Project Genius
What happens when students get to decide what they want to learn?
Inspired by the idea behind Genius Hour, Project Genius gave students the opportunity to explore, imagine, and create through their own curiosity. Students began by developing questions across different areas of the world around them. From those questions, each student chose one they genuinely wanted to understand and used it to guide their learning. Beginning with a student-generated question required them to narrow a broad interest into something specific enough to investigate.
From there, each student chose one question to explore and researched information to find their answer. Students had to decide which information was relevant to their question, identify what they were learning from their sources, and organize their findings before moving into creation. With each student following a different question, the learning was shaped by their own curiosity.
Students then decided how they wanted to share what they discovered so they selected a medium that made sense for their topic and the way they wanted to communicate their learning. They used their research to plan, design, and create something that could teach someone else about their question. As they created, they returned to their research to make sure their final project represented what they had learned. The result was a wide range of projects shaped by the interests of the students themselves.
To close Project Genius, students presented their questions, research, and creations to their families during our showcase. Sharing with an authentic audience gave students the opportunity to explain what they discovered, answer questions about their topic, and take ownership of the learning they had led from beginning to end.
My hope is that students left Project Genius knowing that their questions are worth exploring. Learning doesn't always have to begin with someone telling them what to study. Sometimes it can begin with simply wondering, “Why?” “How?” or “What if?”
If your child joined us, ask: Why did you choose your question? What did you discover?
-Cristina
