My Disney Class

"A Place of Innovation-Creativity-Knowledge-Happiness & Disney Magic"

Passion Projects 101
Join Howie and Ryan as they discuss the basics of Passion / Genius hour projects. This is part one of a three part series on passion projects. In this episode Ryan and Howie share basics and talk about what Passion projects are and why you should consider integrating them or at least the basic concepts into your lesson plans. Ryan discusses what he does in his class when it comes to Passion projects and he shares what the challenges are as well as the triumphs. Howie and Ryan also share several resources and inspirations for implementing Passion projects. Come along with us as we start this three part journey to understanding, implementing, and conquering passion / genius hour projects.
What is Genius Hour?
"You are a GENIUS, and the world expects your contribution."-Angela Maiers
Genius Hour is considered a movement which gives students more choices to learn what they would like in the classroom. It provides opportunities for students to explore passions and it also promotes creativity (Kesler, 2013). In passion-based classrooms, the shift in learning moves from teacher to student-directed.
Links:
Sir Ken Robinson - Are We are KILLING Creativity in Our Students
Genius Hour - Where Passions Come Alive - Genius Hour
Mr Jackson's Curiosity Projects-Project Template - Google Docs
“Design Thinking” - Sylvia Libow Martinez
What to do if/when Genius Hour fails… – A.J. Juliani
Blog post “Why I abandoned Genius hour” Ms. Wideen
Asking The Right Questions
PBL-VIDEO: Five-Year-Olds Pilot Their Own Project