Royal Fireworks Press Blog: 2013
Common Core and American Nonfiction: Some Thoughts by Michael Clay Thompson
The Common Core standards have been adopted in the majority of states, to our relief or disappointment, depending upon our understanding of the standards. My impression is that some of the negative reactions to Common Core have not so much to do with the standards themselves as with how they are interpreted or implemented. Let […]
Advocacy for Gifted Education Should Be a National Priority by James J. Gallagher
As we seek support for educating gifted students, we must accept the fact that our advocacy efforts have been largely unproductive. At the federal level, the Javits legislation has been a bone tossed to quiet us, and state efforts have not been much better. We need a persistent and convincing effort to change our environment. […]
The Venn Diagram: Is It Analysis? by Shelagh Gallagher
Bloom’s taxonomy (and its re-articulation by Anderson, et al.) contains a wealth of detailed information about different levels of thinking. Unfortunately, the taxonomy is rarely presented in enough depth to appreciate its nuances. The purpose of this post is to take a closer look at the category of analysis. A picture of two balloons, one […]
Assessing the Cult of Assessment by Michael Clay Thompson
Those new to the MCT language arts curriculum might be puzzled by the absence of sets of stock worksheets and assessments, which other curricula commonly include as the things for students to do. Many programs feature activities that center around pencils, in which students sit silently to fill in blanks, connect matchings, write short answers […]
Education: It’s Not on the Test by Dr. Thomas Kemnitz
This is such a great time to produce educational materials. With digital photography, printing, and delivery, it is possible to do so many more exciting things now than it ever was in the past. I was struck by the enhanced possibilities that technological change has fostered when I came to write the Greek history and […]