Genius Hour

Much like Google does with its 20% Time, Genius Hour is one (or more) periods per week where students work on passion projects. After watching Daniel Pink speak in November 2011, Angela tweeted, “We need to have a Genius Hour in school.” This and other factors led to Genius Hour becoming a global education phenomenon, with thousands of teachers and hundreds of thousands of students across the world participating.

Angela wondered:

• What if we respected and trusted our students as Google does its engineers?
• What would happen if students were given the time, resources, and opportunity to pursue what they were most passionate about?
• How would this impact student engagement and students’ perception of school?

Genius Hour is a chance for students to ask themselves: What matters to me? What breaks my heart about the world today? The answers to those questions could point to their passion project.

Interested in learning more? Click here for more resources on using Genius Hour in your classroom.