Passion-based research goes by many different names; 20% Time and Genius Hour are just two different terms that describe school projects that center upon personal inquiry and innovation to spark motivation in students.<\/p>\n
For the past several years, students in my 7th grade social studies classes have engaged in 20 Time<\/a>. Based on a framework employed by such innovative employers as Google, GE, Skype, and Apple, this four-month, decentralized unit provides students with 20% of their class time, or one day per week, to develop, research, design, test, and refine a project on a topic of their own choosing.<\/p>\n When applied within the classroom, this opportunity is meant to increase student engagement, independence, and responsibility, while allowing me to model explicit research and design skills, to provide an environment of entrepreneurship, and to give students access to feedback from authentic, real world audiences.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Below, I share my framework for the unit, including progressive stages of design and iteration with corresponding support materials and exemplars from past years.<\/p>\n Students can be initially skeptical of the pedagogical change embodied by student-centered, abstract learning. In my traditionally survey-style US history class, students will often question how this assignment \u201cfits\u201d and how it will \u201chelp me in the future.\u201d As a result, I spend time initially building buy-in among my students so they understand how this new learning, separated from specific content, will impact them and lead to success. Several TED talks and animated whiteboard videos, such as Daniel Pink\u2019s Drive<\/a>, Sir Ken Robinson\u2019s Changing Education Paradigms, The Golden Circle<\/a>, and Why We Make Bad Decisions<\/a> highlight the theoretical underpinnings of 21st century learning and creative innovation, as well as the importance of trying and failing in developing a growth mindset.<\/p>\nProject introduction, student buy-in, and the initial design<\/h2>\n