EDCT 5701 - Genius Hour: Simple Steps to Increase Student Engagement through Passion Projects
Course Description
Get inspired and bring joy into your classroom by engaging your students in projects focused on their self-selected passions. Learn how to implement these high-impact projects in your own classroom through the 6 easy-to-follow steps outlined by McNair in her quick-read Genius Hour: Passion Projects that Ignite Innovation and Student Inquiry - Passion, Plan, Pitch, Project, Product, and Presentation. These projects are known by many names: Genius Hour, Passion Projects, 20% Time, but they have one thing in common: students taking charge of their learning by exploring their passions. Through this course you will reflect on your current practice, develop your own plan for Genius Hour, and implement Genius Hour in your classroom. You can do it! Use the easy-to-follow steps laid out in McNair’s book along with the assignments in this course for a fun and engaging experience for both you and your students. Grades K-12.
Learner Outcomes
By the end of the course participants will:
- Understand the benefits and the basics of implementing Genius Hour
- Reflect on current practice
- Understand the importance of 21st Century skills and how the 4 Cs support developing these skills.
- Understand the importance of implementing projects in steps - passion, plan, pitch project, product, and presentation.
- Tips and tricks for Genius Hour Success
- Implementing Genius Hour
- Action Plan
Notes
This course can be taken for 3 or 4 credits. Select the appropriate section for your desired number of credits.
Testimonials
“It would be hard for me to say one thing that I found beneficial because I honestly found it all to be. It’s been a long time since I’ve been excited about planning and this class made me feel that way again. This class should be a requirement for educators because doing what's best for students is critical. Now more than ever students need to find joy and if learning about their passions does that then we need to do it.” —TINT Student“The most beneficial aspect of this class was to actually have to do a passion project of my own. I now understand the process and feel the struggles that a student may run into. I also have actual examples of each step of the passion project which is awesome. My expectations for the course were completely exceeded. It was a lot of work and time but so beneficial. I feel completely ready for implementing passion projects in my classroom. I would recommend this course to anyone who is ready to bring autonomy to the classroom.” —TINT Student
“I really liked how this course was designed, with a book study, additional online readings and resources, and the assignments. It felt like a good balance of reading the text, but also researching further. I couldn’t imagine just reading the textbook and feeling prepared to implement Genius Hour in my classroom. Taking this class and going through each of the steps as a learner was the best preparation to be ready to do it with my students this coming school year. Thank you!” —TINT Student