First Genius Hour Celebration

When I started researching Genius Hour this summer, I had no idea how the concept would play out in my classroom. The idea was intriguing and seemed worth the risk, so I forged ahead with plans to introduce it to my writing class in the fall. I was very honest with my class that this was the first time I had ever tried this out on a class. I explained that we would figure this out together and, at the end of the semester, decide if we wanted to continue.  The process wasn’t without its bumps. Initially, students struggled with the wide-open freedom of choosing how to spend a 90 minute class block. At first, many of them spent time trying to figure out what I wanted and distrusted me when I explained that the students would determine if their project was successful or not. Likewise, I explained that I would not be assigning grades to their work, they would. This was a very different learning situation for them. Some students quickly adapted to the freedom and began working on a project right away. Other students struggled and begged me to tell them what to do. In the end, my students have voted to continue with Genius Hour.

I wanted to recap our first Genius Hour Celebration below.  I learned more about my students’ passions during this process than I could in a year’s worth of classes. They amazed me and my guests that day. I am forever hooked on Genius Hour and look forward to the second semester of work. 

This group of students set out to document all four years of their high school experience. They spent the semester collecting artifacts from their friends to add to this real life collage. These senior students reflected on how they realized that the next few years of their lives would not be spent so closely with one another. They mentioned that the experience of collecting the artifacts, reflecting on the experiences, and pulling together the display was one they won’t forget as they move in separate directions next fall.

Two students wanted to create homemade Christmas gifts for their families. They decided on glass blown ornaments. At first, they tried to create the projects in our school with a collaboration between our science and art departments, but quickly learned because of safety concerns and equipment, it would not be possible. The students then looked around to see if they could apprentice with an actual glass blower. Their research led them to the arts and craft community in Berea, Kentucky about a 45 minute drive from our school. The students excitedly showed us the video of how they were able to not only watch the artisan craft the glass ornaments, but also create their own ornaments. They were the experts as they explained to us terms like thermal stress, glory hole, and marvering. I was most excited when the students said they were going to go back again over winter break and take their families and make the glass blowing outing a family tradition.

Another student wanted to explore how to create a puzzle. The task seemed simple until the student explained how she had to work around several challenges. She first downloaded a program that would help her draw the puzzle pieces only to find out the program would not work and was actually an advertisement. Next, she tried to create the puzzle pieces by hand only to find out that her tools were not effective and only succeeded in making a mess. Likewise, she realized that too detailed a photo was difficult to cut out. She settled on a vibrant, but simple photograph. Finally, she found a template and after a couple of attempts was successful. She said she her dad was a huge encouragement to her and helped her brainstorm through the challenges.

This last project involved students creating mosaics using glass tiles. The project evolved throughout the semester as the students became more comfortable with the materials they used. They created four mosaics to represent the four seasons. This sunshine mosaic represented summer.  This was the first mosaic the students created and the one they said they learned the most from. In the corner you can see tiny cracks. These cracks led the students to research and seek help about how to prevent them. Each subsequent mosaic improved in quality until finally the students were satisfied with the outcome. I find it interesting that the students chose to show our class the “mistake” rather than  the finished “perfect” one.

My students were honest about their work when they shared their projects. They spoke about the dangers of procrastinating and underestimating the time the projects took. Many of them talked about learning lessons of planning their work before jumping into the project. Others talked about how experimenting with their work paid off in surprising ways. Many of them commented on how well they know their classmates now that we have struggled through our first Genius Hour. All of these lessons might not have occurred if it were not for Genius Hour. So, would I do it again or recommend it to others? Definitely. My students’ excitement fed my teacher soul. I can’t wait to start this madness back up again in January.