- The idea of Genius Hour.
- I think Genius Hour is a great idea. At first, I really was not too sure what it actually entailed until I did some of it on my own and was able to get a better understanding of it. This is such a great way for students to create questions on their own, and then really dive into materials that help them learn more about their question. It also sparks interest because students are coming up with the questions on their own. Genius Hour allows for more open ended questions and it also allows more freedom. Students begin to take ownership of their learning. Throughout the process, students are constantly checking-in and taking notes on their findings. This holds them accountable and really allows them to think about their research as they are going. If students do not write down their information, they may forget it later on. At the end of all the research, students can present their findings to others in a way they prefer. Students can learn so much from one another and have so many different ideas, it is great to share out what they might have come across.
- Reflect on your own experience. Were there any struggles? What sorts of victories or wins did you feel while exploring your topic?
- It was a pretty neat experience to do this for class because I never really thought to try one for myself. I am a very curious person, so this was right up my ally (it also got me excited to try and implement Genius Hour in my own classroom). There were a few struggles along the way though. I didn't really know where to begin, so I just typed the question in the search engine and went to the first website. I also did not know what to expect, so there was the thought of the unknown as well. As I began to get further into the topic, I did not want to limit myself to just websites, so I started to watch some videos. Some were right on target with my question, but then others started to mention other things as well not related to my topic. So that was a struggle to find topics that solely related to my questions. There were some victories along the way as well. I was able to get a better understanding of my question and gain more knowledge on it. It was very satisfying to gain that knowledge and now be able to speak upon it if it ever gets brought up. I also found myself researching longer than we were expected too. It just goes to show that if something is of interest, how much you can accomplish in that time period and how much you can learn.
- How could Genius Hour become part of your teaching and learning?
- With first graders, I often thought this might be a challenge for some of my kiddos, but we need to start small. I could have my students think of a topic that might interest them, and then start off by drawing a picture of it. Then, coming up with questions about it. From there, we could start off by using online resources we are familiar with, like PebbleGo. The only downfall with that is it is limited. Then, we can branch off and then dive into more information with the help of our 4th grade buddy class. This would allow the older students to mentor the younger ones and show them how to maneuver around online resources or videos (kid friendly of course). After they are done, they can create a Google Slide presentation or another resource to showcase their findings. They love to present to each other, so this would be a great way for students to show others what they learned and teach one another.
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