looks different for me. I am not walking into opening faculty meetings or greeting families at back-to-school night. Instead, in my new role supporting R.E.A.L.® Discussion, I spent the summer with hundreds of educators…
It’s been fun to see other founders share the “unhinged” things they have done to build their businesses. But to me, this trend is more than entertainment. It’s an example of authentic interaction in a world that is increasingly AI-dominated, and I’m a relentless champion for human connection.
So, what are some of the “unhinged” things I have done to build R.E.A.L.® Discussion?
If we are serious about preparing students for the future, we cannot prioritize technology over humanity. We need both. Artificial intelligence may shape the tools of the future, but authentic interaction shapes us.
Even as AI opens new doors for innovation, it cannot replace what makes us most human: our ability to connect through authentic, face-to-face conversation.
Thank you to Julia Porter for sharing her R.E.A.L. life with us! Julia is a high school English teacher at Tabor Academy in Marion, MA. Here are her thoughts on discussion, R.E.A.L.®, and learning. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity. Name: Julia Porter Hometown: Amherst, Massachusetts Current School: I teach ninth graders and…
a Guest Post by Robert Barnett What can machines do better than humans? And what can humans do better than machines? In the world of AI, this is a question on many people’s minds. And for those of us in education, it feels particularly relevant. Teaching has always been a fundamentally human endeavor, and the…
This week, we’re featuring a team of teachers from St. Catherine’s School in Richmond, VA: Maggie Nunn, who teaches eighth grade Civics and US Government, and Julie Elmore, who teaches eighth grade English. How do you kick off R.E.A.L.® in your classroom? What are some of the intro moves you make? What did you do…
Last week, we were thrilled to welcome friend-of-R.E.A.L.® Jeff Wetzler to give a keynote presentation to our intrepid R.E.A.L.® educators. Jeff, the former Chief Learning Officer of Teach for America, is the co-founder of Transcend, an organization that strives to support school communities as they create extraordinary, equitable learning environments, and the author of Ask:…
by Emily Gromoll and Izzy Guiliano One of the ways teachers (and students) gauge growth in discussion skills as part of the R.E.A.L.® Discussion process is through the Student Survey and R.E.A.L.® Data Dashboard. Prior to starting R.E.A.L.® and every three discussions thereafter, students take a short, anonymized survey in which they report on their comfort…