For my final blog this week I have decided to focus
my attention on one of our in class projects called “genius hour.” At first I
was slightly confused why we were given such an open – ended assignment, but
after watching YouTube clips and reading articles about this innovative
assignment I realized it may pose many benefits. Although it is difficult to
recall times where projects allowed for leniency I remember certain art classes
in elementary school that did encourage creativity. Other than that I have
always been given clear – cut topics to research and very specific guidelines
to follow in order to complete for projects in elementary, high school and now
University. So, naturally it seemed appropriate that I would be nervous to
attempt such an innovative project.
At
first, our group decided to choose a topic that we would be able to definitely
find result for either from an article or paper online however after thinking
about it for a while we realized that this was our opportunity to take on a
more interactive approach. It was the first time as a student that we were
given the chance to explore something that truly interested us and we chose;
how prepared do you feel for the “real world” after leaving Brock University. Now
this was a question that as a student and future educator I have considered
before and I was extremely curious to hear other individuals’ opinions. In
order to go about truly finding answers to this topic there was no way to access
a study highlighting students thoughts, so what better way than to collect data
through face – to – face interviews with students around the school. After analyzing
the results we integrated our interviews with the students to create a video in
order to present our findings. With all of the other projects I had to complete
in my other courses I was frustrated that this was just another thing on my
plate. However, I was both shocked and pleasantly surprised that I was most
excited to complete this project and actually “looking forward” to hearing what
Brock students had to say; unlike the other projects that seem pointless and
boring to complete.
I think this is a prime
example of how inquiry- based learning can be successful within the classroom and
really encourages me to integrate it with my future classes. Inquiry – based learning
allows students to formulate questions, investigate and find answers, build new
understanding, meanings and knowledge, and then communicate their learnings to
others. There is also a strong emphasis on being actively involved in solving
authentic (real – life) problem. Genius hour highlights all of these components
as it offers a time for students to explore their own passions and helps
motivate students to want to learn. Inquiry – based learning for me throughout
the educational system was extremely rare, so having this opportunity to
participate in this new style of teaching hands on during genius hour was eye –
opening and exciting.
I believe it is
extremely important for students to be given chances to seek knowledge on a
topic that truly interests them in order to foster creativity, independence and
motivation to learn; all qualities teachers are trying to instill in students. Inquiry
– based learning for me throughout the educational system was very rare, so
having this opportunity to participate in this new style of teaching hands on during
genius hour was eye – opening and exciting. It definitely makes me want to
incorporate this approach to teaching into my future classrooms. Many times in
my educational experiences I would question why the teacher wanted me to research
or learn about a certain topic that I was not interested in and would not even remember
after I completed the project. Or even better, I was given the choice between
three different things to complete. I guess by doing this the teacher felt like
he / she was allowing student independence in a structured manner but I know
now that was not displaying the true essence of independence and inquiry –
based learning at all. If I really want to motivate my students and learn what
sparks their interest then I need to allow them opportunities to research and
communicate their knowledge in various methods. Taking this one step further, inquiry – based learning
is a great way to get to know your students which I have previously mentioned
about in earlier blogs and the many benefits that come with incorporating it.
On the other hand, the
only concern I have with inquiry – based instruction is how to assess and
evaluate students. For example, with projects like genius hour how can I
evaluate and give a student a higher grade than someone else? The only way that
I can see students being graded fairly is by following a very generic rubric
that could be co – created by the students before beginning their assignments
while still highlighting specific learning goals.Including a collaborative management approach
within the classroom allows students to feel like matter as well as a sense of
democracy within the class.
Overall, I feel
Genius hour was a huge success in our class and I hope it to be a huge success
in my future classes. There are many benefits to inquiry – based learning
(Genius Hour being one of them) and very little down-sides to incorporating it
into classrooms in the future. In addition, I feel these blogs have really made
me question and analyze the type of teacher that I want to embody in the
future. I think some of the most important concepts I have considered is
switching from an old – style of teaching and really want to envision my class
altering these views to the new style highlighting a more student – centered approach.
Some of the ways this can be achieved is through the use of various assessment
tools; especially AFL and AAL as well as inquiry – based or guided discovery
learning, allowing student choice and the use of integrated curriculums. In conclusion, I feel as a future educator some of the most important
things a teacher can provide is their passion for the profession as well as
their overall drive for students to continue to be motivated and life – long
learners. This ends my last blog and I hope you have
gained a little more insight on me and some of the values and opinions I share
as a future educator.
YouTube Video for Genius Hour:
YouTube Video for Genius Hour:
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