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"Everything you need to know to use this teaching movement effectively"
What Is Genius Hour?
What Is Genius Hour?
Genius hour is student-directed learning and not teacher-led. Students direct their own learning for just an hour a day. This is the time when teachers allow their students to process, create, develop, and learn a new skill set. The goal is to help students build their problem solving skills and critical thinking skills. By inquiry based learning experiences geared specifically for their interests, students will engage in and explore their own ideas.
Genius hour is student-directed learning and not teacher-led. Students direct their own learning for just an hour a day. This is the time when teachers allow their students to process, create, develop, and learn a new skill set. The goal is to help students build their problem solving skills and critical thinking skills. By inquiry based learning experiences geared specifically for their interests, students will engage in and explore their own ideas.
The Three Keys to Success
The Three Keys to Success
1. Genius Hour should involve 'new learning' based on student curiosity.
1. Genius Hour should involve 'new learning' based on student curiosity.
2. Genius Hour should have a clear driving question to guide their inquiry based learning.
2. Genius Hour should have a clear driving question to guide their inquiry based learning.
3. The Goal is not the end result, but there should be a product or artifact that students that can be shared and published in a way that benefits other students learning.
3. The Goal is not the end result, but there should be a product or artifact that students that can be shared and published in a way that benefits other students learning.
Section 1 - Theoretical Roots
Section 1 - Theoretical Roots
How it Began: Genius Hour started as a business model for employees to work on passion projects during 1 out of 5 of their days in a week. This was first implemented by companies such as google and 3M's, which led to the invention of Post-It Notes, and roughly 50% of Googles inventions (ex. G-mail, google earth).
How it's connected to Education? The idea of dedicating time to personal projects was an idea was implemented into classrooms as a practice devoted to enabling student development and therefore, leading to personal inquiry questions about topics meaningful to them.
How Genius Hour is Beneficial to people/students: By giving people the opportunity to follow their own passions, it allows their work/learning to be more meaningful, which has been proven to create better comprehension and insight into topics.
Section 2 - Applications in Education
Section 2 - Applications in Education
"So... how do we bring this to our students?"
"Can it work for all grades?"
Yes, Since Genius Hour is inquiry based it allows students to work at their own pace of interest. What that means is it can be applied at any grade level.
"What is the premise?"
The premise is, students get to spend a certain amount of time (decided by the teacher) to work on their passion projects through self guided learning.
"How do you Structure Genius Hour?"
First step is to choose any parameter's or standards you expect the subject to be in. this may not be mandatory, but is a good way to align your Genius Hour with some sort of Curriculum.
(Ew... gross word)
Let your students select their topics, and get them to formulate research questions. This will guide their research in a positive direction.
Students will take their allotted time to research, redefine and reimagine their topic. This will lead them to creating their passion projects.
Time to create. letting students have more freedom of choice between projects, artifacts, podcasts, videos, infographics etc. gives them the ability to lock in their learning and process, create, develop, and learn a new skill set.
finally its their turn to share their projects in what ever way you choose. this could be class presentations, sharing with the community, informing the school, etc.
"How do we Assess Our Students?"
Assessment can come in a variety of forms from Self assessments, Formative and Summative. The idea is that its the teachers job to ensure the student is making progress and understanding what they are learning (teachers are not expected to understand every topic each student presents). Good formative assessments practices can be observing their planning, progress and explanation of the topic. where good summative assessment practices can be going over planning sheets,(Ew... sheets). reflection forms and presentations. example assessment sheet-right of page.
Section 3 - Potential Pitfalls
Section 3 - Potential Pitfalls
-By not properly integrating the topic in your practice.
There is obviously a grey area for 'passion-based' projects since it is curiosity centered and therefore, relies on a student to be curious about something. This creates the issue of students not learning because they are used to being told what to learn and have not been given creative freedom before. To combat this issue it is important that the teacher can maintain the influence of learning and curiosity. This can be through check-ins, or just a slow introduction that allows the creative juices to build.
Another issue that can come from improper integration is the freedom structure. The teachers role in a Genius Hour movement has a different set of rules, where teachers need to adjust their planning in a way that best benefits the students. This also relates to grading; since there is a strong pressure on student expectations, there is a need for assessment where there must be expectations met.
the main issues that need to be focused on to prevent improper integration are, accountability (being sure the students are on a task), Assessment, reducing the free-for-all, and ensuring the production of meaningful work.
Section 4 - Transforming Learning
Section 4 - Transforming Learning
Genius Hour transforms learning by allowing students to participate in real world 21st century skills such as, critical thinking, creativity, using technology, collaboration, communication and more.
Genius Hour is a tool that is used to stir imagination, and influence genuine connections and excitement to what you are learning.
The one-size-fits-all learning/teaching method has been long overdue for a face lift, and Genius Hour is that change. Genius Hour is best described as the transformation from consuming technology and ideas, to creating technology and ideas.
Section 5 - Success Stories
Section 5 - Success Stories
Emily 12yrs, Grade 7 - Success story #1
Ava 13yrs, Grade 8 - Sucess story #2
Aaron Warner, Teacher - Classroom news
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