Sharing Genius Hour at the Expo
At the end of the year last year I had read about an idea....a genius idea....it is called genius hour. See my original post here.
Do you know how many AMAZING things were created, developed and explored during genius hour in my classroom? Well....I had 26 students so there were 26 amazing discoveries.
Genius Hour honestly was one of my proudest teaching moments in the classroom, and yet I didn't plan for it. Well, I planned to give them time to explore. I provided times in the computer lab, the net books and ipads. I released my classroom to mess as students got hands on with some interesting builds.
I scaffolded by giving them a brainstorming sheet to track their individual learning. You can find a copy of that here if you would like. (shameless plug)
I circulated the room, conferenced, discussed, questioned and admired. I interacted with the students and their own student lead learning.
Were there times when I wanted to pull my hair out? YES
Were there times when the mess was driving me nuts? YES
Were there times when I wanted to throw my hands in the air and say enough? YES
Was it worth it in the end for students?
YES
What would I do different?
The sharing!
I think that this part is so vital to students and the whole process. It is more then just filling time in the classroom it is genuine passion driven learning.
I had students share in the classroom with their peers and myself. It went well.
I called it the GENIUS HOUR EXPO.
I had an idea of my own. This school year....maybe in the spring...I am going to make the EXPO bigger. I am thinking of taking over the gym (sorry PE department) and setting up tables for students to share. I will invite the other classes in my division to also participate in Genius Hour and have them share at the EXPO as well. Similar to a science fair but the displays are not marked....but a chance to share. We can invite other classes in the school to circulate and parents to attend.
I am excited!
I had Genius Hour Expo stuff from our classroom this year. I added a letter, table numbers etc. You can grab your own copy here if you are interested in your own genius hour expo.
What do you think? Do you think the EXPO is a good idea?
Yes I do! It's good to have students showcase their knowledge and passion. It's even better to have other classes join you in the endeavor!
ReplyDeleteLOVE the idea of the whole gym expo! My class shared their genius hour projects in our classroom this year. We set up the tables into a horseshoe and all the classes in our school stopped by. They signed up for a 10 min time slots. Parents and administration were also invited (it was during Education Week). It was a ridiculously awesome success. My students were proud as peacocks and I could see the wheels turning in the grade 5 students heads' as they got excited to do it when they come to my class.
ReplyDeleteI am tucking this away for next year as my teaching partner (who was reluctant this year but after seeing the success is on board for this coming year) and I will need a bigger space to showcase the work. :)
Thanks for sharing!
Krista I love YOUR idea of the horseshoe set up! I wonder if the gym is big enough.....wheels are turning! Thanks
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