Given the time, what would your students like to spend time working on?

Genius Hour has many names (passion projects, an hour of wonder, Montessori method, 20 percent time, 80/20, curiosity time, innovation day) but the philosophy behind it is the same. Google (the search engine) allowed its employees to spend 20% of their time at work to work on any project that they wanted to. The theory behind this is that if you allow people to spend time working on things that interest them or their are curious about, then productivity will go up as intrinsic motivation is increased. These principles can be applied to the classroom.

 

For an introduction see:

The main goals of genius hour is to give children time for creativity, give student autonomy and choice, and give children time to explore passions.

Rules for Genius Time:

* Start with a question

* Do some research

* Share your project

UNLEASH YOUR STUDENTS’ CREATIVITY

UNLEASHING LEARNING

 

Below is some must see videos to inspire teachers:

 

Here are some videos to inspire your students:

 

Genius Hour is great a way to authentically support children in learning research skills, follow their curiosity and passions, and giving them an avenue to share their thoughts and understandings with others. Have a go!