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.

In the concluding episode of our three part series on college, we chat with CTY alumni and their families about their college search experience and find out which resources, tips, and strategies helped them most during their college admissions odyssey.

Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion at Ohio State University Dr. James Moore III talks with host Jonathan Plucker about the unique barriers faced by disadvantaged students, the impact of implicit bias and stereotyping on developing their talents, and what strategies families can use to effectively advocate for diverse students.

In part two of our three episode series on college we hear directly from two senior admissions officers at elite private and public schools—Ellen Kim, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Johns Hopkins University, and Sacha Thieme, Executive Director of the Office of Admissions at the University of Indiana Bloomington—and delve into the college admissions process, how admissions decisions are made, the common mistakes bright students make when applying to schools, and more!

Are you born creative, or can you learn to be creative? Is there a relationship between creativity and intelligence? This week we sit down with Kristen Lamb, Research Associate for the Robinson Center for Young Scholars at the University of Washington - Seattle, to talk about what creativity is, what it isn't, and what we know about creativity across the lifespan.

In the first part of this three part series we talk with Dr. Linda Brody, Director of the Study of Exceptional Talent (SET) at the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, about common misconceptions academically advanced students and their families have about the college search and admissions process, how the college search experience is (and isn't) different for bright students, and whether college is the right path for every bright student.

Dr. Antonia Szymanski, an Associate Professor of Gifted Studies at Western Kentucky University, joins us for an exploration of affective learning, the social and emotional issues and strengths most commonly associated with giftedness, and how parents can help bright kids manage emotional challenges.

What's the day to day experience like for students at a high school designed to challenge advanced learners, and what are the benefits and drawbacks to attending one? Dr. Julia Link Roberts, the Executive Director of The Center for Gifted Studies at Western Kentucky University, helps CTY's Jonathan Plucker answer these questions, and discusses her own experience starting a special high school.

Megan Foley Nicpon, counseling psychology professor at the University of Iowa and researcher at the Belin-Blank Center, joins CTY's Jonathan Plucker for a wide-ranging discussion of twice-exceptional learners, including what “twice-exceptional” (or “2e”) means, the unique barriers and challenges 2e students face, and how their needs differ from those of other high-ability learners.

NPR's Anya Kamenetz, author of "The Art of Screen Time: How Your Family Can Balance Digital Media and Real Life," talks with CTY's Jonathan Plucker about the promise and pitfalls of digital media for very bright kids, and offers advice on what parents can do to help make screen time positive and productive for their child.

CTY's Julian C. Stanley Professor of Talent Development Jonathan Plucker talks with Dr. Michael Matthews, Program Director for the Academically/Intellectually Gifted graduate programs at UNC Charlotte, about the problem of underachievement among very bright children and how parents and teachers can help motivate underachieving students.