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| 25 ways to institute passion based learning in the classroom [Image]. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/25-ways-to-institute-passion-based-learning-in-the-classroom/ |
Passion. The quality that needs to be incorporated back
into teaching and learning. In order to educate effectively in the 21st
century, it is vital that our students continue to have a passion for learning.
Incorporating passion into the classroom promotes engagement and motivation to
learn (Ramirez, 2013). Additionally, having passion for a topic allows students
to have the perseverance to overcome obstacles in order to achieve a goal that
is meaningful to them (Ramirez, 2013). To incorporate passion into the
classroom, it is essential to begin by finding out what students are passionate
about (Ramirez, 2013). As we have discussed in many other education courses,
getting to know your students strengths and needs is necessary before it is
possible to fully plan instruction. Getting to know your students passions
while you are getting to know them will give you, as the teacher, more insight
into their strengths and interests. This will ultimately help you to plan and understand
how to differentiate instruction to best suit the students in the class. Ramirez
(2013) also states that it is necessary to be a teacher that demonstrates
passion for the topics that you are teaching and for teaching in general so
that students may be influenced by this excitement.
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| The Schoenblog [Image]. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.aschoenbart.com/2016_02_01_archive.html |
Passion based
learning is a way of encouraging students to learn more about topics that they
are passionate about in the classroom. This type of learning stemmed from
Google’s Genius Hour wherein students have the opportunity to take 20% of their
work time in the classroom to dedicate it to a project that they are passionate
about (L. Lane, personal communication, March 16, 2016). The idea behind
passion based learning is to inspire students to love learning, while also
facilitating the development of key skills, such as inquiry and metacognition
(L. Lane, personal communication, March 16, 2016). Nussbaum-Beach (2014), one
of the key advocators of passion based learning, states that this type of
learning moves students from being extrinsically motivated to intrinsically
motivated. Through passion based learning, students are motivated to learn more
because they are fascinated and interested in the topic. It also empowers
students because it gives them the agency to explore and learn about the topics
that they are interested in, rather than being told what they need to learn in order to
meet curricular standards. I am extremely interested in implementing this type
of learning into my future classroom. This has motivated me to delve into the
topic in more depth and understand how it can be used to teach 21st
century learners.
The following video describes the concept of Genius
Hour for those who are unfamiliar with it or for those who would like to learn
more:
Genius Hour [Video]. (2014). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEQzKH7v0-Q
Genius Hour is one of the main ways that teachers have
chosen to implement passion based learning into their classrooms. Genius Hour
allows students to have a choice in what they learn or what skills they master during
a 60 minute session (L. Lane, personal communication, March 16, 2016). The
three questions that can be asked of students to help them begin to think about
the Genius Hour process are: What will I learn? What will I solve? What will I
create? (Couros, 2015).
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| Genius hour: The first few weeks [Image]. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.thewritestuffteaching.blogspot.ca/2015/01/genius-hour-first-few-weeks.html |
The wheel in the picture could help students get started. It could help guide them in thinking about their interests so that
they may choose one worth pursuing and learning more about.
At first, students spend time researching their topic.
They use this research to create a product that they can share (Kesler, 2013). Creativity,
inquiry and problem solving are encouraged throughout the entire process. At the end, students share what they have
learned or mastered throughout the year with their peers (L. Lane, personal
communication, March 16, 2016). By doing this, the other students in the class
or in the school have an opportunity to learn from a classmate and see what
they have been working on. They also may learn new things about their peers’
interests and talents. I think it would be extremely exciting to see what
students could learn and the skills they could develop if they were given the
opportunity and the time to do so. I think that children can be their most
creative selves when given minimal guidelines and deadlines, but a large amount
of time. Ultimately, the goal of education is to create students who are
motivated to be lifelong learners. Genius hour helps move towards that goal
(Kesler, 2013), as students are encouraged to learn new things each 60-minute
session and to fully immerse themselves in the learning.
This could be a
great video to show your class when you are getting started with Genius Hour.
