Congratulations to the Winners of Our National Student Essay Contest!

Congratulations to the Winners of Our National Student Essay Contest!

We are delighted to announce the winners of The First Annual R.E.A.L. ® Discussion National Essay Contest! We invited the thousands of students who have used R.E.A.L.® this year to submit an essay examining the role of face-to-face discussion in a tech-centered, AI-powered, ChatGPT-frenzied world. We noticed shared themes across the many submissions we received…

3 Tips for Handling ChatGPT in Your Class Discussions

3 Tips for Handling ChatGPT in Your Class Discussions

AI is on everyone’s mind – and teachers are no exception.  The recent rise in generative AI has educators undergoing somewhat of an existential crisis. If computers are smart enough to write an essay, to analyze text, and to draw connections and conclusions among various sources, what’s left for students to do? If teens have…

Reading, Writing…and Talking: What if America Had a National Conversation Skills Curriculum?

Reading, Writing…and Talking: What if America Had a National Conversation Skills Curriculum?

In what feels like a divided, screenbound world, here’s something I think most Americans would agree on: we need to re-learn how to talk (and listen) to each other. How can we do that? One step would be to make the instruction of conversation skills a national priority.  Why? Discussion skills are democracy skills. They…

Cotter’s Blotter: Reflection, Emotional Wellness, and “The Four Pivots”

Cotter’s Blotter: Reflection, Emotional Wellness, and “The Four Pivots”

by Cotter Donnell The end of the academic year always feels so full – full of fun events, big emotions, and new ideas. I don’t know about you, but my mind has been running in overdrive for the last few weeks! Here are a few things that have caught my attention. Enjoy! Making time for…

R.E.A.L. Teacher Feature: Patrick Farmer

R.E.A.L. Teacher Feature: Patrick Farmer

Thank you to Patrick Farmer for sharing his REAL life with us! Patrick is a reading/language arts and social studies teacher at Nativity Preparatory School in Boston, Massachusetts. Here are his thoughts on discussion, R.E.A.L.®, and learning. Current City, School, Teaching Assignments: 6th grade Reading/Language Arts and Social Studies Lead Teacher at Nativity Preparatory School…

Meet Me in the Middle: A Conversation with Ellie Walsh-Moots

Meet Me in the Middle: A Conversation with Ellie Walsh-Moots

Ellie Walsh-Moots is a Social Studies teacher, former department chair (and Jeopardy! Teachers Tournament quarterfinalist!) who lives in Nashville, Tennessee. She is passionate about studying middle leadership – that is, the experience of school leaders who maintain teaching responsibilities – within schools. A Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Grantee, Ellie spent part of 2022 researching…