Students' Genius Shines at Thomas Middle School

Students in seventh grade at Thomas Middle School have been learning what THEY want to learn this school year. In their ELA classes, students read what they wanted to read for one full period a week, then could research what they wanted based on what they'd read. This hour a week is called "Genius Hour," and is happening across the nation in many forms. Call it 20% Time, Passion Projects, or other names such as Genius Hour, this is time set aside in our students' busy days for them to learn what they deem important, instead of being fed curriculum that adults think they should learn.

Inspired by TED Talks such as Sir Ken Robinson's "Schools Kill Creativity," books such as Dan Pink's Drive, and speakers such as Erin Olson from rural Iowa, seventh grade teachers wanted three things from their students... 1. Read. 2. Be inspired. 3. Act on it! For three quarters, students read what they wanted to read, thus increasing their reading skills and motivation. For the fourth quarter students were asked to pursue any topic of their choice, with the intent of sharing their learning through a presentation at the end of the year.

It is that time. For the week of May 28th - 31st, these students will be showing a bit of their genius, while sharing what they've learned with their classmates and teachers. Parents are invited, of course! Topics include the sequester, baking, baseball pitches, chemistry experiments, crayon melting art, inspirational posters, endangered species, coding, Ford, paranormal activity, locker design, concussions, school drop-out rates, random acts of kindness... you get the idea!

While researching or creating, we hope students have learned many skills, including perseverance, determination, grit, courage, and the desire to want to learn more. The goal is to create life-long learners, and we're on our way.

Want to learn more about Genius Hour?

--> One blog post that sums it up: http://educationismylife.com/designing-20-time-in-education/ by A.J. Juliani

--> Many resources all in one spot: http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=829279

--> One-hour webinar: http://live.classroom20.com/1/category/genius%20hour/1.html