The Genius Hour – An 80/20 Rule

According to the Genius Hour website (2019), “Genius Hour is a movement that allows students to explore their own passions and encourages creativity in the classroom. It provides students a choice in what they learn during a set period of time during school.”  It’s not easy to determine where the idea was originally created, but there are at least two events that have impacted genius hour. Some say that the Genius hour was created by Google as it is driven by the 80/20 rule where 80% of their work day is what is required by Google, and the other 20% of their time can be spent on any pet project that the employee wants.

Genius Hour In the classroom is an approach to learning built around student curiosity, self-directed learning, and passion-based work. In traditional learning, teachers map out academic standards and plan units and lessons based upon those standards. In Genius Hour, students are in control, choosing what they study, how they study it, and what they do, produce, or create as a result. As a learning model, it promotes inquiry, research, creativity, and self-directed learning.

Many educators are leading the way with passion projects in their classrooms but much of the inspiration has come from a book, The Passion-Driven Classroom: A framework for teaching and learning, by Angela Maiers and Amy Sandoval. A.J. Juliani also wrote a book on the Genius hour and 20% time in education. Giving students the opportunity to engage in their own interests ultimately can lead to better learning experiences and life long learners. 

Through a previous project with a partner, I was able to take a deeper look into Genius Hour. In a 2015 article released by TeachThought, the many benefits to implementing Genius Hour were pointed out, and the following pros were noted:

• Learning is student-centered & open-ended
• There is encouragement of students to design meaningful and authentic work
• Tech-centered and tech-limited classrooms are easily supported
• Students are able to practice navigating “unfiltered” and non-academic content with a focus on inquiry and research
• Learning beyond the classroom is promoted
• Students who struggle in traditional settings have found great success
• Students that “play” with ideas tend to think laterally, critically, and creatively since they’re not seeking to play guess-what-the-teacher’s-thinking

As with everything, there are challenges to consider. In the same article mentioned above, TeachThought pointed out some of the  cons of Genius Hour, for example:

• Students accustomed to being told what to do, when, and how can feel uneasy without “assignments.” Students may ‘sit there’, unwilling or unable to do anything without being told.
• In genius hour, models (examples of what students can do/build/design/create) and connectivity (working with different people for different reasons) become paramount. Without them, this open approach to learning can do more harm than good.
• Teacher role and planning has “new rules” in genius hour; teachers must adjust their planning–and role–accordingly
• Grading requires rethinking, and parents and students must understand the idea and purpose and expectations of this new idea.
• Some students, whether from having their curiosity suppressed for years, a lack of confidence, or some other missing element, may feel anxiety in a genius hour setting. This could negatively impact students with special needs, IEP’s and other educational supports as well.

It is also important to consider the fact that many teachers and students face challenges with the effective implementation of technology, or other learning tools, for educational purposes. Thus, Genius Hour would need to be properly scaffolded with regards to tech tools and their uses without interfering with the authentic nature of the learning experience. This may also create challenges for students with special needs, IEP’s and other supports.

Next Steps

Gathering ideas is as simple as searing up Genius Hour on youtube but to add depth teachers can make network connections beyond the classroom. Jen Sneider (2017) wrote, “Teachers can help facilitate mentorships with community members by reaching out to friends, colleagues, businesses, and connecting via social media.” Teachers can also become Genius Hour evangelists, so to speak, by presenting to their local school boards or by simply promoting their projects through twitter, FB, Pinterest, school websites, and even through local news channels.The more 21st-century learning approaches, such as Genius Hour, are implemented and promoted throughout our educational systems, the closer we get to modernizing learning and keeping pace with technology, ideas, and the needs of the workplaces of the future, thus preparing our students for the tech savvy world today with 21st century skills.

Whether your new to teaching or a seasoned vet, the newest trends are all around us and Genius Hour is at the top of the list. Simply put Genius Hour is inquiry based, student directed learning. It gives students the opportunity to look at the big wide world around them and explore their own interests in a loosely structured but supported environment where the teacher becomes a facilitator for learning. Terry Heick, founder and director of TeachThought, sings the praises of Genius Hour and describes it as a time when “students are in control; choosing what they study, how they study it, and what they produce or create as a result.”

Still not sure about the Genius Hour and how it works or how to incorporate it in your classroom.  Below are some articles and examples of how to use genius hour in your classroom.

https://www.weareteachers.com/what-is-genius-hour/ (Links to an external site.)

http://ajjuliani.com/genius-hour-blueprint-step-step-guide-running-project-class/ (Links to an external site.)

Resources

(n.d.). 6 Principles Of Genius Hour In The Classroom – TeachThought. Retrieved October 13, 2019, from https://www.teachthought.com/learning/6-principles-of-genius-hour-in-the-classroom/ (Links to an external site.)

(2015, December 26). 7 Pros & Cons Of Teaching With Genius Hour – TeachThought. Retrieved October 13, 2019, from https://www.teachthought.com/learning/7-pros-cons-of-teaching-with-genius-hour/ (Links to an external site.)

(2016, August 5). 10 Reasons to Try Genius Hour This School Year – A.J. JULIANI. Retrieved October 13, 2019, from https://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/6574 (Links to an external site.)

(2015, August 2). Genius Hour: Critical Inquiry and Differentiation – NCTE. Retrieved October 13, 2019, from http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/ELQ/0381-aug2015/ELQ (Links to an external site.)0381Genius.pdf (Links to an external site.)

 (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)(2017, September 15). Genius Hour in Elementary School | Edutopia. Retrieved October 13, 2019, from h (Links to an external site.)ttps://www.edutopia.org/article/genius-hour-elementary-school (Links to an external site.)

Sneider, Jen. (2017, Sep. 24) How to Build Community Leaders Through Student Genius Hours. Retrieved October 12, 2019, from https://www.gettingsmart.com/2017/09/how-to-build-community-leaders-of-today-and-tomorrow-through-student-genius-hours/ (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.). 

(n.d.). What is Genius Hour? – Genius Hour. Retrieved October 13, 2019, from https://geniushour.com/what-is-genius-hour/ (Links to an external site.) (Links