Everyone can picture the old ubiquitous image of a classroom scene: teacher up front talking, students sitting at their desks listening and taking notes. That does still happen…but there are also schools finding better ways! Genius Hour, an innovative practice at Google, is one of those better ways.
Learn more about how Genius Hour works at Google.
How Genius Hour Works
First: Kids decide what they want to learn about. What do they find interesting, or makes them curious, or excites them? This needs to be a driving question, and one that doesn’t have a quick solution.
Second: Over time students are given Genius Hour time to research and develop their projects. It could be to create a film, build a slideshow or powerpoint presentation, or invent a game.
Third: Students share their research to the class, and, ideally, to the world. This inevitably creates more questions, more avenues of research or interest, and more ideas for future Genius Hours.
The benefits are obvious! Students become more engaged and learn more quickly because they are pursuing knowledge of topics that fascinate them. They get more practice at learning because it’s fun to learn about what is interesting to them. Teachers support and guide the learning. They make sure that students use their time wisely and effectively. The Genius Hour exposes students to ideas and methods of learning that they would never find in a regular classroom setting.
LEADPrep is unleashing students’ creativity with Genius Hour…thanks, Google!
