I used to think that as a teacher I was only allowed to teach what the curriculum specified: science, language, math, social studies, etc. Yes all of these subjects are really important and foundational for students, but it is really hard to get students motivated to learn when the things you are teaching them aren't of interest to them or don't seem applicable. I have found from my own experience and from various classes that students are more willing to learn things that are of interest to them. That is why Genius hour and Passion projects are such a unique and creative way to get students to learn about something. I was recently introduced to this concept in my class, which I totally unaware was even possible, especially in a primary classroom. This idea is based solely on getting students intrinsically motivated to learn by giving them a choice for what they want to learn about. Genius hour or Passion projects are period of time set aside from regular learning to allow students to work on a project they are passionate about or something they want to learn more about (Kesler, 2013). It can be as little as one hour a week and can be adjusted based on how much time you have to allocate to it. Check out this short clip to find out a little more about it:
My first experience with this was in a Grade 4 class I volunteered in last spring. The students were given the opportunity to put together a powerpoint presentation on a topic of their choice, which they would eventually present to the class. One student did his on NHL hockey teams, another student made a presentation to explain to his classmates what it was like to have Tourette’s syndrome, which is something he was diagnosed with. It was really interesting to see each of the students working independently on each of their presentations. I was so inspired by how much effort each of the students was putting into their presentations and how passionate they were about their topics. Prior to this experience I had never thought that this kind of thing was even possible in a typical classroom, but I saw immediate benefits. The students were excited, motivated, and engaged in what they were learning.
As a prospective teacher I am always looking for ways to make learning more fun and interactive for students instead of just teaching from the book. Genius hour and Passion projects are something that is easily implemented and requires minimal effort, other than helping the students figure out their passion by providing them with driving questions and support. In the first few years of teaching I think that most new teachers are afraid to stray from what the curriculum says, myself included. However, with Genius hour all it takes is as little as one hour a week dedicated to allowing the students to explore their individual passions in a controlled environment. With this flexibility I believe that any teacher, regardless of experience, could easily implement something like this into their classroom.
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| Some of my floral arrangements (stage and table arrangement) |
After thinking long and hard about all of this, I have began to think of some Passion projects for myself. The first thing that came to mind was floral designing, which is something that I first started doing in high school in a tech class that I got to take. For my Genius hour, I would probably do various arrangements (table arrangement, bouquet, corsage, etc.) based around specific themes and events (e.g. wedding). Another passion of mine is American Sign Language (ASL) and music. I have always loved singing ever since I was a little girl, and I recently had the chance to take an ASL course where I learned a tremendous amount. I then came across various YouTube clips of people doing ASL interpretations of popular songs. So doing an ASL interpretation of a song is something that I have wanted to do for a while but haven't found the time yet, so dedicating an hour a week to this would be something very doable for me. These are just a few ideas I was able to come up with for myself, however the possibilities are endless.
One of my favourite ASL interpretations, to Adele's Hello
To conclude this blog post before it gets too long, I wanted to end with a few questions for you all: What would you do for your passion project? How would you bring your passion alive?
References:
- Kesler, C. (2013). Genius Hour. Retrieved March 27, 2016, from http://www.geniushour.com/
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