Genius Hour-Independent Study

When I was GATE trained, we were taught an engagement strategy called Independent Study, also known as Genius Hour.  The students choose what topic they are going to educate themselves on, and the teacher guides and facilitates their learning. Facilitating learning was a very new concept to me because, as a teacher, I always thought that I was to be the person who delivered the information to students, not the guide. A couple of my colleagues talked about how they were using the strategy in their classrooms, so I decided to give it a try with the GATE clustered classes. 

            When I initially tried Genius Hour, I let students pick whatever topic they wanted, had them research, and present. Some of the students would do a good job, but others were not producing the highest quality of work. This year, with a little more research, I found a way to help the students give more focus so that they are getting what they needed out of the independent study. I found a great resource on Teachers Pay Teachers that will guide students through the process as well as keep them accountable.  

Building a Wordle

   The Wordle will allow students to brainstorm their interests, and a way to help them choose their focus. They will be able to see all of the people and activities that interest them. For our district, the website Wordle does not work on school computers, but I did find an alternative through Google Apps Add-ons. The Add-On is called Word Cloud Generator. Here is an example that I made and will be showing my students.  

Brainstorming

Next, the students will decide what topic with a specific question they would like to learn more about. I will allow the students to use the computers to do some research on
 different areas of interest. During this time, I talk to the students about credible websites, such as .edu, .org, .net, and .com. In addition, if a website has an author attached to the article, that is always a good sign. TED is also a great place to find information, and it is nice because it allows the students to use different types of resources for their research. I feel that teaching the students how to research is so important, especially in technology-driven learning environments.  

Monitoring Progress

In the past, I believe this is where I fell short, so I am going to build in meeting times once-twice a week. I want to make sure that students are progressing on their learning and offer up any support that they may need. First, the students use the KWHLAQ chart once they have a question. This is a new step for me, but I believe this will help students see where they need to go with their research. It will also allow them to ask the right questions when using computers. 

After completing the KWHLAQ chart, they are ready to propose their questions.  Just another step added to ensure students are supported throughout the process and making sure they are being guided in their learning.  

            Once the students are officially researching their questions, I want to make sure they are logging their findings. After each research session, students must fill out their log, which will include their websites and what they learned. This step will especially be important because it will show me if they truly understand what they are reading and if it enhances their learning. I will have them do this on a Google Doc so that they can hyperlink the web addresses.  

The Final Product

            The final product will be entirely up to them, as long as it can be presented to the class. In the past, many students felt the most comfortable with a Google Slides presentation or a video. Which is fine, but I want them to find different ways to show information. Promoting creativity is so important. We will have a conversation on different modes of informing an audience.  As a group, we will then create a Choice Board so that the students will have access to the list of ideas. 

            How am I going to incorporate this into an already packed schedule? I thought UA (Universal Access) might be the best place for Genius Hour. Independent learning is perfect for GATE students, and it is an exciting way to challenge them.  Genius Hour can be altered in many different ways to fit your classroom environment and students. 

Diana Eberle