Genius Hour is an approach to learning where students are guided by their own interests, background knowledge, and curiosity to learn.
What is Genius Hour?
It is about students choosing one hour of the day to explore their own curiosities. During this time, they can work on projects of their own making or follow passions sparked by an educator during the rest of the day. This gives them a sense of agency and responsibility for their learning.
Why is Genius Hour important?
Genius Hour is an opportunity for students to take on a project of their choice, or what they are most passionate about, and spend an hour working on it. This could be reading a book, sketching an idea for a novel, or building a model car. It doesn’t matter what they do as long as they enjoy themselves and learn something in the process.
Benefits of Genius Hour?
“Genius Hour” is an hour every week where students are given the freedom to explore their interests at their own pace. It may seem like this would be a waste of time but it actually offers many benefits. A passion is something that your child will carry with them for life, whether or not they decide to pursue it as a career. Students are also able to improve skills in ways they might not have noticed before because there are many forms of intelligence. These can include social, emotional, sports-related, artistic, and more. Lastly, students get the chance to work on self-directed projects where they get to choose what they want to work on and how they want to do it.
How to get started with Genius Hour at home
Genius Hour at home is a simple idea. Just set aside one hour per week to explore and innovate in something your child enjoys. Whether it’s dissecting worms, experimenting with slime, or taking apart an old bicycle, Genius Hour doesn’t prescribe what children should do; it simply provides an environment where your child can pursue their interests.
