Genius Hour is progressing wonderfully! Every student has experienced a hiccup or two (I'll write more about hiccups and detours in my next post), but Daily Reflections on Google Drive have been a God send! We use the last ten minutes of class for silent cleanup and reflection time. Students are required to answer:
What resources did you use today? (Cite in MLA format)
What did you accomplish today?
What questions do you still have? (What's the plan for tomorrow?)
Is there anything you need teacher help/guidance with?
Other Notes:
Our classes are about ninety minutes long, so students have been warned that if they do not have enough information for strong paragraphs on each response, they are NOT working hard enough or fast enough. I can access their Google Doc whenever it is convenient for me and leave comments. I usually go over reflections in the evening, and I make notes about who I need to make sure I touch base with next time in class.
We're GROWING plants, DRAWING murals, INVENTING self-casting fishing poles to assist the elderly and disabled, BUILDING photography skills, CREATING profitable YouTube channels, STARTING an online business for charity, LEARNING about electricity, and so much more!
The end of the year always seems to be "blah" for everyone. The year is pretty much over. We're wasting time until the end - trying to wrap up little assignments and finish finals. This year has been especially rough for me. Thankfully, Genius Hour has changed all of that! Students are excited to come to class. We all have a renewed energy inside the classroom. They want to research. They want to read and write and create. I want to see them use these skills. I want to see what they are accomplishing! It's incredible!
Now-
As much as I am loving Genius Hour, we all know it isn't for every student. Not all students are good self-motivators, task accomplishers, or 'follow throughers.' Unfortunately, Genius Hour requires a great deal of self-discipline on the student's behalf to be successful.
When we started Genius Hour, I met with each student individually to discuss their essential question and end product goals. A few students did not seem motivated and from past history we were concerned about the grade they would receive through Genius Hour. These students were offered an alternate project for the Genius Hour time - Nonfiction Book Studies.
I have inherited bits and pieces of a nonfiction book set complete with guided reading workbooks. They walk students through making predictions, making inferences, reading charts, ETC. The books are pretty interesting too! Pirates, aliens, race cars, inventions, cooking, animals, ETC. In order to help assure all students could be successful, I offered students the option to complete three guided, independent book studies instead of Genius Hour. (Students who do not meet deadlines in Genius Hour are removed from Genius Hour and placed on book studies without an option.)
The book studies still require use of skills we have learned throughout the year: research, reading, writing, analyzation, vocabulary, comprehension, ETC; however, they help students with a more directed way of learning as opposed to the free, open learning taking place in Genius Hour.
I don't treat either assignment as "beneath" the other. One is "stupid." They are simply different. During Genius Hour presentations, students who completed a book study will present summaries of the books they read.
Are you doing Genius Hour? Have you done Genius Hour? I'd love to hear what (if any) alternate activities you used! Comment below or shoot me an email.
No comments:
Post a Comment