5. Personalizing education is so important. Not all learners are the same, so why should their education be the same? Genius Hour allows students to choose their own projects, personalizing their own learning.
4. Kids need time to be creative! Check out Sir Ken Robinson’s TedTalk below.
4. Kids need time to be creative! Check out Sir Ken Robinson’s TedTalk below.
3. Passionate people are successful people. Students need time to find their passions. I am amazed by how many of my students struggle to communicate what their passions really are. They need time to explore their wonders (and often need some guidance with this too) so that they can figure out what they love to do.
2. Inquiry based learning. During Genius Hour students form inquiry questions to investigate. Being able to ask questions is a key competency that we need to develop in students.
1. Teaches resilience. Students will fail during Genius Hour. And they will problem solve and figure out another way to look at the problem. We need to reinforce this learning strategy and Genius Hour is the perfect time for this.
BONUS:
***Genius Hour is FUN. In a survey I did with my class last year, most students listed Genius Hour as one of the top things we did that year!***
Did I miss anything? What would you add to this list?