The other day I was thinking about the challenges of monitoring and assisting students virtually, especially as they complete independent studies. By any name (Genius Hour, 20% Time, Wonder Workshop), gifted and advanced students benefit in many ways when they are allowed to explore their own passions and interests, but they need guidance along the way, which is a bit trickier right now given that many teachers are engaged in distance learning and hybrid teaching.
This open-ended approach was kind of an experiment one year, but it gave me a great deal of information about my students and their learning-to-learn skills. It might be something to try during these months of uncertainty that call for flexibility in planning!
In this project, students record their questions and thoughts and basically document the “journey” of their research in a learning log. This approach is more focused on the process of research and self-directed learning than on the end product.
Open-ended research gives students a chance to really explore and read from a variety of sources. Students learn how to ask questions and find answers, and the “messy” process of research is validated. They have more freedom to be creative in their notetaking, too, when they don’t have to be concerned with “finding enough” information for a project or presentation. The research process is the project!
If you are a subscriber, you know I am a HUGE advocate of design thinking and kid-created products. There is an entire category on this site devoted to lessons that end with students creating something original and new! So, to be clear, temporarily removing the pressure of a specific end-product doesn’t lower expectations- it just changes expectations, goals, and purposes. And having students create something can certainly be the logical next step.
“The Journey of a Question” slide show guides students through the project every step of the way. It includes brainstorming tips, video tutorials, and sample student responses. You can view it and make your own copy HERE.
INTRODUCING the PROJECT
To begin, each student composes a starting question. The question may be one that has occurred to the student during class or could be a question that relates to a personal interest. This article, “I Wonder” Questions: Harnessing the Power of Inquiry,” describes how these questions can be collected throughout the year.
The initial question may be a very basic low-level (closed) question, but students can learn how to turn a low-level question into a higher-level (open) one; in fact, the slide show guides them through this process. If your students are familiar with the tools of Depth and Complexity, they can easily be incorporated into this project, and Ian Byrd has some great tips for modeling and assisting students in creating questions using those tools.
Asking a question or choosing a research topic of interest is part of the process of inquiry, as explained in the video below. Although I wouldn’t use this video with my students for this project, I include it here for teachers because it illustrates the nature of research. Sometimes there is extensive reading and research done just in developing a question, and students often do not get credit for the time they spend in this phase of an independent study.
THE TEACHER’S ROLE: The project presents some tips for choosing a topic and searching for information, but it assumes that the teacher will supply appropriate search engines (other than the websites mentioned in the student slide show). Many schools have access to online encyclopedias and magazines, etc., so be sure to share those links with students. Also, you’ll need to communicate your expectations for the project. HERE is a rubric you can use or modify for evaluation purposes.
ONGOING PROJECT DOCUMENTATION
LEARNING LOG ~ To document the process of their learning, students record their findings, drawings, reactions, and even frustrations in a learning log. HERE is an introductory slide show that explains what a learning log is, and the journal can be either handwritten or digital. This documentation alone is enough to demonstrate learning and hold a student accountable (see also “Learning Logs and Writing to Learn: Kids’ Brains Benefit!“
EXPERT JOURNAL ~ Unlike a learning log, an “expert journal” is a record of what a student is learning about a specific topic. If a student has a real passion for a particular area of study, this kind of journal might be kept for multiple years. For example, I had a student who was obsessed with meteorology and everything related to weather, climate, the atmosphere, etc. He kept an expert journal for three years which he took with him when he changed schools.
FOR AN AUDIENCE
INQUIRY FAIR PROJECT ~ Much like a science fair project, an inquiry fair project is a presentation of “the journey” of research, and it can be centered around one topic of interest or a collage of questions investigated by the student. When my students created a DoSeum for our school, one room was dedicated to these displays. We called it “Seeker Space” and all who came to our museum were given a scavenger hunt to complete; you can read more about this HERE.
OTHER PROJECTS ~ This “journey” does not necessarily end with a presentation, but that does not mean you can’t go there! Students could give a SPEECH, create a MOVIE or MULTIMEDIA project, or do ANYTHING with the information they gather in their logs.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCE:
How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day by Michael Gelb ~ The title says it all. The author identified “7 Steps to Genius” scholars may imitate in order to reach their fullest potentials, one of those being to develop curiosita, “an insatiable curious approach to life and an unrelenting quest for continuous learning.” Many teachers use this book as the basis of a mini-unit in their classrooms. I created a bulletin board one year devoted to developing curiosita!
If you have questions or comments about this project, please feel free to share them below! Also, if you have not seen the 4-minute VIDEO TOUR of this site, it explains how BIG IDEAS for LITTLE SCHOLARS is set up so that you can find resources quickly.
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