Inspire others with Genius Hour

         Last Thursday marked the presentations of our Genius Hour. We were divided into partners of our choice or groups of three individuals, and had to research a topic of exploration that interested us. Genius Hour signifies “a movement that allows students to explore their own passions and encourages creativity in the classroom.  It provides students a choice in what they learn during a set period of time during school” (Kesler 2013). Genius Hour is a new strategy that schools have been implementing in order to expand creative and intellectual abilities and research a topic through a skill-testing question. Personally, I have never experienced an assignment quite like Genius Hour, and I feel it was liberating. Finally, schools are beginning to understand that researching topics of interest fuel motivation within us. I was much more willing and determined to work on something I had interest in learning about, as opposed to something unavoidable from the curriculum. This type of thinking fuels meta-cognitive processes as students are inquired to think about the way they think. Thinking about the way they think relates to Genius Hour through the expansion of a single question that you – yourself or your group members created. "What is Genius Hour?" explains more details on how to partake in this task! Take the driver's seat and control what you want to learn!

            Our Genius Hour presentation focused on the effects that project-based learning had on motivation. Quite honestly in one of the studies we found that tested this theory, it was reported that motivational rates were increased because students found they were able to visualize themselves partaking in the task. As well, the third grade and sixth grade students in particular agreed that the tasks were fun and engaging. The study results explain, “These hands-on manipulatives in conjunction with cooperative groups had a positive impact on students’ confidence, therefore, improving their motivation to complete homework assignments” (Bartscher 41). When student interest is involved in the task, the expectations are that the student will strive to achieve higher value.

            Genius Hour is a great way to figure out the things that are most important to us. I believe that more schools should be open to the inclusion of this task. It is such a good idea to have students, for one day, choose what their assignment will be and in what direction they will take it. Teachers should be impressed by the results and project ideas that the students within their classroom can think of. If, to stay on track with the curriculum, teachers don’t feel that they can dedicate a timed lesson to let kids explore a topic of their choice, then they can modify Genius Hour. They can modify this assignment so that they are working under a larger category – kind of like a big question. Say for instance, the children are learning about the solar system in science class, for Genius Hour they will each choose a question of interest under that heading.

Genius Hour can be a collaborative or individual project that to me, no-doubt, instills confidence within students and encourages them to question the unknown. 

* The link for the study can be found below* 

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED392549.pdf

 *Genius Hour website listed below*

http://www.geniushour.com/what-is-genius-hour/

Bartscher, Kathy. (1995). "Increasing Student Motivation Through Project-Based Learning". ERIC. p.41
Kesler, Chris. (2013, Mar. 29). "What is Genius Hour?"

21st Century Integrated Learning Influences Motivation

“The backward design process facilitates a process where all collaborators can find a substantive place for their subject areas by providing a way to discover what is in common across them” (Drake, Kolohon, & Reid 121). The most exciting, intriguing, and motivating curriculums are the ones that integrate a variety of subject areas into a lesson plan. Currently in our education course we are designing, in groups, an integrated curriculum between our major subject areas. It is difficult because we have to find a way that each of our subjects ties together. For example, what commonalities do drama and science share? My group in particular is working very hard to incorporate big ideas and understandings between science, dramatic arts, and healthy living – a branch of physical education. It is extremely hard, as we are realizing now, to create a curriculum that not only fits the desires and requirements of the course content but also caters to student interests and has the ability to increase motivation.

Motivation is a huge factor that can often contribute to negative responses and productivity in the classroom. If students lack motivation, they can portray signs similar to a behavioral problem. Students with a lack of motivation seek attention and can jeopardize both their own learning, as well as the learning of the students around them. An interesting study was done a few years ago which highlighted, through numbers, percentages of drop-out students and the reasons behind their lack of success. There were several indicators that a lack of motivation played a large role in the drop-out decision. The study can be seen through this link:

http://www.jstor.org/stable/27531184

In attempt to teach more towards the expectations of the twenty-first century, I remember one teacher in my high school that did her best to educate us in an interesting and motivating way on a Shakespeare unit. She aimed to cater to our differentiated instructional needs. For example, when we were learning a lesson in class, she showed us the main expectation of the assignment, which would be to convey that we understand the main themes of the text we are examining. But instead of handing in a typical essay…

which was the original instructions of the assignment, we were allowed to demonstrate our ‘main argument or lesson we learned’ in a write up following a creative presentation of some sort. We had to demonstrate our knowledge of the text in our own creative way. Some students sang a song, some students rapped lyrics, some students wrote poetry, some students wrote a speech, etc. and each student had the chance to present their piece to the class in some way and explain, afterwards, why they chose to do what they did. My particular piece in that class involved a dramatic scene with 2-4 of my classmates in which we restated, through a mini skit, all of the major important dramatic lines from the Shakespearian play we were studying. This assignment was in no way limiting or restricting, in fact, it left the expectations quite open and interchangeable for students which we gladly enjoyed.

