Chapter 4-6

Chapter 4 - I appreciated the recommendation to "not grade" the final product. Teacher conferencing is the important point Juliani made, which I agree. I have always viewed peer pressure as peer accountability. Seeing other projects in an excellent way to motivate and also use as a learning opportunity for students. Last point - we talked a little in our meeting last time about the obstacles. I am certain that there is time in a schedule for 20% or Genius Time. I would want to make certain that the teacher is well-planned before beginning it as our teaching/learning time is so valuable. Without being organized and well-planned, we know that some students would be on "down-time" and that is just not valuable use of precious learning time.

Chapter 5 - I love the term, "passion-based learning!" It would be so exciting to see kids so excited that they really look forward to a specific learning time of the week. I would want to think that happens for most kids - all day, but I know that's not true, especially for those who struggle in reading or math. It's hard work! I appreciate all that teachers do to make learning "fun" while meeting the standards. This would be something that students have a choice in so hopefully, they would be passionate about it. Juliani mentions that students may be confused at first, which I can believe. Learning what they want is not usually how school goes -

The sample parent letter is a great resource.

Chapter 6 - As I read about the stages of inquiry and purpose, it reminded me of dissertation writing and you MUST be passionate about your topic and have a purpose or you will never complete that massive undertaking.

The point Juliani made about separating interests from passions (pg 62) was interesting. The other point made that was helpful is that "expecting more from the straight A student than we do from the C student is backwards thinking. The six building blocks for inquiry-based success (pg 64) are critical elements for teachers to consider when planning for Genius Hour. The remainder of the chapter is extremely valuable for preparing. The GRIT rubric makes so much sense! Everyone needs to look at it and attempt to help students progress and be successful in these elements.

Great book!