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What is Genius Hour?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Genius hour<\/strong> (sometimes called \u2018passion pursuit\u2019) is a student-centred practice that allows pupils to choose what they learn during a set period of time at school. Teachers often choose to implement it for one hour per week, and it could amount to around 20% of class time per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The concept of genius hour was popularised by companies such as Google, which allow employees to spend 20% of their time working on a project that they personally want to do. Giving people the chance to work on something that interests them was found to increase their productivity in general. In the classroom, the principles are the same \u2013 genius hour lets students explore their interests without being restricted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are no set rules for genius hour, but it can be helpful to provide students with some sort of structure. This supports them to stay on track and come up with a really interesting project, rather than squandering the time each week. Teachers might do this by helping their class to brainstorm ideas, giving them a project proposal form to fill out, or setting a basic timeline for the process. After the completion of a project, students might be given reflection journals to fill in, detailing what they learnt.<\/p>\n\n\n There are a range of advantages to introducing genius hour in your classroom, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The potential benefits make genius hour an invaluable idea to implement in the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n <\/p> <\/p> Build on your existing knowledge or learn new skills to help you in the classroom with our CPD Courses for Teaching Staff<\/a>. Find everything from Challenging Behaviour<\/a> to Child Mental Health training<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div> <\/p>\n\n\n\n In this section, we will provide you with answers to common questions about trying genius hour in your classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are thinking about trying genius hour in your classroom, the first thing you might be considering is how to make time for it. The relatively little time you have with your class might make one hour seem like too much to give up, particularly if the hour will be spent on a topic that is unrelated to the curriculum. You could solve this problem by making genius hour related to what you\u2019re currently teaching \u2013 create a generic lesson objective that ties in with the curriculum, and let students explore it as they wish. Their findings might give you a different perspective on the topic, as well as making it more memorable for them.<\/p>\n\n\n During genius hour, teachers are facilitators. You will need to provide the framework for genius hour that prevents it from turning into a \u2018free-for-all\u2019 \u2013 for example, by ensuring that they fill out a project proposal form, and giving them a deadline for completing and presenting their work. You should also give them ground rules to help them stay focused \u2013 though this type of lesson is inherently more casual, general rules such as keeping the noise level down should still apply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, you should provide support to your students. For some, this may be the first time they have completed an independent project \u2013 they may have questions and problems that you can help them with. Ultimately, you should guide them through the learning process, giving them suggestions for where to go next and evaluating what they have done well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It could be useful to let your students get used to similar sessions before you begin implementing genius hour. For example, bring back show-and-tell \u2013 you could try having several different presentations running at the same time within the classroom, allowing students to visit whichever session they want. This helps them to get used to the more informal environment and builds their confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you do introduce genius hour, you could start off with shorter projects \u2013 the first one could be only a month long, rather than a whole term.<\/p>\n\n\n Genius hour can generally be split into five steps: proposing, researching, creating, presenting, and reflecting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the proposing (or planning) stage, students will need to select a topic they want to work on. This may involve brainstorming a range of ideas and choosing a couple of them to submit for your approval \u2013 you can help to decide whether a topic is too big or too small for the amount of time they have, and whether or not it will sustain their interest and build their skills. Students will also need to decide on the question they are looking to answer with their project. Having a central question to go back to will help to focus their research \u2013 however, you should ensure that their question is not something that Google could answer in one search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the research stage, students might use a variety of different mediums to find out about their topic. This could include books, articles, websites, videos, or even experts on the subject (either in the local community or those you find online) \u2013 interviewing someone gives them valuable experience and helps them see how their chosen topic relates to the real world. Your students should keep detailed notes so that they don\u2019t forget what they have learnt; this will also help to prepare them for future study. You might also decide to teach them how to reference and how to evaluate the accuracy of a source.<\/p>\n\n\n Once they have finished researching, they can use the data they have collected to create their project. It might be in the form of a PowerPoint presentation, written report, video, painting, or something made out of papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9 \u2013 it all depends on the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The finished product is then presented to the class, teacher, and whoever else you decide to invite (some teachers ask parents and other staff to come in and watch). The students don\u2019t necessarily have to talk through the project in front of the class \u2013 they might find this intimidating, and may prefer to simply show it to everyone. Also consider setting a time limit for each presentation, and recording to give each student feedback afterwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, ask your students to reflect (whether in a journal, a worksheet, or reflection video): what went well? What did they learn? Would they do anything differently? What is their target for next time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most important thing with genius hour is to let students explore their interests. Don\u2019t cut the brainstorming short \u2013 an idea that they\u2019re passionate about makes the whole process much more valuable. If students can\u2019t decide what to do, try using a \u2018wonder wall\u2019 (a space where they put sticky notes with problems they want to solve), websites like Thrively<\/a> (which show children their strengths), or worksheets with questions to get them thinking (for example, what\u2019s happening in the world currently that you\u2019re interested in? What has made you say \u2018wow\u2019 recently?). <\/p>\n\n\n We have collated 20 good examples of genius hour projects<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Give these initial ideas to your students and see what they come up with \u2013 it might help to spark their creativity!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Genius hour is a great way to get your students excited about learning, as well as exploring their own interests, and building their independent learning skills. It might initially seem daunting, but many teachers have found it revolutionary \u2013 we hope this article has given you the confidence to try it.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Genius hour is a great way to get your students excited about learning. Find out how you could use it in your classroom here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":52438,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[81,80],"class_list":["post-52414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safeguarding","tag-education","tag-teachers-and-parents"],"acf":{"schema_disabled":false,"schema_properties_FAQPage_question_answer":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_tools":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_supplies":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_steps":null,"schema_properties_WebPage_cssSelector":null,"schema_sameAs_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_override":false},"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/student-working-on-project.jpeg\")
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\n\n\n\nWhy Should I Use Genius Hour?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/div>\nNeed a Course?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\n\nHow Can I Try Genius Hour in My Classroom?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How Can I Make Time for Genius Hour & Does It Fit into the Curriculum?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/teacher-facilitating-students-work.jpeg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nWhat is the Role of the Teacher in Genius Hour?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How Should I Introduce Genius Hour to My Students?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nWhat Are the Steps of Genius Hour?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Planning and Researching<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/planning-and-researching.jpeg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nCreating, Presenting, and Reflecting<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nIdeas & Lesson Plans for Genius Hour<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nFurther Resources:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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