Don't get me wrong...they have the passion for some really great products. They were just tired.
I started the lesson by presenting the concept of Genius Hour to them. We watched the "What is Genius Hour" video as well as "How to Change the World by the Kid President". Both were very motivational and got the group thinking.
In lieu of a Wonder Journal, I put together a Wonder "Mix" using some old CD sleeves I had left over from the 90's. The 'mix' included some tables that would help guide the students through the Genius Hour process. I was happy to find these tables in Teachers Pay Teachers. The first table just helped students get in touch with who they really are and what it important to them. This is a very difficult process for anyone let alone a 13-year-old. I was proud of their progress through that table and watched excitedly as they moved on to forge their driving question.
As you suspect some of the driving questions didn't even make it out of the driveway...How fast can an arrow fly? This did give us time to talk about where these questions would lead them and the product they would be sharing. In the end most students came up with good questions. Some of them were even GREAT questions...How do I help people who might want to hurt themselves? What can I do to help abused horses? I am really proud of the genuine compassion showed by many of my students. As a "Wonder Wall" we but the questions on clear vinyl and posted them on the wall in the classroom.
Unfortunately, the eighty minutes went by all too quickly. Most students were still working on their research and one created a preliminary product. I invited and encouraged them all to continue their work and guaranteed them I would give them access to all my resources whenever they wanted to work on their research and product.
In the end my students came away with a little bit better understanding about who they are an where their passions lie. They also were reminded that they can make a difference and I am here to help them if needed.
Hi Marie,
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you chose Genius Hour as one of the possibilities in our project to try out with your middle school students. While I know time is always limited, I appreciate the ways you provided for student choice (allowing them to explore what they are interested in and intrinsically want to research), feedback and support for their need to knows (when you realized that some of their questions weren't viable for in depth, extended research you provided them with support for creating researchable questions, and time (you provided them with additional time to continue working on their genius hour research after the period had ended). Your genius hour is off to a good start. I want to encourage you to consider audience as a natural motivator. For the student who has a preliminary product, schedule his/her presentation as the bell ringer and provide the class with the opportunities to provide him/her with feedback and many times that is a catalyst for other students to share theirs. In reviewing your evidence of application in your Genius Hour folder in google drive I was able to view your Genius Hour wonder wall (nice!) and your presentation slides for how you introduced this to students. I also enjoyed seeing the preliminary student work. Keep me posted on how these go.
Thanks for you feedback - ALWAYS helpful!!!
ReplyDeleteMarie,
ReplyDeleteI loved hearing about your Genius Hour success. I choose to implement mine on an ACT Aspire days too and also found my students to be tired. I ran into similar problems of having the students ask great questions. I enjoyed hearing those compassionate questions a few of your students asked; how great to get that from middle schoolers.