Andi McNair’s Genius Hour (2nd Ed) guides educators across grade levels and content areas in developing student Passion Projects start to finish. Reviewer Stephanie Choate gives high marks to the book’s 6-point strategy: passion, plan, pitch, project, product, and presentation.
Geraldine Woods led independent study at her school for more than 25 years. She’s convinced some version will work in most subjects and for most middle school students if three basic principles are present: student choice, adult guidance, and students teaching students.
When his two middle schoolers wondered about a tree house, principal Matt Renwick’s bright idea was to engage them in an at-home Genius Hour project. His three take-aways from the experience can help us understand the teacher’s role in creative learning and risk-taking.
Education isn’t about what the teacher does, it’s about what the child learns, write Genius Hour innovators Denise Krebs and Gallit Zvi. Learning happens in every subject when students have a purpose and are given autonomy and time. And their learning can benefit the world.
What is Genius Hour? It’s a learning opportunity that gives students time to pursue their passions, explore interesting ideas and create something that they choose and will be proud of. Can we engage students during the pandemic via distance learning? Yes! Here’s how.
Genius Hour is a popular strategy for deepening student learning by promoting passion, creativity and engagement. Paying attention to the do’s and don’ts of effective implementation can help you make it a regular part your instruction, writes author Barbara Blackburn.
Picture books make for great hooks at the beginning of lessons – capturing our attention and get us curious for the learning to come. They can also be perfect tools for introducing Genius Hour concepts. GH evangelists Gallit Zvi and Denise Krebs choose 10 favorites.
Book Reviews / Project Based Learning
by MiddleWeb · Published 12/26/2018 · Last modified 11/17/2019
Teacher leader Kevin Hodgson finds much to like in A.J. Juliani’s The PBL Playbook. The text is built around practical advice for PBL implementation and classroom experiences. For beginners Juliani’s stories are a lifeline, offering mentor examples and lesson analysis.
The power of Genius Hour comes from sparking wonder, encouraging deep learning, and facilitating sharing so students can make public their new knowledge, creation, or innovation, locally and world wide. GH champions Denise Krebs and Gallit Zvi describe good ways to share.
Digital student portfolios have tremendous potential, writes author and principal Matt Renwick, from organizing passion projects to promoting student-led assessment. They can be the main method for students to document their own learning and demonstrate what they can do.
