#BFC530 Archive
The Breakfast Club – #BFC530 – is a 15 minute, 1 question Twitter chat every weekday. We chat in 4 timezones Mon-Fri – 5:30am Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific Times. The mission of BFC is to empower participants to make a difference in education by engaging in consistent reflective practice in a supportive community that inspires and challenges one another.
Thursday March 10, 2016
good morning 😊 I can't believe I slept with the windows open last night!
Good morning from NJ! Oona here. I teach ELA to 11th and 12th graders.
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My Teacher Burnout page https://t.co/CrZ01V9Ga4 We need to find more ways to help struggling frontline educators.
I LOVE genius hour! I don't assign anything. The kids pick
Good morning, Friends! Looking forward to learning about STEM and Genius Hour projects. Veronica, NJ HS Eng T.
Morning, ! Rachel, T and Tech Integrator from NY
Eric in NJ as a history guy don't have much for this looking to learn
Favorite STEM/Genius Hour/projects in general is the topic. How do you make learning creative and fun?! https://t.co/tbVKtwSrC0
Ok. I love you guys but i have NOTHING to add to this. I may be lurking today.
Draggin the wagon! Already had two cups of coffee!
Good morning, ! Ben from NC. Great topic this morning!
Good morning all excited to get a lot of ideas
My favorite genius hour project is whatever the Ss are most passionate about. Their passion drives me.
Good morning ! Chris here from Ontario. A rainy but mild morning here.
Favorite STEM lesson was designing catapults with 5th graders and having a launch contest
Last a student designed a funnel to get water into a squirt gun
Good morning peeps. Hope the week has been good! David MS Principal from VA making up for missing yesterday!
What's the best innovation you've seen developed during Genius Hour? What inspired the Ss to create it?
I'm really enjoying watching teachers creatively use
pm me. I have videos I can share.
Morning! Missy from CT. More reading than tweeting today. Looking forward to hearing about these projects. https://t.co/gefxU7yIoa
Good morning Lori from OH happy to be here
Honestly, they are all amazing and different.
Good Morning beautiful weather ahead today in NJ!
Good morning! Miriam, vocal music teacher from DC/VA
My fav: 7 girls in my physics class designing & building a full size trebuchet to prove DOK of kinematics: https://t.co/nIklWsJu81
My school is looking to implement genius hour in ES. What tips are out there to get started?
Last spring I piloted GH with my crew. Used boards to track progress. After exam prep/stress, Ss LOVED
Last yr we started whole 9th gr human genome project where all the kids regardless of level worked on research & gallery
Ss have to fill out a form before and get projects approved. They need to have all of their materials.
Good morning! Kathy from NY. I use in my civics/leadership class and in my criminal law classes. Love it!
Good Morning! Tim from CT. We love genius hour! Student choice. This year was first year.
Good morning... looking forward to being inspired this morning by all the genius hour replies! GO! https://t.co/3iCMSIpDa3
Good morning, crew! Robin checking in. I'm eager to hear everyone's responses!
Good morning! Nicole, rdg spec from NJ
Good morning . Brian from Mass.
Good morning friends! Did a mini- earlier this year as an icebreaker. It was great! Now I want to do a full one.
Every year kids go in a different direction. So fun to watch them grow.
This is pedicure weather! OK, so maybe Denis is not the correct person to share with, but ladies, you get me.
We did an Ancient Civilizations Museum where our students were curators and had to design and engineer the entire museum exhibits!
Looking for inspiration to other schools' projects.
It has been a mission of mine to show our Ss at the inclusion level can do high level work when given the right supports
My limited experience with Genius Hour has not been about identifying a specific project focus for students...totally student driven.
I love the marshmallow challenge as an icebreaker at the beginning of the year.
Contact and they can give you tons of resources and connect you w/similar Ts/grade levels
We are just ramping up our "Shark Tank" project. Ss dev a new prod that think is needed, use a CAD prog to design, then 3D print.
My favorite STEM activity is making ooblek (cornstarch+water)with the kids and setting it atop a speaker to watch sound waves dance!
I've found that when instituting GH, some Ss know exactly what they want to do -- others need support and dialogue to coach
Would love to hear more about
Thanks! You too. I am lucky
The project was really fascinating as the Ss had to research/ report on different genes in human genome. I learned a lot!
I think its pretty stellar/genius that when Ss aren't actively editing video, they are working on their core content work.
Learning abt earth science...these students are engineering earthquake towers w/ simple materials. https://t.co/fDUXRqiale
...or the co-project I'm doing now with my history colleague on the "Geometry of Architecture"(https://t.co/dah8XyueJV ).
Good morning friends! Stacey from NJ. I've never facilitated -I'll be lurking this morning.
Ss take their 3D proj and pitch it to the Sharks - Ts, super + principal. STEAM + ELA.
If you ladies pm your email, I can send videos that I created and use
Check out and and of course GREAT resources https://t.co/IDNT9ghmxY
My school is looking to implement genius hour in ES. What tips are out there to get started?
Such a great task...have been involved in a similar task with students in the past.
is perfect for Media. Research, project, presentation--loads of standards built in. If collaborating w/ Clsrm T, better!
maybe someday it will be us in our cars in the parking lot, adjacent to one another tweeting
Looking to make Genius Hour Project (PBL) the final assessment in Tech Writing semester course.
