Giving Kids Space to Explore Their Interests
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You might have heard of: Passion Project, 20% Project, Genius
Hour, Tutoria, and/or Twenty Time projects. Google is credited for making the
20% Project what it is today. Google asks its employees to spend 20% of
their time at Google to work on a pet project...a project that their job
description doesn't cover. As a result of the 20% Project at Google, they now
have Gmail, AdSense, Google News, and the Google Teacher Academy!
Many classrooms across the country (and globally) are embracing
the idea of allowing students time within the school day to explore an interest
in a project or idea and later present to a wider audience.
As our instructional focus calls for students to demonstrate a
deeper understanding many teachers are looking for engaging activities that are
relevant to student's lives and allow them to pursue research for a cause or
content they find interesting.
The goal is to allow students to pick their own project and
learning outcomes, while still hitting grade level standards and skills.
Check out this post for 20%
implementation guidance.
Here’s a great article from Edutopia
that defends “Why 20% is good for Schools”.
And check out these student TedX
Talks about Student Passion!! Here
is the how the teacher organized and implemented the student TedX talks.
Here are some possible ideas to help brainstorm with students for 20% projects:
- Write a novel, children's book, book of original poems
- Keep an blog about a current event
- Create a how-to video about soccer, fixing Xbox controllers, fitness
- Paint a mural
- Build a RC race car
- Go vegetarian or vegan
- Bake something new every week
- Learn how to cook meals
- Create a curriculum for a church group
- Learn how to crochet
- Learn how to play the bass, piano, ukelele
- Film a BMX video, Warren Miller-style snowboarding video with the student as the star
- Learn my family's recipes and cook with my grandmother, aunt, mother
- Learn how to longboard
- Create a movie by writing a script, filming, and editing
- Study and learn depression, high school anxiety problems
- Learn yoga
- Create a music album of original tracks
- Create, market, and sell protein drinks
- Plan and carry out a beach clean-up day
- Learn how to do crafty things with Pinterest
- Raise money for Afghan schools
- Create, market, and sell candles (jewelry or anything else)
- Create a short claymation movie
- Create an online newspaper
- Create a movie about free things to do in the area to post to YouTube
- Develop and fine tune photography skills
- Learn how to fix my car: oil, tires, filters, etc
- Research behind-the-scenes of movies jobs
- Quit eating fast food and document progress
- Make and donate cookies and baskets for the Children's Hospital
- Invent an iphone charger that works with kinetic energy
- Build a timing booth for the school's track team
- Create a form to help future students get into colleges
- Make and send care packages to the troops overseas
- Making and selling hair bows to donate money to charity
- Learn improv (Check in with Ray Mallard!)
- Learn how to swim, dive, scuba dive, run
- Improve my time on the mile
- Run a marathon
- Pay it Forward
- Constructing a computer
- Scrapbooking
This is not an exhaustive list...but could be used as a tool to push kids into their own creativity around ideas, causes/solutions, and activities that they are interested in pursuing more deeply.
Check out this post for more information on Genius Hour.
Edutopia gives the 6 Essentials for starting Genius Hour in your classroom here.
Check out this interesting Blog post from a teacher that set-up Genius Hour in their class.
If you are already trying something like this in your classroom share your successes, challenges, or advice for peers in the comments section:)!
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