Genius Hour

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMFQUtHsWhc

C. (2013). What is Genius Hour? - Introduction to Genius Hour in the Classroom. Retrieved April 20, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMFQUtHsWhc

Before watching the video that introduces the idea of “Genius Hour,” I was not aware that I already had the pleasure of experiencing it as a student on more than one occasion.  In as early as first grade I was encouraged to complete research on topics that I am passionate about.  I remember completing class projects early and being told to work on the individual project of my choosing.  Looking back, I can see how this has enriched my education.  While researching something I was curious and passionate about, I was able to learn valuable research techniques and did not feel as overwhelmed by the process.  Sharing my findings with my peers was exciting because I became the expert on the subject.  I was able to pursue an interest that I have always had, in an academic way, with the assistance of an educator at my side.

I also experienced a version of Genius Hour at the post-secondary level.  In a preliminary writing course I had to take, I had to create a twenty-page research paper.  However, instead of assigning specific prompts to us, our professor had us create a “guiding research question” (see video) about a topic that we were genuinely interested in pursuing.  So, when we had to read fifteen or more articles on this topic, it would not bog us down and bore us.  We would be excited about creating an argument around the topic.  We would get to dispense our knowledge with the rest of the class.  Although this was a class requirement, and there was not specific time set aside for this as a “go at your own pace” kind of project, it still made the process more rewarding.

In the future, I want to teach English at the secondary level.  That being so, I am left wondering how I will be able to incorporate the idea of Genius Hour into my classroom.  I am aware that teachers are given a set curriculum that they are required to get through within the semester.  Being required to teach specific texts within a certain period of time, how can I individualize assignments for students and make it interesting for them?  At the elementary and even middle school level I think it is somewhat simpler to achieve this.  I do not recall having much freedom in my high school English classes.  If anything, we were able to choose between reading certain novels and poems, or writing on a topic that was chosen from a set list of topics.  This is something I will be researching in the near future.

https://www.haikudeck.com/genius-hour-education-presentation-A90vWXBBXn
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