Chapters 4-6 Olson

Chapter 4:  The three tips I took away from this chapter are structuring unstructured time, grade growth not the final product, and connect with other teachers.  First, structuring unstructured time - I think you need to have genius hour once a week at the elementary level to give students time to prepare for it.  I also think teachers need to do some team building and think outside the box activities with students to get them thinking innovatively before having students dive into their own projects.  The second one is self-explanatory.  What teachers should grade is the progress their students make from beginning to end - not the result or final product.  Having students share their mistakes and successes along the way is a learning experience for all.  Third, I am continuously amazed how many teachers want to share their "stuff" with other teachers who want to try this.  I have Kevin Brookhouser's book and there are links to all forms and some brainstorming activities he does with his students.  If you go on Twitter and search #Geniushour, you will find many teachers who are trying this and are willing to connect and collaborate with you and your students!

Chapter 5: This chapter addresses almost everything elementary teachers need to do to start Genius Hour with their students.  The quote I liked best was, "You have a room full of curious, imaginative minds that you need to start utilizing to their fullest potential.  If we want them to actually think...to make good choices in life, we have to start letting them make choices, fail, adapt, and make more choices. If you don't give them answers, you can bet that YOU will keep learning along with your students."

Chapter 6:  This chapter addresses almost everything secondary teachers need to do to start Genius Hour with their students.  The biggest difference that I saw between elementary and secondary was that secondary students should be required to add a fifth step of creation to their projects, in other words, a finished project.  I liked the use of a "March Madness" type bracket to help students find their passions.  I also liked the requirement of students blogging about their progress and conferencing periodically with their teacher.  My favorite part was the GRIT Rubric for evaluating students.