Chapters 4-6 Pfeifer

Chapter 4 Having thought about using Genius Hour in my classroom for several months, I've come to the conclusion that three quarters of the year will be training my students in the "art" of Genius Hour.  Peer accountability will be a big part of this process, because I see my students working in groups during this time as they prepare for their final I Wonder project.  I see reflection being a difficult concept for second graders, but I love the idea of learning from their mistakes and have actually made that idea a big part of my classroom community this year.

Chapter 5 This chapter gave me a lot of things to think about.  Having my students choose a topic is going to be a big challenge in second grade.  I decided to start an I Wonder board in my classroom this year.  Students will be encouraged as well as myself to write down on a sticky note things they wonder about, are interested in, or just want to know more about.  I am hoping that by doing this two things will happen. One it will help me group students together for our Genius Hour that have like interests, and two it will help the process of choosing a topic for their individual I Wonder project at the end of the year.  I'm still unsure what my role will look like during group activities as well as individual final projects, so I will continue to look for ideas and guidance on that.

Chapter 6 Reading this chapter kind of cemented in my mind one of the key reasons I wanted to use Genius Hour in my classroom.  I think that this creates an environment where every kiddo can feel like the expert, contributing to our class community.  I love the quote by John Wooden, "It's the little details that are vital.  Little things make big things happen."