April 23rd- This was one of the best experiences of my teaching career. Granted I've been teaching for 7 years and hope to have more moments like this and better, but this one was special. Genius Hour has created a developmental divide in my class where some children are investigating bugs and Capoeira, and others are tinkering away and creating. I have enjoyed watching this evolution happen and feel confident that deep learning is happening at both ends of the divide. Some need to make and build, others need to create, some start a movement and others want deep learning.
For the builders, a hot topic has been rapid prototyping and the test-retest cycle of iteration. JR took some time to create his spaceship model and claimed he was 'done'. "Great," I said. "Test it." He wasn't quite sure what that meant. It can't fly to the moon, this was obvious, but it did have to be quite strong to make a possible journey. So, I suggested he do the
throw test. It's a pretty simple test for strength. Step 1) take object/ship/thing. Step 2) throw in a safe direction. Step 3) assess damage and rebuild to address weakness. The thing is, I can't believe he actually chucked the thing! He had so much pride in his initial build, I was sure I'd get some flack. But he has trust in this process and he has trust in the class culture of creating and innovating.
I'm coming to realize that Genius Hour isn't a thing or a kit to be made available. There isn't a formula for all. Rather, it is a frame of mind that a curious educator can embody. This is a time and place for educators who believe in self-led learning, wondering and creating to show trust in their students ideas and passions. Teachers can learn with students, coach their efforts and help them to make their learning or creation the ideal of what the students wants.
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| The girls tried 6 more times. |
April 30th- LP and EL worked together today to perfect a chain reaction using dominoes and a few other items. They worked feverishly and carefully for over 90 minutes, continuously knocking their reaction down accidentally (or not). When all was said and done, they didn't have a thing to present after Genius Hour came to a close, instead, they shared their experiences and wisdom after failing so many times. What did they come up with? Rapid prototyping worked well, they figured out what worked (some dominoes) and what didn't (too many is a problem). They wanted to use clay next time as well as more marbles. They shared eloquently and with some frustration. They were loud and proud. The class was proud of them, constantly telling the girls, 'we saw it or heard it work', as if to say- we've got your back, it's happened to us, too. If this isn't grit x perseverance= awesome, I don't know what it...
