Now that you have introduced your class to Genius Hour and established expectations, it’s time to set students free, right? Not exactly. One’s approach to implementing Genius Hour depends on several variables such as instructional time, access to resources, and students’ level of experience. Teachers are going to share common obstacles and encounter unique challenges as well. If you find yourself feeling that Genius Hour is too hectic, messy, and loud, do not stay discouraged. These sentiments are normal. Scientists who cure disease make many mistakes and undergo countless iterations. Authentic tasks are chaotic at times. That is the nature of the territory. This page aims to help you create orderly chaos. Always remember, you are giving students the opportunity to grow as a learner and develop as a person. Most importantly, students do so through collaboration, autonomy, and risk-taking.
Project Proposal
Plans are nothing.Once students have decided on a topic and developed a driving (inquiry) question, you might consider having them submit a project proposal. This activity encourages students to think deeply about their Genius Hour topic and driving question.
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Planning is everything. -EisenhowerIt is important for students to understand that their proposal is exactly that—a proposal. As they begin their projects, they will make changes and conduct several iterations to their final products. And that is where real learning happens!
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Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Wait a minute! I thought Genius Hour projects are to be accomplished independently. Often, each student is to complete his or her own passion project for obvious reasons: project diversity, meaningful research, student agency, and increased motivation. This is not to say that these objectives cannot be achieved through teams. They can! The individual student in Genius Hour has an active role to play no matter the group size.
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If students are adamant about pursing the same passion with peers, limit group sizes to 2 or 3. Smaller groups encourage members to stay engaged as active participants. If several students want to pursue the same topic, divide them into several small groups. Team-mates need to collaborate on developing a driving question and completing the project proposal. As the teacher, you have the right to disband the group if necessary.
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Encourage Students to Adopt a Mentor
Teachers might be superheroes, but one person cannot know everything about every topic. Challenge your students to seek support from an expert outside the classroom. Students can write letters to adults they and their parents trust. A mentor can be a relative, family friend, school staff, community member, or professional. After a mentoring relationship has been established, students should contact that person at least three times: in the project’s initial phase, during research or product design, and at the conclusion to share results. Who knows? The partnerships students form with mentors could be what drives students toward the pursuit of a passion for years to come.
The Ultimate in Differentiation
Genius Hour embodies differentiated instruction. It enables and encourages each student to personalize his or her own learning. Teachers will find that passion-based learning is the perfect opportunity to facilitate activities that align with students’ interests, readiness, and learning profile:
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Pathfinders: Helping Students Find Paths to Information
The World Wide Web is vast. New content is being added to the Internet every day. Not only our virtual resources constantly created and updated, so are print materials. How do we expect students to keep up with all these changes? How do we help students access appropriate resources that address his or her learning and project needs? You help students pave the path toward locating appropriate and credible resources with the help of pathfinders.
Pathfinders support students’ access and use of electronic and print resources available in your school. They are also referred to as subject guides, topic guides, research guides, bibliographies, information portals, or resource lists. Additionally, pathfinders teach essential information and technology skills, and promote books and reading. |
Use one or more of these methods to create pathfinders for your students:
HyperDocs/SlidesA single document with hyperlinks that direct students to resources related to their projects.
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SymbalooA cloud-based application that allows users to organize web links in the form of buttons.
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PBS StoryboardDirect students to interactive web pages using resources, graphics, and images.
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Google ClassroomUpload resources directly to Google Classroom and assign to specific students.
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The KWHLAQ Chart to Help Guide Research
There is great potential in making incredible discoveries throughout Genius Hour. Students will be engrossed in reading about their topics, searching for new information, and trying to make sense of all the material collected. Help students focus their research during Genius Hour with the KWHLAQ Chart by Sylvia Tolisano.
This graphic organizer is used to organize 21st century learning. Students record what they know, what they wonder, and what they’ve learned, just like the traditional KWL Chart. This template has very important additions, especially "how" and "action." How will I research and find out what I want to know? What action will I take? The KWHLAQ Chart creates a manageable overview of how students are to seriously apply 21st century skills.
Blogging/Journaling
Writing about the learning experience will help students make better sense of their project and plan next steps more thoughtfully. A blog post or a written reflection should be completed once a week. The word length should be kept to a minimum (approximately 150 words or a well-written paragraph for younger students).
Questions students should consider:
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Ideas for blogging/reflecting:
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Whichever blogging method students use, be sure to share posts with the class, school community, and students’ families.
Assessing FOR Learning
When it comes to creativity, grading the final product does not work. Genius Hour is meant to free students from the confines of grades and percentages. This is a chance for students to discover what they are capable of. During this time of discovery, students will need guidance, opportunities to reflect, the liberty to take risks, and the flexibility to try again. This is where assessment comes into play. Conferencing with students, having them pitch their project ideas, and requiring students to give a final presentation are all examples of how Genius Hour can be assessed. When it comes to assessing passion projects, strive to make it possible for students to be involved in evaluations. Self-assessment and peer feedback are strategies that activate student ownership and lead to performance improvement.
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Empower students in the assessment process by inviting them to contribute to the design of rubrics and checklists. Students’ understanding of what is expected will cause them to be more mindful of their work’s quality. Genius Hour is about the learning process or in other words, learning to learn. Shy away from summative (of learning) assessments and focus on for learning assessments.
Here is a list of possible areas for assessment during passion-based learning:
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Digital Portfolios are About More Than Saving Paper
I guarantee that when your students are well into adulthood, they will look back and remember the times they did Genius Hour. Why not make it so instead of just remembering the experience, they relive it? Digital portfolios, or ePortfolios, enable students to keep all their work in a centralized location that is accessible by whomever they allow. These portfolios can withstand the test of time by being saved online. Portfolios have the ability to revolutionize the way students learn, while encouraging independence, responsibility, and reflection.
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Tools that can be used to collect, organize, and share student work.
Motivating the Unmotivated
Not all students are going to immediately fall in love with Genius Hour. Some will struggle with self-doubt and perfectionism. You might find that students feel overwhelmed with the amount of autonomy they now have. Many of your students lack the experiences that ignite a burning passion. You can direct students in the right direction by asking questions, letting them explore books and websites, and by seeking to understand their interests and talents. It is unlikely that you will experience much apathy from students during Genius Hour. Instead, you will find students of all levels performing amazingly well and gaining new skills because you gave them the chance to own their learning.
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