"Mr. Felsch today we are doing Genius Hour at the end of the day. Do you have my cardboard ready?" -K
"We don't get Genius Hour until Tuesday!?! Awww..." -C
"Make sure you come in from recess quick, Genius Hour is next!" -Q
These are a few examples of quotes that I've noted over the last two weeks as our Genius Hour is in full swing. The students are really engaged and focused on their self-directed learning projects. Each day they make sure that I am ready for Genius Hour, too. They request meetings on days that are not Genius Hour days, just to make sure that all their materials will be available and sometimes to help solve problems in advance. The levels of commitment from the kids keep me on my toes, as I do not want to disappoint them when I cannot get the materials they are requesting.
There will always be equipment and materials and information that is not readily available. This is where I think I see the most growth in my students as they start to think ahead to solve their problems and make a list of what they thinking they will need. They are researching methods using videos of other experts and even accessing the experts in other parts of the school. For example, K was measuring the walls of his house and was having difficulty making each corner 90 degrees (he didn't understand angles formally yet in grade 1, but he definitely learned a quick real-world lesson). He knew he needed a new tool, because his ruler just wasn't cutting it. I sent him with his mentor to our high school shop teacher to see if he had anything that would help. K described his problem to the shop teacher and emerged with a square, a tool he'd seen his dad use in the past. His walls and roof are now all perfect 90 degree angles and he is a new tool in his repertoire.
"We don't get Genius Hour until Tuesday!?! Awww..." -C
"Make sure you come in from recess quick, Genius Hour is next!" -Q
These are a few examples of quotes that I've noted over the last two weeks as our Genius Hour is in full swing. The students are really engaged and focused on their self-directed learning projects. Each day they make sure that I am ready for Genius Hour, too. They request meetings on days that are not Genius Hour days, just to make sure that all their materials will be available and sometimes to help solve problems in advance. The levels of commitment from the kids keep me on my toes, as I do not want to disappoint them when I cannot get the materials they are requesting.
There will always be equipment and materials and information that is not readily available. This is where I think I see the most growth in my students as they start to think ahead to solve their problems and make a list of what they thinking they will need. They are researching methods using videos of other experts and even accessing the experts in other parts of the school. For example, K was measuring the walls of his house and was having difficulty making each corner 90 degrees (he didn't understand angles formally yet in grade 1, but he definitely learned a quick real-world lesson). He knew he needed a new tool, because his ruler just wasn't cutting it. I sent him with his mentor to our high school shop teacher to see if he had anything that would help. K described his problem to the shop teacher and emerged with a square, a tool he'd seen his dad use in the past. His walls and roof are now all perfect 90 degree angles and he is a new tool in his repertoire.
Our student-led conferences were this week so the kids wanted to display their projects so far. I really liked this opportunity to share some work that was unfinished because it showed more of the learning process to parents. Listening in to some of the conversations, students had a lot to say to their parents, both about what they've already done and their plans to finish.
After speaking with some parents, it was evident that they all knew about their students' Genius Hour projects, showing that students are not only thinking about this in their school day but also at home. A question I have is how many parents encourage self-directed learning in their own homes? In my opinion, most homes would be an even more ideal place for this than a school since their are less time constraints although they may be missing some of the resources that the school can provide.
After speaking with some parents, it was evident that they all knew about their students' Genius Hour projects, showing that students are not only thinking about this in their school day but also at home. A question I have is how many parents encourage self-directed learning in their own homes? In my opinion, most homes would be an even more ideal place for this than a school since their are less time constraints although they may be missing some of the resources that the school can provide.