Genius Hour originated from the 80/20 idea of many innovative companies, such as Google, where employees are given 20% of their time at work to work on their own, self-directed projects. It became very successful, with products such as Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and others coming from individual employees self-initiated projects.

This concept has been adopted by many teachers in the classroom to allow students to explore their passions. We want to open it up for you as a model for some of your professional development. Basically, choose a topic or a project that you feel will develop you as a teacher or professional, or be a benefit to the school and that you are passionate about. Then DO IT! You could read a great book, develop a novel curriculum, learn to play an instrument, paint your classroom, build a class website, do a deep dive into particle physics or spherical geometry, or overhaul your team's display case.

The 2 minute video on this page is a short introduction to genius hour in schools. The video frames it as a tool for students to learn and grow, but at PHS we believe in learning and growth for EVERYONE. So we want you to think about genius hour as a tool for your learning and growth.

Also, see the links below for more information about Genius Hour for teachers and for students.