Personalization and Genius Hour

Video Transcription

Hi, I'm Ashley [INAUDIBLE], and I want to talk to you about personalization and Genius Hour. What will you learn today? What is Genius Hour? Where did it all begin? What does Genius Hour look like for students? What are the benefits of Genius Hour? What do Genius Hour and personalization have in common? And how can you apply this in your classroom?

What is Genius Hour? Genius Hour is a new development that promotes students to pursue their own desires and be creative. Students actually get a say in the learning activities they complete during a certain time of the school day.

Where did Genius Hour begin? The idea originated when Google allowed its engineers 20% of their work time to devote to any project of their choosing. This allowed them to work on projects they were most passionate about. An author by the name of Daniel Pink right how other companies have also decided to do the same. Their employees complete innovative projects during this block of time.

What does this look like for students? In a classroom, students are given a certain amount of time during the day to work on projects of their choice.

What are the benefits of Genius Hour? Genius Hour promotes creativity and communication among peers. Students are able to choose what they like, and they can be as creative as possible and share their ideas with their classmates. It also helps build critical thinking skills. Genius Hour in the classroom will definitely keep students engaged. Students are able to choose what they want to do. Therefore, they are more likely to stay focused and complete the task.

Genius Hour also helps build endurance. When students are working on something that motivates them, no problem will set them back. They will not give up until a solution has been found.

What did Genius sour and personalization have in common? Genius Hour offers flexible learning, as students are able to work at their own pace on projects of their choosing. It also gives new meaning to the teacher role. Students are able to have more autonomy, and the teacher can stand back as an observer. Genius Hour and personalization promote project based learning. Students learn through the process of trial and error by creating a project that interests them. Learning as fully driven by the student-- well, at least during that block of time.

And with Genius Hour, achievement is based on mastery. Students are given the opportunity to delve in on their chosen topic and achieve deeper understanding. As a teacher, I don't like the feeling of being rushed to teach certain topics to make sure it's covered. With Genius Hour, students get the time to fully deepen their understanding.

How can you apply this to your classroom? OK, now it's your turn. I want you to think, how can you apply this to your own classroom? How long would you give students to work on their free choice topics? At what point of your day would Genius Hour fit best? Would you narrow the topics down for your students, or would you allow them to have full range of any topic or project they would like to do? What materials will be available for your students to use? Consider all of this when incorporating Genius Hour into your classroom.

So, what did we learn today? Well, we talked about what Genius Hour is. It's a new way of learning that allows students to work on projects of their choice. Where did all begin? It began when Google permitted its employees 20% of their workday on projects they're passionate about. What does Genius Hour look like for / well, for students, it gives them the opportunity to work on an activity of their choice. What are the benefits of Genius Hour? Some benefits are that it gives students more say about their learning, and it helps them build critical thinking skills.

What do Genius Hour and personalization have in common? Students are able to work at their own pace. And how can you apply this to your classroom? Well, we talked about a number of things to consider when incorporating Genius Hour into your classroom routine.

Well, that's it. Hopefully this gave you some insightful information.