Thursday, November 20, 2014

Curious About Genius Hour?

Something exciting is happening in our Grade 6/7 class! Today I introduced the students to Genius Hour! For more information, visit the newsletter page to see the letter that was sent home.

What is Genius Hour?

Genius Hour is the research-based idea that people excel in learning about that which they are intrinsically motivated. In other words, if you want to learn about it, you will succeed in learning about it. If it is a topic or concept you are passionate about - especially if it is something you deeply care about - then your internal motivation will drive you to succeed in learning about it.

Daniel Pink, author of New York Time’s Bestseller Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, says that motivation is driven by three things:

1.  Autonomy (the desire to direct our own life)
2.  Mastery (the desire to get better and better at something that matters)
3.  Purpose (the desire to do things in service of something larger than ourselves)

If you are still curious about Genius Hour, feel free to watch some of the videos below.



It's imperative that we use our time wisely!



What is going to be your awesome?!



Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Kiln People

Kiln People  is novel written by David Brin and I can't say as though I have read it (and therefore can't recommend it), but the concept of the novel is rather interesting.

Kiln People, is about a society where you can create clay copies of yourself to do various tasks (e.g. mental tasks, dangerous tasks etc.) while you do something else.  Then at the end of the day, you download their memories back into you. 

So, here is a pretty deep question for this week.  If you had 5 copies of yourself to use this week, what would you have them do?  Make sure you take the time and think about your response before you type it up.  Don't forget to double-check your work for spelling/grammar mistakes.  

Once you have completed your answer, read and respond to at least 2 peers.

As always, I can't wait to see your responses. 

Mr. Boettger  :-)