How one teacher transformed her classroom with Genius Hour. Discusses the history of genius hour and how you can use Genius Hour to change your school!
Transforming your classroom: Genius hour presentation
1. Changing your
classroom with
Genius Hour
Katie Campbell
Wallace Middle School
Twitter: @kteachcampbell, @wmsgtt
Email: kcampbell@g.hayscisd.net
2. Presenter: Katie Campbell
• PLTW Gateway Teacher for 4 years
• Teacher for 9 years
• Former Science and SPED Teacher
• Have been doing Genius Hour in my classroom
for the last two years
• Have a 2 year old daughter
4. Are you ready?
• Do you want to teach your students how to
think critically and solve real world problems?
• Are you ready to transform your classroom?
5. History of Genius Hour
• Who started it?
• Google’s 20% Time, Apple’s “Blue Sky”, Twitter
• Can be called by many different names
• 20% Time, Montessori Method, Innovation Day,
Curiosity Friday, Passion Time, Makerspace, etc.
6. What is Genius Hour?
• It is student-driven.
• It is passion based time.
• It doesn’t have to be an hour, but it can be
anytime that you can dedicate for students to
work on a project of their choosing.
• Genius Hour has a driving question and requires
reflection and some sort of product to be
created. (Or, should.)
• You can decide if or how you want to grade it.
7. Think about this…
• “If we want students to be successful, we don’t
drive them toward success by continually
working on standardized tests. We can take at
least some of our time to give them choice in
what they are doing in school. Genius hour gives
students (and educators) hope, engagement and
well-being.” –Genius Hour Manifesto by Denise
Krebs, Joy Kirr, Gallit Zvi and Hugh McDonald
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=8292
79
8. Why should you do genius hour?
• “Imagine a time for students to follow their
passions, become content creators in
autonomous ways, create inquiry based
questions, and enjoy an engaging learning
experience simultaneously.” –Angela Maiers
@AngelaMaiers
13. Maybe you want to try project based
learning?
• Genius hour could be a start?
• http://www.teachthought.com/learning/mashin
g-genius-hour-project-based-learning/
15. What kinds of things can students do
during genius hour?
16. Reviewing Expectations for learning
during Genius Hour
What worked for me…
• Make a T-Chart with your students after a few
weeks to see what they know.
17. Genius Hour 1st Period
What it is What it is not
Time to be creative and do something
unique
Not free time or nap time
Freedom to work with others or by
yourself
Not time to horseplay, not time to
waste materials
Time to learn something Not an assigned task by the teacher
19. How can I sell this to my principal?
• Compare and Contrast
• Drawing conclusions with data
• Research
• Guiding Questions
• Inquiry Based Activity
• A tool to develop and achieve some overarching
skills
• Encourage the students to look at the standards
of what they want to learn about!
20. Building Rapport with your students
• Take what they are interested in during Genius
Hour and make those connections.
21. How could you “do” genius hour with
your content?
• Do you have to do it within your content?
• Could this be an opportunity to do something
cross curricular with another department?
22. Turn to someone next to you and Discuss
• What scares you about genius hour?
25. How can I get more information?
• Join Twitter and follow some of these amazing
people!
• @JoyKirr
• @IamKesler
• @mrsdkrebs
• @PaulSolarz
• @teachkiwi
• @gallit_z
• @geniushour
• Don’t forget the #geniushour chat the 1st Thursday
of each month at 6pm PT or 8 pm CT!
27. Katie Campbell
Thank you so much for coming!
@kteachcampbell
@wmsgtt
This was one of my
genius hour
projects. Kids
loved asking me
what I was doing
with my time and
why I was tearing
apart a book. (I did
have librarian
permission!)
It is based off the Google 20% model where the employees of Google are allowed 20% of their time to tinker on their own projects. Out of this time have come popular Google applications such as Google Maps, Google Docs, and Gmail. Blue Sky" that lets employees take two weeks to work on projects outside their normal responsibilities—limited to a small group of people.Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-tries-20-time-2012-11#ixzz3cTHgLfER
You don’t have time for it?
Find the time because it will increase productivity!
Saw a lack of creativity and critical thinking.
Needed something to build unity and teamwork in my classroom.
Gave students the opportunity to work with others who were not in their social group.
Heard about it on Twitter.
How can you use genius hour to develop 21st century skills for your students?
How can you help your students develop a driving question?
Can you see how this could be used in different contents?
“I think more teachers should do genius hour because it breaks up the monotone of the average week in school.”
“My favorite thing about this class is genius hour every Friday. I have really enjoyed making many different things. I am going to miss it.”
“This year I have made rockets, catapults, and helped other people with their genius. The rockets have taught me how design is of importance. The catapult taught me about speed, torsion, trajectory and durability. I recommend genius hour in all of my classes.”
Each classroom will look differently.
Depends on the technology that your students have.
Depends on the supplies that you are willing to let your students use.
Can (or will) they bring in stuff from home?
They have been doing school for too long and they don’t know what they want to learn about.
I had a 7th grade boy say to me, “Mrs. Campbell can you just tell me what to do? I can’t think for myself.”