Creativity – Page 5 – Kyle T. Shack

We use many techniques, tools and theories to try and measure our impact on students. Some of these are more controversial than others, some are more effective and some are new and exciting. However, one of the most effective mediums for measuring impact is the first hand account of a student.

I was lucky enough to enjoy one of these moments today. A student approached me during class, inquiring about “Genius Hour”, and asking if we could do it again next year. I always enjoy receiving feedback from students, but what made this so unique was that this student is not in the class that is currently participating in Genius Hour. This student had heard through his peers about the project, and obviously their positivity was so contagious that it pushed him to seek out his opportunity. As a teacher, I always strive to lead a lesson that fosters out of class learning and discussion. Today, mission accomplished. What a great way to end the week.

Wanna check out our current Genius Hour projects? You can find updates and a list of student blogs on our class Genius Hour website here.

During my experience in MSU’s MAET program, I had the opportunity to participate in countless mind blowing, thought provoking and astoundingly creative activities. One of my absolute favorites was a simple task of personifying various features of our building with little mouths, noses and eyes we drew. This simple activity was based on the idea that one of the practices of geniuses is to look at things from multiple perspectives and angles. This came from the book we read in Year 3, Sparks of Genius, and I loved watching our classroom spring to life as my classmates added faces to everything in walking distance. Today I got to experience it again.

As we dive into our Genius Hour project, I try to talk with my students about the word “genius” and its many applications. Today, I decided to share with them this idea of multiple perspectives, and to let them take a few moments at the beginning of class to look at their learning environment in a different way. It was amazing watching students slowly move around the room and flex their unrestricted creativity. Similarly to our Genius Hour, some students seemed intimidated by the lack of rules, but by the end I was amazed with what they created. I have shared as many as I could capture below.