For the purpose of smoothing out any rough spots, we have been honing the methods we use for the Personal Passion Project for quite some time now.
We now know what kinds of undertakings are successful and what kinds are doomed to fail. We have formalized certain aspects of the process while still allowing for the flexibility that is essential to a really unique final product.
In both the model up above and the body of text below, you can see the fruits of this study in action.
Here is step by step guide for Genius hour design cycle;
1. Get ready to have your mind blown
The quality of the pupils’ work will far exceed your anticipations. This is especially crucial when a student comes to you with a complicated, ambitious concept. A student is much more likely to finish a project and do it successfully if they are really invested in it and have a plan for getting started Genius hour design cycle.
2. Don’t allow your worries hold you back.
You may count on pupils to choose subjects about which you know nothing and can provide no guidance. It would be understandable if at this stage you let your worries and doubts to hold you back.
The best approach for Genius hour design cycle is to go is to hear the kid out and see whether they have a grasp on what they’re doing. Is it clear to them what questions they should respond to? To what issues must they find answers? If you receive favorable replies everywhere, it’s time to start searching for an expert to assist you out in a need.
3. Some students need a push in the right direction
There will always be students who come up with projects whose solutions can be found with a quick Google search. We taught the concept of “High Order Thinking Skills” to the class and included it into the planning worksheets. Individuals are expected to meet or exceed the minimal standard in their projects via the use of synthesis, assessment, and originality.
We assist students frame their themes using a selection of verbs suited for the highest levels of Bloom’s taxonomy.
4. Some students create projects that have nothing to do with their interests.
As an example of Genius hour design cycle, a student may be interested in surfing and decide to research and publish a book on the subject. The difficulty is that they’ve planned a project that requires them to act as a historian, researcher, and writer—all tasks they despise—when they have no interest in performing any of these things. Perhaps with the correct discussion starter, they could develop a deeper appreciation for such things, but more likely, their thoughts would swiftly go to warmer climes and fantasies of lazy beach days.
5. It’s impossible to complete some kinds of projects
It’s tough to turn down a good idea, but some projects are just not doable. A student’s goal to create a better tennis racquet by balancing the proper proportions of various forms and materials is a paradigmatic case in point. The difficulty with today’s tennis racquets is that they’re made of high-tech composites, making it difficult to verify the differences between designs even with multimillion-dollar R&D expenditures.
6. Time & Scale
It’s obvious that certain projects will take more time than you have, while others are too massive or need too many people to complete. It’s crucial to operate within a reasonable time range and establish realistic objectives. However, you should verify that the time pressure worries are genuine.
At this point, it is helpful on several fronts to create a comprehensive timetable, including with estimations of how long each step will last. During discussions on how long the assignment would take, students might get valuable insight into their own work habits and learning styles.
Some students benefit from group discussions to help them flesh out their goals, while others thrive on alone reflection. Still others plunge right in, making up for lost ground and adjusting their strategies as they go. For more, see Albert Einstein’s Ideas on Education.
7. Too many changes
The constant evolution of the project has been difficult for several of my pupils. A person will choose a subject, learn they don’t enjoy it or run into an issue they can’t handle, and then switch to something else. The same thing happens once again a week later. It’s crucial to establish a hard cutoff date beyond which no adjustments will be accepted. The kids eventually realize that they must implement their own ideas.
8. Just enough planning
We’ve honed the pre-work that students must put in before diving into their projects throughout the years. In the first iteration of Genius hour design cycle, it took a long time and a lot of effort to design focal questions and establish objectives.
Genius hour design cycle was helpful for certain classes and assignments, but it was problematic for others. At last, we reached a level of planning depth where we are certain that the students understand the project and that we can provide them with the necessary guidance as they go. Take a look at our streamlined planning sample!
9. Relying on experts and building a team
Teachers are sometimes at a loss to provide guidance on projects that students have pursued throughout the years. For instance, I have no understanding how to sew and have been of little assistance to pupils whose projects have been on dance or music.
We were able to find fantastic collaborators with the necessary expertise around the institution, and they were usually excited to work with a student with whom they had a lot in common. The success of the initiative depends on the efforts put in to assembling a strong support group around it. In addition, it is crucial that the members of this team keep their workload in perspective.
Although they never grumbled, we have had to be cautious in how we allocate their time since some of them were so eager to assist that they were overwhelmed.
10. Collaboration & Self Organized Learning
Since this is an individual interest project, group efforts are not considered. Nonetheless, many assignments need student cooperation. Encourage group work wherever feasible, but let each student stay in charge of their own work. By working together, students are more likely to come up with creative solutions and push one another to achieve their full potential, resulting in superior final products.
The issues that arise from tasks that are outside of the instructor’s expertise may also be mitigated by collaborative efforts. The group of game developers I had this year achieved their goals in large part because they surrounded themselves with other motivated students.
Students adopting a self-organized learning environment as they find their interests is well shown here.
11. The invisible safety net
Finding the optimal amount of scaffolding, instructor interaction, and direction for the Personal Passion Project is a problem. We’re aiming for just the right balance between too much and too little help for the kids, so that they feel like they’re making progress on their own. To this aim, we want to provide a cushion within which students may experiment on their own, knowing that they will always have the resources they need to succeed.
12. Keeping records and making room for introspection
Genius hour design cycle has been useful to pause periodically and think back on the journey thus far. It’s important for students to be able to take a step back and evaluate their progress as well as the work still ahead of them. Students may develop valuable skills in self-reflection and peer evaluation when they share their thoughts with their classmates.
Students who have taken the time to reflect on their work have found that their audiences are just as interested in hearing about their process as they are in seeing the final result. This is especially true for endeavors when the method is obscure or undervalued. In the case of game design projects, for instance, the final result often conceals the depth of expertise and time commitment that went into its creation.
13. Real Audiences
Too often, students develop work with no one but themselves in mind. The end-of-semester “Gallery Walk” presentation of the Personal Passion Project in front of an audience has proven essential to the success of the projects. The pupils feel like they’ve accomplished something significant after this day, and the comments they get are usually encouraging.
We want to transition to a “Genius hour design cycle” model in which students participate in a “scaffolded” project management skill development program during the first semester, culminating in the second semester’s preparation and completion of a “Personal Passion Project.” The only difference is that rather than being concentrated in a single block of time, the learning will be spread out across 52 weeks, or one hour each week.
Time constraints in the new curriculum are a major concern, so we’re hoping our approach may meet those needs while preserving the most effective features of the current framework. There is little doubt that we will take stock and discuss our experiences and growth at the year’s conclusion.
Bottom line
The genius hour design cycle is an innovative concept that challenges students to improve their problem-solving skills. In this, students are supposed to make research on their project and create proper analysis based on it. Our article provided important insights regarding the genius hour design cycle, which we believe you found interesting and easy to practice.
Also read: 6 Principles Of Genius Hour In The Classroom
