Bright Now

In this special bonus episode, Dr. Jeff Smith returns to share his perspective as a former consultant to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with a riveting conversation about the groundbreaking impact of some of the historical “bad boys” of art featured in his new book, “Scoundrels, Cads, and Other Great Artists.”

In this special bonus episode, director of the Gifted Education and Talent Development Office at the University of Alabama Dr. Jennifer Jolly returns to dive deeper into parenting strategies, advocating for gifted students, and the importance of forging strong communities among parents of gifted learners.

How can parents and educators help children express themselves and their dreams confidently? Tre’ Gammage, educational consultant and author of “Every Decision Counts: 8 Lessons I Wish They Taught Me In School” and host Jonathan Plucker discuss nuances of communication and methods for supporting children as they develop their social-emotional skill sets. Show notes: https://johnshopkinscty.org/bright-now-season-three-show-notes

We know parents have questions about testing—so we brought in an expert to answer them! Dr. Jeff Smith, Dean of the College of Education at the University of Otago in New Zealand, joins CTY’s Jonathan Plucker for a Q&A session with questions provided by our listeners that cover a wide range of assessment-related topics. Show notes: https://johnshopkinscty.org/bright-now-season-three-show-notes

What are the keys to making homeschooling effective for advanced learners? Dr. Jennifer Jolly, director of the Gifted Education and Talent Development Office at the University of Alabama sits down with host Jonathan Plucker to discuss the relationship between homeschooling and institutional learning, and how the flexibility and options afforded by homeschooling can make it ideal for gifted students. Show notes: https://johnshopkinscty.org/bright-now-season-three-show-notes

At a time when distance learning has become “the new normal,” we hear from Chris Robbins, a 26 year veteran teacher in the Glastonbury Public Schools in Connecticut, as he and host Jonathan Plucker break down some of the benefits and challenges of transitioning to a digital model of education. Show notes: https://johnshopkinscty.org/digital-education-with-chris-robbins

How can all children learn to apply critical thinking in the classroom and in the world? Colin Seale, founder and CEO of thinkLaw and author of “Thinking Like A Lawyer: A Framework for Teaching Critical Thinking to All Students,” joins CTY’s Jonathan Plucker to examine how lack of educational equity prevents students from developing their critical thinking skills, and what educators and parents can do to help close that gap. Show Notes: https://johnshopkinscty.org/bright-now-season-three-show-notes

In this special mid-season bonus episode, Michael Horn, co-author of "Choosing College: How to Make Better Learning Decisions Throughout Your Life," returns to discuss and expand on the concept of disruptive innovation.

Following up on our three part series in Season two; Michael Horn, a senior partner for Entangled Solution and the co-author of "Choosing College: How to Make Better Learning Decisions Throughout Your Life" and CTY's Jonathan Plucker dive into the importance of post-secondary education and lifelong learning.

Is your child frustrated in class? Are they ready for the next level? Dr. Susan Assouline, the Myron and Jacqueline N. Blank Endowed Chair in Gifted Education at the University of Iowa and CTY's Jonathan Plucker discuss some of the options available to parents and educators, the challenges their child may face, and the potential impact that acceleration may have on a gifted student’s social and emotional development.

How can you take your child’s creative spark and make it burn even brighter? Matthew Worwood, Associate Director of the Digital Media & Design Program and Assistant-Professor-of-Practice at the University of Connecticut joins host Jonathan Plucker to discuss the strategies that parents can employ in order to help encourage, foster, and increase creativity in their children.

Can the relentless pursuit of perfection hinder a child’s academic development? Dr. Michelle Muratori, research psychologist and counselor at the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins and CTY’s Jonathan Plucker explore what parents of gifted children can do to balance striving for greatness with the social and emotional pitfalls of maladaptive perfectionism.

In this special bonus episode, Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion at Ohio State University Dr. James Moore III extends and expands his Episode 09 discussion with host Jonathan Plucker on the barriers and biases faced by diverse students, and offers additional suggestions on effective interventions and strategies families can use to advocate for them.

In this special bonus episode of Bright Now, we dive into a fascinating discussion of historical conceptions of time and its measurement with John Hopkins East Asian Science Professor Dr. Yulia Frumer, and explore classical Japanese time based on seasons, the importance of creativity and technological innovation in disseminating ideas about time across cultures, and the bizarre tale of how a shipwreck lead to one 19th c. astronomer becoming a mummy defendant.

Dr. Steve Fredericks, a former NYC school teacher and the Executive Director of New York Edge, talks with host Jonathan Plucker about identifying academic potential in struggling urban schools, and the systemic issues that have made NYC selective schools less diverse and more racially homogenous since the 1970s.