ouldn’t it be the best if you students regularly felt like geniuses?

Well, with a little help, they can.

Google started a program called the “Genius Hour” many years ago, maybe you’ve heard of it? They encouraged everyone to work 20% of their time on a “project that interested them”. Some wonderful things came out of that program, like fancy gadgets and a whole lotta happy employees. 

The basic idea is this: set aside one hour per week to allow the students to pursue something that interests them (not something that interests you). This “something” should be a meaty topic, not just “how to fold your socks” for example. 😜

As Angela Maier said in her viral TedTalk: “Ask the students:

What breaks your heart about the world today?” 

The answers to those questions could point to their passion project in their Genius Hour. 

1.The essential question or issue they are working on should not be easily “Google-able”. If they can spend 30 seconds finding a simple answer, then it’s not a rich enough topic.

2. Their process must include research from reputable sources. For example, well-known newspapers, published books, interviews, respected websites etc.

3.  In the end, the students must produce something. It could be a physical product, a digital item or a service.

The trick to a successful Genius Hour is to guide and encourage the students to find something they really enjoy. This may take a bit of brainstorming one-on-one with the students. Not everyone will jump into a fascinating topic. Plus, quite honestly, the students will see this as a lot of work. They won’t understand that it’s a great way to take their learning to the next level. 

They need to be guided and encouraged at the beginning.  But trust me, once they get going, they won’t want to stop.  

Some of the Genius Hour projects my students worked on were:

• One student wanted to recycle clothes. So she developed a business to make handbags out of donated blue jeans. 

• Another student was concerned that teenagers knew very little about current events. So he investigated the possibility of printing news articles on toilet paper.  (swear to god)  This way students could read the news “in a quiet place”. 

• A computer savvy student wanted to eliminate the need to memorize verbs in Spanish class.  So he “gamified” it.  He created a video game to practice Spanish verb endings.

• A group of students who were worried about pollution decided to do something about it. They investigated and lobbied the local town council to create a regular cleaning program of the local river bank. 

I would say to start small.  What I mean is, keep your expectations low.  You want to allow your students the time and space they need to do this. Help them to get creative, solve problems, get messy and make mistakes.

Give them the time they need to come up with something that they can really sink their teeth into. This is not just a research project that they have to complete in 3 weeks because their teacher said they had to. This is something that should answer big questions in their lives.. It is something they should feel passionate about. 

Set aside one class per week for a couple of months. Start by discussing the purpose and goals of the Genius Hour, just to get a feel for it. Then allow them to start brainstorming topics they want to work on. If you would like boatloads of information about all things Genius Hour, take a look at this article by Edutopia:

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/five-minute-film-festival-genius-hour

Yes, this is difficult. You will need to cut back on your curriculum, or maybe speed it up a bit. I admit, that is difficult for us teachers to do. But remember, we teachers are expected to teach the whole child.  Maybe unit 4 & 5 of your subject just aren’t as important as a passion project. You’re getting them to think, question their surroundings and expressing their honest ideas. Most importantly, you are giving them the space to be inspired.

You do all of this by giving them a Genius Hour.

If you have done something like this in your classroom, I would love to hear about it! 

Write it in the comments below and let’s get the conversation going.