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Time for the Genius Hour
The idea of setting aside one day per week for creative projects is not exactly new.
When the 3M Corporation introduced 15-per-cent-time in the 1950’s, the results were Post-It Notes and masking tape. When Google launched its 20-per-cent-time program in 2004, we got Gmail and Google News.
Selwyn House Grade 4 teacher Jessica McNutt had heard about the Google project, but, she says, “I didn’t know if it would work at the elementary-school level.”
When she and her co-teacher, Valerie Ouellet, introduced Genius Hour in their classroom this past fall, they got a homemade laser pointer, a diamond-crushing study and $600 for charity.
Each of their 18 students chose a project he felt passionate about. “The projects had to teach them something,” she says, “but we didn’t want to put any restraints on their ideas.”
The boys worked independently in the bilingual classroom, switching effortlessly between English and French when they had to consult one of their teachers.
“The parents, also, were essential for making the project a success,” says Ms McNutt. “Some of them got very involved.”
The projects ranged from the simple to the surprisingly complex: an origami bow and arrow, self-created websites, a ball hockey tournament that raised $600 for the Nazareth Community, and a project to determine how much pressure it would take to crush a diamond.
