Genius Hour
What is Genius Hour?
In short, it allows students to spend one hour per week working on independent study of their choice.
The long answer: I just about went bald from pulling my hair out during research time in class. Students would start off researching topics and then, after about 2 minutes, they'd be watching cute puppy videos on YouTube or shopping online for a hairbrush their friend had just told them about.
I FINALLY HAD AN EPIPHANY.
They didn't know HOW to research. No one had taught them how to think about a topic, jot down some notes, do some looking online, and jot down some more notes...all without getting distracted.
This is where Genius Hour comes into play. Genius Hour teaches students to think critically about a topic (What do I need to know?), research that topic (How do I find answers?), and present on that topic (I know my topic well enough to teach it).
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio
So- How do I do this with my students?
Remember- this is a one-hour a week project. For secondary classes, that is the equivalent of one class period per week. I always did this on Fridays. We'd do our normal curriculum Mon-Thurs and then Genius Hour on Fridays. It was a great way to end the week.
Day 1: Topics Brainstorm
The last thing you'll want is for them to sit at their desks for the first 20 minutes each Friday trying to think of what they want to research. That is where this first Genius Hour plays a crucial part. This is best as a handwritten activity - you want them focused and don't want them getting off topic.
5 min: Ask them list as many topics as they can of things they've always wanted to learn more about but never got around to looking them up. It can be anything from why apples have so many varieties to a place they've always wanted to visit.
5 min: Ask students to share their list with a partner. They are allowed to add topics from their partner's list to their own list.
10 min: Ask student groups (groups of 4-6) to share their lists with each other and add to their own lists as appropriate.
1 min: Ask students to look at their own list and star the one topic they like the best.
3 min: Ask students to write their starred topic on the whiteboard in class. As they see other students' topics, they can keep adding to their own list.
Remaining time of hour: ask students to research one of the topics on their list. NOTE: If you think it helpful, you can do a think-aloud and model a topic and research for students. They'll watch on the screen as you find information on various sites.
TIP: COLLECT THE LISTS AND KEEP THEM EACH WEEK. THESE LISTS ARE GOLDMINES FOR STUDENTS AND THEY WON'T WANT TO LOSE THEM. IF YOU CAN SIMPLY COLLECT THEM AT THE END OF EACH GENIUS HOUR AND REDISTRIBUTE THEM AT THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT GENIUS HOUR, IT WILL SAVE A LOT OF PAIN.
Remaining Genius Hour Days
Step 1: Handout topic lists. Students choose one and begin researching.
Step 2: Students research and take notes. I require handwritten notes (to be turned in at end of period for completion credit). Why? Because many end up copying/pasting information from websites without really absorbing what the information says. Handwritten notes guarantee that the student read the info, synthesized it, evaluated it, and ultimately determined it was worthy enough to write down.
Step 3: About 10 minutes before the end of class, ask for 2-3 volunteers to stand (always make them stand- it forces the action to be more authentic) and teach the class what was learned. I have a fabulous lesson on teaching presentation skills here. These informal 'speeches' really help students get comfortable speaking in front of the class in a low stress environment. Sometimes you'll find it is always the same volunteers- this is where 'randomly' drawing names out of a cup might be a better option.
Amp it Up!
After about 6 weeks, we all start to get a little restless so I tweek the process a bit by creating a 3-week cycle for topics.
Week 1: Students research a topic
Week 2: Students create a slide show presentation
Week 3: Students formally present their topic/presentation.
Note! After the first round of presentations, I realized students didn't know how to create interesting presentations. Each slide had 100 words on it and the students' backs were turned to us as they read each slide verbatim. To mitigate this, we learned new tips/tricks for presentations each cycle. Soon, they learned how to create a slide with just a title and a picture to represent their idea as they gave their presentations- much more interesting!
One more note! I always used the same rubric to guide their oral presentations whether it was for Genius Hour or another class presentation. Click here for a copy of the rubric.
Go Diabolical!
As a final assessment of search/presentation/speaking skills you can require students do their last presentation PechaKucha style. The idea is that a speaker present 20 slides with 20 seconds for each slide...automatically rotating. This means the speaker needs to know and time the presentation so well, that when the slides revolve, the flow isn't disturbed.
Note! Don't assign this unless you try one first. This is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.