Genius Hour isn’t just a time for students to choose what they want to learn. It’s time for them to find themselves in their creative work. -Juliani
What is the idea/research behind genius hour?
Google gave their employee’s 20% time and this is how Google Earth and Wikipedia were created. 20% time is a time for employees to learn and explore on their own time and can create and learn on their own.
Daniel Pink’s book, Drive, says that people are motivated by intrinsic motivation. We like to follow our passions with
purpose. This intrinsically motivates us.
Why?
Student empowerment
Student autonomy
Life long learning model
More is not always better- genius hour lets kids go into depth of a content.
Increases engagement
It isn’t telling Ss what to do.
It isn’t T sitting in the corner not doing anything.
It’s really more a GUIDE on the SIDE
What Does the Genius Hour Structure Look Like?
The Basics
give time to create their own learning path (20% time)
A Product
It has to also be about creating. Need some kind of product to share.
The Pitch
What do they want to learn, how are the going to learn it, how are they going to present it.
Learn
Start learning and researching, documenting
Share
Blog, video, confer
Make
Create their product
Practice
Get feedback
Present
Share what you learned and created
Show the world
Send it out in the global community
(Click on the picture and download a PDF.)
Time??
How much time do you give?
4-12 weeks may not want to do much longer.
Tips for Getting Started With Students
Ask ?s about what are you passionate about? like…
What do you do for fun?
What are you curious about?
What you always wanted to make or create or do?
Then create a passion madness bracket challenge
KWL
what do you know? What do you WANT to know? What you LEARNED?
Shark Tank Pitch: Share with the class
What
learn to code/program
crate a video game for elementary students
Why
I’m passionate about...
How
Online tutorials
Code mentor
Success
How can you measure your success? 100 people play my game, it’s successful
Action Plan
Ts can confer with this plan to help kids move along.
Reflection
What did you learn?
I learned java is a coding language.
What did you make/create?
I made a sample java line of code and watched to see if it worked.
Epic failures
Goal for next time
Did you accomplish last week’s goal why, why not?
Progress Meter: Where are you?
Idea
Pitch
Learn
Create
Present
Reflect
Giving a great talk: Presentation Structure
Starts with the problem.
What did you learn.
What could the solution be?
What were the learning struggles and learning wins?
What did you make and what are the rewards for learning/making?
Live stream the presentation FB, Ustream, perascope
What I learned…
What did I struggle with and how did I learn from it? What was the most exciting
Grading….
Grade the process?
Have the kids develop a class rubric?
Have a peer review?
GRIT rubric -Juliani's favorite option
Guts
Resiliency
Integrity
Tenacity
Genius Hour Master Course
GHcourse.com
GHCOUPON $119
w/o coupon $149
Resources
Genius Hour Planning Pack by Rachel Poetker