Mr. Pete's Genius Hour Blog!
Getting Started
Three years ago I didn't want to get near Genius Hour. My fears were time to do Genius Hour during the week, losing time around standards instruction, and not being able to assist students in such a way to succeed at the program. The last two years I've jumped into the program, and my fears are gone. I feel that it being only once a week for an hour this provides a very focused classroom when the day and time arrive. Students will work on it outside of class(I'll guarantee that) as the year goes. So, you have nothing to worry about whether projects are getting finished. We start in approximately late September and wrap-up with their amazing presentations at the end of April. Please read my steps below to get started. Please remember this is only a suggested strategy as it depends group to group. :) Don't hesitate to hit-up my blog if you want to continue the conversation and share your experiences.
I started just this summer with the Cardboard challenge(information on my website/check the What is Genius Hour page, and the awesome finished projects page). It's an excellent way to open their minds and step out of the box into creativity. I'll share sometime soon how I integrate this into Genius Hour. It would be something I tackle before Genius Hour gets started. I have a feeling it will be apart of my first few days. Please join my blog and share your experiences.
1. Before you get started prepare yourself for various student reactions. The majority of students are programmed to be ready for due dates of the parts of the project, specific expectations of the teacher, and a rubric to explain how to achieve the grade they're shooting for. As you'll find out Genius Hour doesn't work that
way.
2. Your next step will be to give a detailed overview of Genius Hour. There are
many ways to go about doing this. I go to www.youtube.com and search out the
2-3 videos which give you and your students a good stepping stone to get started.
As you can see I've listed the videos I use.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEQzKH7v0-Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9FurJmKJTs
One of the videos is on my home page and another one I use is the one I've
attached.
Once you review them you may decide to use all of them or even just one. :)
3. At this point we start to discuss the meanings of passion and genius. I like to use
white boards/markers with the students during this portion. They put the words on
the white board and from there brainstorm their own definition.
4. Next, we move onto one of my favorites...sticky notes! I have multi-colored
sticky notes on hand for this next step. I ask the students to write down (one idea
per sticky) a passion of theirs. They then take the sticky note and bring it up to our class passion board(this can be a permanent or temporary location). They can place as many passions on the board as they can think of. This not only helps those who are struggling at this point, but really opens up their creative juices. During this part of the session you'll notice kids sharing ideas/thoughts around the room(this is part of the process that helps its success). You may even witness other students help eachother without prompting. This is one of my favorite parts of this step.
*Notice how I haven't put day 1 or hour 1 or anything like that. How long each step/situation takes is up to you and your students. Here's another excellent resource that I've used before too. Like anything there's parts you'll like and others you won't.
http://www.geniushour.com/2016/02/08/getting-started-with-genius-hour-a-
free-webinar/
5. Usually, after getting to this point, there are still some who aren't sure what the
'goal' is. They have a hard time seeing what the final presentation will be. So,
after searching through youtube I've located some great final presentations by
students. I'll include one here. This example simply gives students a small taste
of how their final presentation COULD look. There are many more student related
videos on youtube that revolve around Genius Hour. Simply put it can be difficult
for some to truly visualize a finished product.
6. After showing introductory videos, brainstorming passions, and showing
examples of finished products your students should have a good idea of how
to start. At this point I then pass out the proposal for their project, and the rubric
to be used with the project.(I will attach both documents to the 'What is Genius
Hour' part of my site.) We then discuss at length the difference between a
traditional project, and Genius Hour.
7. To get started they need to make a decision whether they'll tackle this alone or work with 1-2 more people. I hold a max of 3 per group, because my first year trying Genius Hour I allowed 4 and that was just too many to be effective during their research and so on. My goal is to give them all the advice I can give on the pros/cons of working solo and with a small group.
8. Once those important decisions are made as to what they're going to pursue, you've approved their proposal, you agree to their group decision, it's time to pick a day/time of the week that works for you. It's imperative that you have ability to access computers for all students, as that will be a very important tool for them through the process.
9. You are now in a role to help them, the facilitator. During the hour be sure you're out there with them, providing ideas, and support. I was amazed as to how much fun I had during this hour. The experiences I/they have gained the past couple years are memorable. Please be sure to connect to my blog and share your thoughts, ideas and experiences so we can all learn from eachother. :) Also, don't hesitate to send me an email if you have anymore thoughts and questions on my contact page.