This year I dove into Genius Hour with a 3/4 classroom during their library class. It has been unfolding as unpredictably as predicted. A large handful of students needed far more scaffolding than I anticipated to even come up with something they were interested in much less create a solid guiding question. Others could identify some interests but a great question eluded them. Many dug in their heels and just wanted to research topics without a guiding question. As one student said, “I’ve been waiting my whole life to research horses, why can’t I just do that?” Students wanted to jump from one topic to another as they discovered something new in their research.
What a mess.
Or is it?
Is it really so bad to let students go where their curiosity takes them when they are 9 years old? Is it really so bad for them to just dive deeply into something they want to know about with no strings (except a presentation on their findings to their peers) attached? Can’t we let them build this background knowledge and then use the process of reflection to create a guiding question, where the guiding question is the next step instead of the first step? Once I decided on that as a approach, a sense of calm settled over the classroom of 23. They dug in. And they are excited. I’ve never gotten so many squeals of delight when announcing, “here’s what we are going to do today.” And they are on task.
Now. Why can’t we do the same thing for teachers? Allow them to use PD days to investigate an area they are interested in? Put voice and choice into PD?
For most of the past three years, our professional development days have been teacher work days. Some have been focused on developing PBL units with share out and reflection at the end. Obviously, we as a staff love these days. Think time and time to get work done! And there is learning going on, that is for sure!
Rumor has it, though, that next year these days might shift from professional “planning” days back to what they are meant to be: professional “learning” days. I’ve already put in my two-cents worth: let’s make at least one or two of those days professional “passion project” days. The learning will be twofold: teachers can dive into something they’ve always wanted to try for the benefit of their students, and the genius hour model would be used so that teachers could try it with their students in their classrooms. The framework of the learning can be as structured as it needs to be for admin to feel comfortable with how the time is spent, but what the time is spent on is up to individual teachers.
Will it unfold unpredictably? Of course. But that’s what reflection is for.
What a fantastic idea. I too am working with students on a self-directed project based task and I have given them almost a month’s worth of class time to create their projects without any teaching on my part. It is fantastic to see what they have come up with and the enthusiasm that they bring.
I get the sense that we don’t do these kinds of self-directed professional development days for staff for a variety of reasons. The big one is because I get the sense that the PD leaders think those they lead will not use the time productively. I also think that there is an unfounded sense of needing to plan something, and have handouts and slideshows on the part of the leader in order to show that they developed a meaningful activity, when really the meaning comes from the creation of something like this.
Thanks, Kristine! One of the things I’ve learned with this first round of Genius Hour is that I need to build in and scaffold accountability and reflection at the end of each session. Make the time to come together and share/reflect on what has been discovered (maybe choose who speaks via some random selector so everyone is on their toes!). I wonder if we couldn’t come up with some sort of structure to guide teacher genius hour PD in this same way…some framework that does indeed provide for both freedom and accountability. It is possible!
I LOVE the spirit of this, Laurie! True cannonball happening right here! I could sense the energy of your class (and the insanely perfect gif you chose) and how you identified and rolled with it. PD days are so rare, and for whatever reason, the idea of passion projects often seems foreign. (I know it still is in my school, but I’m working on it…) Your school is lucky to have you–I believe that the best changes in education are likely going to come from just that kind of work.