It provides an example of the wide variety of topics that students can
choose to research in order to learn more and the products they can create to demonstrate their learning. The video demonstrates
that there are no limitations and that students can shoot for the stars when
completing this project. Additionally, showing this video could spark some
ideas in your own students about what interests them and how they could go about exploring those interests to gain further insight on the topic:
2014 genius hour projects in 3.5 minutes [Video]. (2014). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpCTRzP-9yg
I think that another way that passion based learning
can be incorporated into the classroom is by finding out what the students in
the class are interested in and using these interests to address curricular
content. For example, if students are interested in amusement parks, I could
ask them to create their own parks in a project-based learning style. This
could incorporate math, as students would have to think about concepts such as measurement
and money (financial literacy) in order to make the park successful. This could also incorporate subjects such as visual arts, as the
students could be asked to draw sketches or make models of their amusement
parks. Additionally, language arts would undoubtedly be put to use as students
could explain in writing what their park features and could share orally with the
class. Building an amusement park could also be related to science (and
environmental literacy) if the teacher posed a problem wherein the students had
to choose a location to build their park so that it did not
ruin any animal habitats or cause harm to the environment. Students could
provide a rationale as to why they chose to build their amusement park in that
specific area and could conduct research (digital literacy) to best persuade me
as to why this was the best choice. Finally, this project would allow students
to develop problem solving and inquiry skills, as they would be consistently faced
with new problems while creating their parks that they would have to overcome.
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| Project-based learning: Ancient civilizations amusement park [Image]. (2013). Retrieved from https://www.sd43.bc.ca/Resources/StaffResources/BIG/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=79 |
It is clear based on this fabricated example that students’ interests can
be taught in such a way that curricular content is being covered and students
are learning more about concepts that they are interested in. As demonstrated through
the example, multiple 21st century literacies can be incorporated
and taught simultaneously with passion based learning so that students are
continuing on their journey towards becoming 21st century learners.
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| CBL: Connections-based learning [Image]. (2014). Retrieved from http://seanrtech.blogspot.ca/2014/02/the-project-problem-inquiry-passion.html |
Overall, including passion based learning into the
classroom is a fascinating topic. I look forward to trying activities like
Genius Hour in my future classroom, as well as incorporating my students’
interests into what I am teaching. I will conclude
with a quote by Sir Ken Robinson that I feel best reflects the goal of passion
based learning in the classroom. It states, “When students are motivated to
learn, they naturally acquire the skills they need to get the work done.” Through
passion based learning, we, as teachers, can motivate students to learn and to
develop new skills that they never thought possible!
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| Passion as a catalyst [Image]. (2013). Retrieved from http://venspired.com/passion-as-a-catalyst/ |
References
Big Brain Academy. (2014, July 17). Genius hour [Video file].
Retrieved from
CBL: Connections-based learning [Image]. (2014). Retrieved
from
G. Couros.
(2015, July 25). 3 questions to drive passion based learning [Blog]. Retrieved
from
http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/5432
Genius hour: The first few weeks [Image]. (2015). Retrieved
Joy Kirr. (2014, July 7). 2014 genius hour projects in 3.5
minutes [Video file]. Retrieved from
Kesler, C. (2013). What
is genius hour? Retrieved from http://www.geniushour.com/what-is-genius
Nussbaum-Beach,
S. Schooling for the 21st century:
Unleashing student passion [PowerPoint slides].
Retrieved from SlideShare
website: http://www.slideshare.net/snbeach/schooling-for-the-21st-century-unleashing-student-passion-32312499
Passion as a catalyst [Image]. (2013). Retrieved from http://venspired.com/passion-as-a-catalyst/
Project-based learning: Ancient civilizations amusement park
[Image]. (2013). Retrieved
Ramirez, A.
(2013). Passion-based learning. Retrieved
from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/passion
based-learning-ainissa-ramirez
The Schoenblog [Image]. (2016). Retrieved
25 ways to institute passion based learning in the classroom
[Image]. (2013). Retrieved
learning-in-the-classroom/