In my opinion, education should be fun, educational, and experimental. It should be something that everyone wants to participate in and receive along their future endeavors. Part of the twenty-first century view encompasses the idea of the teacher as an experimentalist. Drake, Kolohon, and Reid state, “The twenty-first-century educators open their classrooms to the world… they strive to develop strong relationships with their students…At the heart of their practice is caring about their students and being a catalyst for their growth as a whole person” (153). Teachers who follow a twenty-first century outlook are always learning. They are great innovators and strive towards making goals attainable through different areas of focus. Students like myself are also continuously learning, so if the learning process happens collaboratively, then we are not only able to work towards a more constructivist classroom approach, but we are also able to integrate subjects into the curriculum so that each student partakes in connecting with multiple subject areas in different ways.

Characteristics of a twenty-first century teacher can be seen in this short YouTube clip:

Drake, Susan M., Wendy Kolohon, and Joanne L. Reid. Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: engaging the 21st century learner. Don Mills: Oxford University Press, 2014. Print. 

Integr-ACTION

A fascinating approach to curriculum design is that of an integrated curriculum which gives students, in my opinion, a more-rounded education – as subject divisions are blurred and connected to one another. One of the aspects of integrated curriculum which really stood out to me was place-based education.  Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment states that “Place-based education is an approach that honours the local community as the primary source of learning” (Drake, Kolohon, & Reid 122).  I read this quote from the book aloud to my roommate who then shared with me that in grade 11, her school studied world religions while looking at different places of worship. The religion teacher took them to a Hindu temple, Buddhist temple, Jewish synagogue, Catholic Church, and an Islamic mosque so that they could actually witness and observe the way different religions share a different cultural experience.  She also shared with me that they went to Pacific mall and China Town to observe Asian culture and heritage. This is extremely intriguing for me. Even to relate to myself, I remember travelling with my grade 11 law class to an Ontario criminal court so that we could see criminal trials while studying that unit. I believe this to be a super effective way for teachers to connect the curriculum to place-based learning. It not only keeps the students engaged but it is a very neat way of connecting curriculum with community, while providing students the opportunity to get lost within the curriculum and discover what/where their passions of learning lie.

è I know it is a long clip, but place-based learning is depicted in this link where David Sobel discusses the progress of place-based education, as well as, how it works:  

I would also like to discuss how an integrated curriculum can turn an assignment meant for English into one that can be seen through the lens of a different subject – if slightly adapted. For example, on page 136 of the text: Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment, there is an assignment called “Town Hall Meeting”. Now although it does not suggest this particularly in the book, I find that this can be adapted to fit a drama curriculum. I have a huge interest in dramatic arts, as it is my minor, and I remember one character was in the role of the mayor. He/she would walk in and propose the reason for the meeting (one girl drowned due to lack of proper fencing around river), and then would ask questions and open the floor to the audience – who would then engage in discussion and take on different roles. To provide an example, someone in the audience might be the mayor’s wife; someone might be the mother/father of the girl who drowned, etc. This activity worked great in terms of engagement with the subject. In this way, I like to look at integrated curriculums, personally, by using the term integr-ACTION (which I came up with) because the students get to experience contexts of subjects in different ways while applying themselves physically and mentally.

è This is a group of university students that attempted a town hall meeting. It is a good example of this improvised activity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LokFrLD4KZ4

Integrating the curriculum is an important tactic for school boards because it shows how subjects can be grouped together collaboratively, and be somewhat intertwined, but still hold significant meaning independently. Integration of curriculum does not just stop there, though. Susan Drake discovers three academic sub-categories: multidisciplinary, intradisciplinary, and transdisciplinary. The authors explain that in “Multidisciplinary integration…the procedures of the disciplines are dominant” (Burns & Drake 15). These disciplines are typically designed around a main/common theme that is possessed by each subject category across the curriculum.  The authors then explain that: “Intradisciplinary approaches offer an excellent fit for standards when educators approach them through a backward design process” (Burns & Drake 15). An intradisciplinary curriculum is when teachers compile sub-categories under one large subject division. Lastly, Burns and Drake state that: “Teachers might organize transdisciplinary curriculum around a real-world context” (15).  Transdisciplinary curriculum is a curriculum organized around student questions and concerns. Project-based learning is a fairly common example of this type of curriculum.                                        

Here is an article highlighting the strive for change of integration in a reform school's curriculum in Vietnam: http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/education/113101/curriculum-changes-take-time.html

Burns, Rebecca C., and Susan M. Drake., Meeting standards through integrated curriculum. Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2004. Print.

Drake, Susan M., Wendy Kolohon, and Joanne L. Reid. Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: engaging the 21st century learner. Don Mills: Oxford University Press, 2014. Print. 

Knowing your students is the first step to success!

