Final Genius Hour Reflection Post #4

What have you learned by participating in Genius Hour?

As discussed in previous blog posts, being a participant in my Genius Hour project has challenged me to achieve my project goals with a greater sense of confidence and growth mindset. I admit that first implementing this project and its respective tasks in my academic schedule posed as challenging because I was solely focused on my weekly agenda items, and failed to set the necessary time aside to practice stress-reducing techniques. In doing so, I became empowered and successfully developed my digital and technical competencies by working with applications such as PowToon, Google Classroom/Slides/Calendar, and iMovie. I am now able to translate and apply these digital skills and Genius Hour project expertise in my teaching practice to illuminate an otherwise traditional curriculum experience for my futurestudents.

Kulkarni, R. Here's how digital learning is helping learners and managers. Retrieved from https://www.peoplemattersglobal.com/article/get-set-learn/heres-how-digital-learning-is-helping-learners-and-managers-16053 

This project also allowed me to learn how to effectively shift my mindset to reflect on the implications for teaching, learning, and implicating Genius Hour projects in the classroom. I considered how disengaged students would be if having to document assessments that incorporated elements of Genius Hour in isolated and traditional methods such as essays or speeches, for example. However, the Genius Hour Project allowed me to create my own self-knowledge, refine my research skillset, and learn in a rich digital learning environment. As a result, I have also strengthened my digital citizenship by collaborating, supporting, and working with my peers as we progressed through our Genius Hour projects. Student motivation, engagement, levels of engagement, and growth mindset will significantly increase if their academic work is articulated through their interests and passions via Genius Hour.

What have you learned about yourself? As a learner and as a teacher?

My learning of my growth and development in this project, as both a learner and teacher, have been invaluable to my pedagogy about digital learning environments. When reflecting on my progress at the beginning of the course, I distinctly felt somewhat anxious about working with social media apps like Twitter and creating my own creative content using PowToon and iMovie with respect to Genius Hour (and other course related) tasks. Without having taken risks in my learning and fully immersing myself into my Genius Hour project, this task would have posed as very difficult and I would not have meaningfully contributed to my growth as a learner and teacher. Consequently, there are always remaining areas for further improvement to further push me (and my future students) to take risks in the learning experience. Based on my experience in completing this project, I aim to encourage my future students to strive to achieve all goals in order to pursue their passions and interests through their Genius Hour. Taking one hour per week to focus on the project is an excellent avenue for teachers to observe their students' passions, growth throughout the academic term, and to see their students' passions come to life in both virtual and in-person settings. 

What do you think about Genius Hour as an instructional strategy?

The Genius Hour project provides students the opportunity to transform four weeks of their educational experience by taking agency in their learning, whether that be learning about fashion, participating in theatre, or creating a podcast, for example. All these rich project interests become the heart of student-driven learning and forms the basis of their lifelong learning skillset because, as stated in the embedded video below, "You get to choose the topic based on your own geeky interests. You get to ask the questions and research the answers. Then, in the end, you will create something that you share with the world. This is your chance to show your genius" (Spencer, 2017). Hence, the Genius Hour is a very effective instructional strategy that encourages inquiry and student-driven learning. I very much look forward to immersing my future students in their own Genius Hour projects and to have the privilege to observe their learning, all while co-constructing knowledge as a teacher and lifelong learner.

Spencer, J. (2017). You Get to Have Your Very Own Genius Hour (A Video for Students). [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COF-bqZuE-I&feature=youtu.be

What recommendation do you have for the next cohort of teacher candidates?

In reflecting on my journey in the Genius Hour project, a key recommendation for the next cohort of teacher candidates is to be resilient in all that you do. As a teacher candidate in the Teacher Education Program, the program itself is very dynamic and rewarding with the array of weekly assignments, deadlines, and teaching practicum experiences. When faced with moments of dire stress or other school/personal related challenges, take the time to organize and structure your time appropriately, ensure you take time for self-care, ensure you possess good mental health, and enjoy your journey and growth in the program! Finally, I would advise the next cohort to exert your unique teacher identity and "your genius" (Spencer, 2017) in your Genius Hour projects! You will discover that embarking on your Genius Hour project is an unraveling story that is reflective of your passions and creates a lasting impact on your teacher identity in a rich digital learning environment.