Imagine a school day in which students spend a chunk of time studying and pursuing a topic or project they鈥檙e passionate about.
That鈥檚 the premise of 鈥済enius hour,鈥� a growing trend in which teachers set aside time for students to work on a research or service project of their choice. Educators say it鈥檚 a chance not normally given in schools for students to explore their interests, hone their creativity, and become an expert in a given field.
鈥淜ids are really, really excited [about learning] because of the autonomy involved,鈥� said Gallit Zvi, a vice principal and grades 4-7 teacher at Brookside Elementary School in Surrey, British Columbia, who co-authored . 鈥淭hey have the ability to get better and better at something, and show their mastery at something, and get that respect among their peers.鈥�
Teachers have experimented with autonomous, student-driven learning for decades, but the formalized concept of genius hour actually stems from the business community. Nearly a decade ago, author Daniel Pink first popularized the term by describing how giving employees time and autonomy to explore their passions makes them happier, more productive workers.
Educators thought the concept made sense for schools, too. Teacher Denise Krebs was one early adopter who said she would try out a genius hour in her classroom and . Her students ended up feeling engaged and excited about their projects鈥攁nd teachers around the world followed her lead.
There is no formula for how to implement genius hour in the classroom. Zvi said teachers should tweak the concept to fit their grade level, subject area, and students鈥� needs. Still, she and co-author Krebs did develop six basic steps: inspire, wonder, question, learn, share, and reflect.
But the reflection doesn鈥檛 need to include a grade, Zvi cautioned: 鈥淚 think it takes away the part that makes genius hour so magical,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he reason kids work so hard in genius hour is because it鈥檚 not like regular school where they鈥檙e trying to earn their grade. They鈥檙e doing it because they pick that topic鈥攂ecause they really love it.鈥�
Even so, others say it鈥檚 important to maintain high expectations for the work that students do during genius hour鈥攁nd that can mean grades. As a compromise, many teachers say they grade the process of the research, rather than the end result.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 mutually exclusive to do something for the love of learning, and also hold yourself to some standards of quality while doing it,鈥� said Barbara Davidson, the president of , which advocates for the implementation of rigorous academic standards.
She said teachers should try to connect genius hours to what鈥檚 already happening in the classroom to enrich students鈥� learning, rather than having it be disconnected.
鈥淪tudents digging into an area of interest that they have identified as a result of being exposed to a topic and really exploring their personal interest about that topic鈥攖here seems to be all kinds of good things that can flow from that,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y concern would be if you start opening it up too widely, and you鈥檝e got one-off student-directed topics of study that are outside of the sequence of instruction that the curriculum is presenting to them. That seems to me to potentially be taking time away from content and skills that are going to serve them better in many ways.鈥�
澳门跑狗论坛 spoke to three educators鈥攁nd some of their students鈥攁bout how genius hour works in their classrooms. Here鈥檚 what they had to say:
鈥楾his Is the Motivation They Need': Genius Hour in 2nd Grade
What would we do without water? Why was gymnastics invented? What would you do in Mexico if you only spoke English?
Those are some of the driving questions Melisa Hayes鈥� 2nd grade students will explore this year. Hayes, who teaches at Avery Elementary School in Hilliard, Ohio, has been overseeing genius hour every Friday for four years now. The benefits for her young learners, she said, have been enormous.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e learning anything from social skills, leadership skills, and cooperation to researching skills [and] navigating on the web,鈥� she said. Students 鈥渁re gaining the confidence, the spark for learning, or even the love of school again. Some of these kids might not like school, it might have been not as motivating, and maybe this is the motivation they need to love learning again.鈥�
This is the first year that Hayes has required her students to come up with a question to research during genius hour. In the past, students explored a general topic, but Hayes hopes that the shift will lead to more purposeful and enriching research.
One component that won鈥檛 change: Once the students have researched their chosen topic, they will have to teach it to their classmates鈥攏o 鈥渟it 鈥榥鈥� get,鈥� Hayes said.
For example, students often choose to research animals during genius hour. They might then teach their classmates how to draw their chosen animal. Another child who researched recycling asked classmates to bring in recyclable items and then taught them how to turn the materials into an art project.
Hayes doesn鈥檛 grade the genius-hour projects, but students follow a rubric, which provides expectations for each step, so they can monitor how their projects are going and reflect on whether they met their goals at the end. For instance, sometimes a student will present his project, and his classmates will ask questions that he doesn鈥檛 know how to answer. The student will realize that he didn鈥檛 gather enough background knowledge鈥攁nd Hayes will give him time to learn more before presenting again.
鈥淚 want them to fail enthusiastically so they can succeed in the end,鈥� she said.
Differentiation is baked into the concept of genius hour, she said, so it鈥檚 perfect for a wide array of learners. Last year, for instance, Hayes had a student with Down syndrome in her class who taught his classmates about 鈥淪esame Street.鈥�
鈥淚 might have a child who鈥檚 academically at a kindergarten level, and I might have a child who鈥檚 academically at a 4th grade level. Their projects are completely different because it鈥檚 based off where they are,鈥� she said.
Overall, Hayes said, genius hour has become a class highlight. Students are excited about their topics and are 鈥渕ore engaged than the norm.鈥�
"[Since] I started this, I鈥檝e never had kids moan and groan,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hat they moan and groan about is after the hour, I鈥檒l say, 鈥極K, it鈥檚 time to clean up,鈥� and they鈥檙e like, 鈥楴o, no, five more minutes!鈥� 鈥�
Exploring Passions Outside of Standards: Genius Hour in 6th Grade
In 6th grade science, students typically are expected to learn about topics like energy, matter, and the different facets of the environment.
