REAL Discussion

02/27/2023

Great conversations take risks! Seeing your students make academic leaps always invites magic into the classroom.

02/24/2023

There's nothing better than seeing R.E.A.L. "in real life." Our team loved visiting Patrick Farmer's classroom and filming footage to be used in next summer's teacher training. Thanks for having us, Patrick and Nativity Preparatory School of Boston. Go sixth graders!

02/23/2023

This month, we are thrilled to spotlight our special projects intern, FRANCESCA! 🤩 Francesca Chirco our ball of energy -- for everything from the newsletter to breakout rooms here at R.E.A.L.! 🧡💙

02/20/2023

"When we started doing REAL, I saw a boy who is usually quiet not only speak but take a leadership position. I could tell it changed how he thought of himself."

We LOVE hearing stories like this from master teachers like Weesie Cook. Learn more about her experience launching REAL with sixth-grade boys here!

https://www.realdiscussion.org/real-teacher-feature-weesie-cook/

Sixth grade English teacher Weesie Cook shares her REAL life with us, including how she uses R.E.A.L. Discussion in her classroom.

02/18/2023

02/17/2023

Who thinks the best conversation happens over a meal? We do! Here's to the many conversations our students have with their friends over lunch and families over dinner.

02/15/2023

Reflection is the key to growth -- and great leadership. Here's but one example of a wonderful student reflection we saw recently!

02/13/2023

This month we are so excited to spotlight our Partnerships Director, Cotter Donnelll. A former Associate Head, Cotter brings empathy and strategy to his partnership conversations with school leaders. Read more about why he chose R.E.A.L. and his role on our website AND check out the first installment of his blog "Cotter's Blotter" below! 🧡💙

https://www.realdiscussion.org/cotters-blotter-ai-black-history-month-future-proof-skills/

02/10/2023

This past Monday we held our second Roundtable for leaders in our R.E.A.L. network. Thank you so much to Julie Faulstich for her wisdom and strategies in managing change in independent schools. We're so excited to continue this Roundtable series in the future!

02/08/2023

Deep relationships are the key to the “Good Life,” according to Robert Waldinger MD and Marc Schulz, authors and co-directors of The Harvard Study. Yet, at REAL we find ourselves wondering: are todays students learning the relational skills they need to develop deep relationships? Liza shares what she sees in the research here.

https://www.realdiscussion.org/skills-for-the-good-life-todays-kids-dont-yet-have-them/

How can we proactively teach kids the relational skills they need to lead "good lives" as they grow up in a tech-centric world?

02/07/2023

Teaching conversation skills are especially important in classrooms where students come from different cultural backgrounds and bring international perspectives! Thanks School Services for the opportunity to reflect on these deeply human skills. Read the full article here: shorturl.at/enQ18

02/03/2023

"ChatGPT is smart, but not sentient - let our classrooms be the places where students learn the difference." With the development of this tech, in-classroom learning is more important than ever. Read here to see how discussions could change this.

https://intrepidednews.com/chatgpt-class-discussion-lets-augment-the-smart-with-the-sentient-liza-garonzik/

In a ChatGPT world, here’s to getting serious and systematic about teaching, practicing, tracking, and assessing our most deeply human skills!