2025-10-21 15:47:34 UTC

I think genius hour is a great idea. Just like choice boards the students get to actually work on things the are really interested in. I think it will make a classroom so much more diverse.

2026-07-06 19:51:09 UTC

Amy Richardson- I love genius hour and have done it for years in both my regular and Honors classes. This really gives kids the chance to take control of their own learning based on their own interests. They become more involved typically because they chose it, and its usually of more interest to them than something that might otherwise be assigned. Some challenges can include keeping students on task (when everyone is researching something cool, sometimes it is hard to stay on task yourself). There is also the aspect of time and how long are we giving the students to complete their vision? I think these should be something students work on for at least a semester in my experience, if not longer. If a student finishes something sooner than someone else, I usually let them chose another thing that interests them. Everyone continues to learn and I do encourage them to share their findings at the end. For the students who complete one or more genius hours, I often ask that they choose their favorite and do a presentation on that one. I want students to get the research time as well as experience in presenting their findings. If they can do bigger things with their ideas (such as take it into the community, etc) more power to them! I think its a wonderful thing and something all my students have enjoyed ever since I started teaching. I do it every year to some extent. Next year I will be teaching three grades, all Honors, and this will be something I will either plan by semester or by quarter. I know my students and I know there are many things they would love to research. I will block off time so that each class can share their findings. I also think its important to invite families to come support their students on presentation days if that is an option. The more the merrier in terms of teaching others about something new!

Describe your current feelings about using Genius Hour in your classroom. What do you see as the benefits? What might be the challenges or risks? by Jessica Zimmerman