But during genius hour, 6th graders in Melissa Smith鈥檚 science classroom have also learned about the elements of natural makeup, the chemistry of cooking, video-game design, and much more.
鈥淚t seems very daunting,鈥� Smith said of genius hour. 鈥淲e already have too short amount a time to get X, Y, and Z done for our standards. But you can work [genius hour] into any content area to just make the content more engaging to students. When they have the voice and choice for a project, they buy into it so much more.鈥�
Smith, who teaches at William Monroe Middle School in Stanardsville, Va., said genius hour has encouraged creativity among her students, and it lets them explore science in a way that directly relates to their interests.
Madeline and Megan, who are now 7th graders, worked together on a genius-hour project last year in Smith鈥檚 class. They鈥檙e both interested in makeup, so Madeline studied the chemicals that are in different makeup brands to see how they reacted with sensitive skin, and Megan explored how to make natural, healthy makeup, including a lip kit with aloe vera and contour powder with essential oils and cocoa powder.
鈥淚 like makeup, I like playing around with it, so getting to have that interest in this class was really fun because I got to explore what I really like and what could be a future profession,鈥� Madeline said.
One concern Smith had at the beginning was whether students would use the flexibility of genius hour as an opportunity to slack off. To avoid that, she implemented checkpoints throughout the genius-hour unit. Students also learned about the difference between 鈥渢hick鈥� and 鈥渢hin鈥� questions.
鈥淎s they were developing their project ideas, they were guided toward big-idea questions that needed more research and needed more time to do as compared to something very simple that could just be researched on Google,鈥� she said.
This year, Smith鈥檚 administrators have implemented a schoolwide genius hour. Every Monday, students have 30 minutes of 鈥渇lex time鈥� during which they can explore and research a passion that relates to any subject area. There is no official grade or credit attached to this schoolwide project, Smith said, but students work closely with their 鈥渇lex鈥� teacher to set goals and monitor progress.
Smith has since adjusted how genius hour works in her science class. This year, when her students have mastered the standards of a given unit, they can choose a genius-hour project that relates to the unit. Not all students will get to participate in genius hour every unit鈥攕ome might need the time to continue to work on mastering the standards鈥攂ut Smith hopes it will serve as enrichment for those who do.
After all, students say that genius hour makes class more interesting. 鈥淚 really like researching and learning about things that I really enjoy, and sometimes when you sit through a lesson, it鈥檚 kind of boring,鈥� Madeline said. 鈥淗aving that kind of independent time is very beneficial to me.鈥�
Students Guiding Their Own Learning: Genius Hour in High School
In Nikki Healy鈥檚 English class last year, Rashad spent a portion of time working closely with his chemistry teacher. During genius hour, the then-junior learned how to build a water purification system.
鈥淚 actually got to utilize my creativity in a sense. It wasn鈥檛 copy and paste on what I鈥檝e been doing my whole life when it comes to English class鈥�'you鈥檙e going to have to write a paper, you鈥檙e going to have to read this book,鈥� 鈥� said Rashad, who is now a senior. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e actually doing something you鈥檙e interested in. It鈥檚 like making a research paper, but actually utilizing the information you鈥檙e learning. 鈥�
Encouraging that real-world exploration in her students is why Healy, who teaches at Middle College High School in Nashville, Tenn., does genius hour. Healy has 鈥渓ooped鈥� with some of her students, so several have done genius hour together during their sophomore and junior years and now will do it again in their senior year.
鈥淚鈥檓 a big advocate for student voice and choice in all aspects,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his was something they were very into because they got to choose. ... It was out-of-the-box thinking. They got to guide their own learning鈥攖hey were entrusted with that, and that proved to be really powerful.鈥�
Even with the student-centered approach, genius hour hit on some of the same standards a traditional research paper would, Healy said. Students had to pitch their project to their peers to get feedback, research their topic through informational texts, create a bibliography, and present their finished project to the class.
鈥淎lso, we hit those speaking and listening skills that are often forgotten,鈥� Healy said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e doing a research paper, you鈥檙e not standing up in front of your peers and communicating it to them. That鈥檚 definitely a college-and-career-readiness skill that genius hour can provide.鈥�
In years past, students who were interested in coding taught themselves how to code games. One student was interested in learning cake decorating and how to work with fondant, icing used for pastries and cakes. He had never baked before, but he learned how to make a cake and then decorated it as Spider-Man.
But the open-ended nature of genius hour can also be a challenge for students who aren鈥檛 used to having that level of freedom in their assignments, Healy said. 鈥淭o [some] students, it鈥檚 scary if you鈥檙e not saying, 鈥楬ere鈥檚 your task, here鈥檚 what you have to do, and here鈥檚 what鈥檚 expected,鈥� 鈥� she said. 鈥淯nfortunately, that鈥檚 how school often is. To have that kind of ambiguous, 鈥極K, I get to choose?鈥� is often scary, and there are learners who need to have that model of what it looks like and how it can be successful and how they can be unique and authentic in what they鈥檙e working on.鈥�
But once they get comfortable with exercising their voice and choice, Healy said students become excited and engaged about their projects.
