Genius Hour

It's the first week of summer, and I haven't wasted any time so far. I've begun making plans to introduce Genius Hour (another name for 20% Time inspired by Google) to my class in the fall. In addition to what I learned from the 2014 CUE conference in Palm Springs, CA in March, here is the link from LiveBinder that I've been using to learn more and form a plan for my class next year. There is so much information out there that is it overwhelming!

LiveBinder for Genius Hour from Joy Kirr

The basic idea is that in order to allow for innovation in the classroom, students need to be given time IN CLASS to do it (and let's just include teachers, too, because who doesn't need some time to be innovative instead of grading papers?). Based on the plethora of information out there, here are some of the "rules" about 20% Time/Genius Hour:

1. Students should pick a topic/issue that they are very interested in and want to learn more about. The subject must be vetted by the teacher prior to the launching of their research. Some teachers have an anything-goes philosophy, while others want it to be based on the betterment of the community.
2. Students should be given 20% of their day (realistically, this would be one subject period per week) to explore this topic. 
3. Students must spend their time in class researching and writing/blogging about what they have learned.
4. The length of the assignment is up to the teacher. Some teachers have a year-long project, others have one project per trimester, while others complete a project in as little as five weeks. Either way, students should create an end product that is presented to the class. Typically it would be a five-minute presentation.
5. Here's the kicker: it isn't graded! That doesn't mean that it doesn't matter or that there is no accountability. It's just that this isn't based on getting a grade as an outcome. Learning, inspiration, and innovation are the outcome. It also fits in tidily with Common Core standards. Winning!

Today I started thinking about how I would present this idea to the class, and I was inspired by a video created on www.PowToon.com by Renee Valentine, so I made one of my own. Here it is:

I have so many more ideas to work out, so this blog post is going to be a work in progress. I plan to revisit it as I learn more. I'm so excited for my students and for me!

To be continued...