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.
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…
Grant Lichtman is a renowned thought leader on the transformation of K-12 education who works with educators to develop a comfort and capacity for change in a rapidly changing world. Grant spent two years on a cross-country journey exploring deep wells of cultural wisdom that our tech-centered culture has eroded. What follows is a conversation…
Name: Hannah Higgin Hometown: Wallingford, CT Current School & Teaching Assignments: History Department Chair at the Westover School in Middlebury, CT. Describe yourself as a student in three words: Curious, studious, and engaged. Who was your favorite teacher and why? I loved my high school English teachers. Two who meant the most to me are…