Savannah Griffith Blog Post 5

     Genius Hour

        If there is one thing I really take away from PBL, that would be how important that having a Genius Hour time is for students. We have to put so much pressure on students to finish an assignment, study this, and turn in that, that we accidently neglect students’ freedom to create. In order for us to align our classes with the profile of the SC graduate, we have to carve out time for our students to explore, come to their own conclusions, and think for themselves. If we stick to just the, "plan," then I believe we are sheltering out students from all that they can be. I want my students to remember me as a teacher who let them explore with different art materials, get messy (as long as they clean it up ha-ha) and truly encouraged exploration. 

     Genius hour gives students this time. It allows students to explore and learn about something THEY care about. Not something that fits our mold but something they want to learn about. I have noticed a true change in students’ art as I have allowed them to experiment with materials and try new things. They have lost the fear of messing up and are focusing on being creative. 

    I started with implementing Genius hour to sixth grade but now I use this with all my students. Once every week and half or so I allow students a class period to work on their own work of art. You would be amazed at how much better they work on their Genius Hour project than they do the projects I assign them. I hope that other teachers will begin using this in their classrooms and see the benefit it has for our students.