Alicia's Genius Hour
Genius Hour
What is Genius Hour? After reading two different articles, How to Use Genius Hour by Angela Watson and Implementing Genius Hour In Your Classroom from the Minds in Bloom blog, it seems that Genius Hour is time given to students to research something they want to learn about based on interest. This can also be known as 20% time. Students are given time to create, invent things, do research based on their interest, and they can even make short videos. Sounds great, don't you think?
Genius Hour - Yay or Nay As an adult, I truly enjoyed Genius Hour. I honestly think my students would also enjoy Genius Hour. The only thing that holds me back from wanting to try this is time. I feel like every minute of the day is already taken up by some kind of teaching. I thought, what if this were an after school program? Does this defeat the purpose of Genius Hour (traditionally done in the classroom)? I do think this would be a great opportunity for my students that are so inquisitive.
Teaching and Learning with Genius Hour in the Classroom
As Ken Robinson stated in his video, Do Schools Kill Creativity? , children are willing to take chances. They are not afraid to be wrong. I feel that Genius Hour would be a great start to getting those creative juices back. With Genius Hour, students can take a chance to research, make, or invent something that they are interested in and not being told what to learn. However, applying Genius Hour in the classroom is something that would take practice, structure, and guidance at first. It's something I'm will to do but I have to do more research before introducing this to my class. One of my questions is, what is the appropriate length of time given to complete their project? Is there a difference in the length of time for younger students vs. older students? If I could find a way to give up an hour every week for at least 4-6 weeks, I would definitely try this in my classroom.
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Alicia, time is always a concern. I can relate to the time struggle myself. Maybe you could work it in as a center every week or as a "fast finisher" activity. I am hoping you will get some other suggestions here too!
ReplyDeleteI too enjoyed genius hour as an adult. I especially liked picking the topic idea of my choice. This is something I believe students will welcome with open arms. Finally, I agree with you about "The only thing that holds me back from wanting to try this is time." Only seeing my students once a week for 45 minutes, this would certainly be a factor for me. Perhaps if it was scheduled or part of 'free choice' this may be an option?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed genius hour too. I liked the chance to try something that I normally would not make the time for on my own because life manages to get in the way.
ReplyDeleteI think with some guidance and structure, my students will really enjoy genius hour. Although, I am not sure about only donating one period a week. May have to incorporate shorter bursts of time.