Flashback – it is grade 7 for me – there’s a very troublesome individual who always bullies other students into making poor decisions to ensure she isn't the only one to get suspended when consequences are brought to the table. She not only blames other students but she bullies them and engages others into physical contact. During most of the lessons, she will draw in her notebook. The teacher, prior to these incidents, had formed a rapport with the whole class by handing out a survey to “get to know us better”. This survey included a diagnostic assessment, to find out how we learn and what our multiple intelligences are. At the end of the sheet, there is a “personal comments that you feel I should know” section. The teacher, after dealing with previous incidents in different ways, felt as though she had a good enough bond with the student to try and assertively get to the root of the problem - as the teacher noticed she had no notes written down besides images. The teacher called her aside after school to have a ‘talk’. Since their talk, the girl’s behavior increased gradually in a positive manner. I noticed during every class her behavior was more positive but she still drew images - this time no one knows what the images represent. I, my curious self, approach the teacher on my spare time after noticing a couple weeks of improved behavior and computer time, and ask how on earth she managed to bring this student back to a realm of understanding. The teacher replies with:

“Danielle, this is one of the reasons I like to hear about my students before attempting to teach them. Getting to know your students can be both a blessing and a challenge. Surveys are very useful. ______ is a visual/spatial learner. She was getting frustrated in trying to listen to a lesson which is why she always draws images as she hears things. The frustration and behavior was coming out as a fear of falling behind. She learns best through the ability to see things visually and graphically”            

[end of flashback]* 

Check out how visual/spatial learners process information:                                   

The Choice for Change

“We may begin with a concept – set out art supplies, divide the class into discussion groups, organize an interview – but the children will direct the meaning making, and we as teachers will have to be sensitive to their wants and needs” (Booth and Barton 57). David Booth is a professor of Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. He is also the author of many books, and an exceptional public speaker. Bob Barton is one of Canada’s most-experienced storytellers. He served as an Educational Consultant and has written several children’s books, and professional works. I believe what Booth and Barton are trying to say, is that a teacher can sit/stand at the front of the room and provide the class with a lesson or instructions for a task, but when it comes down to actually interpreting the knowledge or completing the task, it is left in the hands of the student…thus fostering self-directed learning.

The 21st century is bringing about change. This change refers to the way in which teachers educate students. Teachers and students are becoming equals in the classroom, as opposed to teacher-directed management which suggests that “…the teacher makes almost all of the major decisions, including room arrangement, seating assignments, classroom decorations, academic content, assessment devices and criteria, and decisions concerning the day-to-day operation of the classroom” (Elliott et al 98). In my opinion, teacher-directed management is unsuccessful because students feel as if they have no say in any decisions made towards their own learning. I remember having a teacher in grade 3 that controlled every single decision that had to do with our classroom. She was so controlling, it even got to the point where she would decide the location of the class goldfish bowl because she thought it was distracting to us – when in actuality, the control she tried to express over us was the real distraction. Each week before the teacher got to the classroom, several students in my class would decide where to place the fishbowl – most of the time on her desk. She was so fed up with the class; she always blamed our actions on bad student behavior. However, these actions were a result of the products she had created. I know it is a silly example– the movement of a fishbowl in act of rebellion – but it is one I remembered and just goes to show how young this behavior can start with an ineffective and overwhelming teaching style.

After hearing Professor Drake speak in lecture about the developing 21st century style of teaching, it really opened my eyes to the ways in which teachers deliver content and pass on knowledge to a student. I am not saying that I never thought of this beforehand, it just made me pay close attention to the different methods university professors have used to instruct groups of students. Although I am a student myself, I do strongly support the idea of student-directed learning. Students need to be able to receive material/information and be able to interpret it to the best of their abilities – meaning it varies from student to student. In university last year, I had one of the best teachers I have ever had. I will always remember the way he instructed, as I would like to carry that forward with me in my future career as a teacher. This professor believed in an element called choice. “Choice plays a key role in student-directed learning and person-centered environments because it is believes that a student can learn to make good choices only if he has the opportunity to make choices” (Lewis, 2001; Ryan and Deci, 2000 in Principles of Classroom Assessment 92). Choice is exactly what this professor gave to us. It worked! Everyone was determined to try their very best and work hard - knowing that their ability to learn was 100% in their control. Not only was I challenged with the ability to take away from lessons what I thought was important, or challenged with the ability to make what I thought was the right decision, but it really got me thinking about the way in which I think and process information – metacognition. Through the power of change, metacognition is gaining importance, in my opinion, as it is extremely helpful to me to know not only how I learn best, but also how I think about things I’ve been taught. Once we become successful in changing the ways in which we facilitate student learning to a more constructivist approach, then I believe student success will gradually increase. I will continue to learn and grow based on my own personal experiences and the experiences of individuals whose paths I have crossed and will cross.

Check out these interesting scholarly articles based upon self-directed learning and constructivist classrooms: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0742051X02000926
http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=23353dbf-007e-4496-ba4d-320fe436c459%40sessionmgr114&vid=1&hid=117