Past projects included a "Paint Race," benefit concerts, honoring of local vets, mock crime scenes, shadow of police
We are always amazed by the clever things they come up with! :)
My class this year is big on circuits. Last years class loved coding
We had our first student-made experimental film festival this past November. Talk about higher order skills!
Love . This video is short but captures the effort and thought my student put into her project: https://t.co/iAU3Or1AXJ
Favorite Tech Club activity was teaching Green Screen & having kids go much further & create PBIS ads https://t.co/ATKQFmfJOA
Agreed. The dialogue around GH is important
Yes, I created an entire Genius Hour folder with rubric, KWL charts, parent letter, note taking forms...
I need help w/helping Ss come up w/great Qs for their research. Mine want to answer really big Qs & end up frustrated.
HS history T lurking today's -- nice to hear different voices today!
So we take the approach at my school (a full PBL school with a STEAM focus) that Genius Hour is Genius Day...every day. Just sayin'.
recyclables to build and strength test a prosthetic leg for a tripped dog. Teamwork, compassion, materials science.
Any teachers doing in high school? Which subject time is lost?
Kids LOVE ooblek! What's not to love about a polymer? https://t.co/dxAPmL4y1z
My favorite STEM activity is making ooblek (cornstarch+water)with the kids and setting it atop a speaker to watch sound waves dance!
I like it when Ss think outside the box. Past projects include: life collage, monologue, documentary, creative writing.
peeps, I feel like a lone pioneer wanting to do more STEAM or STEM or GH on my grade level. Also, its challenging with 6 yr olds.
. .... : ) Has Ss doing amazing projects - definitely has built in structures https://t.co/tpE9dJNevX
My school is looking to implement genius hour in ES. What tips are out there to get started?
I had a student create an iMovie about his grandfather who passed away. grade 4.
Sadly I had a few Ss who couldn't tell me what they were passionate about. That's why we need Genius Hour https://t.co/k0UnEt1dCf
I've found that when instituting GH, some Ss know exactly what they want to do -- others need support and dialogue to coach
Morning . Amy here (a little late). Don't know much about genius hour. I'll be mostly lurking today :)
Thank you! We had the honor of having Missy attend one of our sessions!
Great outlook towards education! We're teaching critically-thinking producers, not consumers! https://t.co/p3qWq9z4Yi
So we take the approach at my school (a full PBL school with a STEAM focus) that Genius Hour is Genius Day...every day. Just sayin'.
I've tried this before but couldn't get it to work. Any tips?
Good morning, . I'm Ku, Learning Coach, Argentina. Popping in late today.
...or this one we'll start next week where Ss demonstrate DOK of waves & vibration through music: https://t.co/E7ShuzxFsT
has lots of videos too. https://t.co/ZMmNJSIE2X
If you ladies pm your email, I can send videos that I created and use
Still very much feel this way w/ free-range projs. Always worrying: what aren't they learning for PARCC? https://t.co/2PbIxaRMOY
Any teachers doing in high school? Which subject time is lost?
absolutely, awakening their curiosity... love it!
And 6 yr old is great time for STEAM or GH, when their curiosity is still genuine and uncontaminated.
We also found you can get files of fossils online to 3d print them. Worked with Mariano our tech T to print some hominid skulls
Great convo this morning . Enjoy today!
Passion is the key. My Ss have a hard time w/this b/c they have never had choice w/projects & research.
Have a great day! Gotta scoot out early:)
. come join this morning. They're talking
I use in H.S. SS (law, civics/leadership). Other Ts in my building use it in English, Health & now Economics.
I helped a T create an environmental project where Ss planned fixes. One group created plan to reduce waste adopted by cafeteria
Good morning ! I don't know much about genius hour (yet!) but am excited to read your ideas today & learn more at tomorrow!
A process that you have to repeatedly model. We started practicing asking the right Qs in Aug & some Ss still struggle.
<3 <3 <3 They thought they were famous because the Middle School Principal came to see them. <3
That's awesome! I had to "steal" my hour each week https://t.co/AdHH9Ip1Uj
So we take the approach at my school (a full PBL school with a STEAM focus) that Genius Hour is Genius Day...every day. Just sayin'.
I feel you! BUT as my colleague has suggested, start them with "curiosity." Passion might be too esoteric
Has there been any objection from school leaders due to lost curriculum time?
Do any of you have a genius hour that complements or works with an intervention block? Curious how schools manage this
Good morning! I'm here but having tweet challenges this morning as I wait at the bus stop!
Curious to know if anyone is doing Project Lead The Way or ScratchEd. Would love to hear about your experiences so far.
That's the game changing aspect of true STEAM focused PBL: Ss are deeply engaged, thus learning at a deeper level.
Me too!! I look around my room of HSs and they are making it happen- working. Good culture is contagious =) https://t.co/8MFTZZ78zK
Great outlook towards education! We're teaching critically-thinking producers, not consumers! https://t.co/p3qWq9z4Yi
So we take the approach at my school (a full PBL school with a STEAM focus) that Genius Hour is Genius Day...every day. Just sayin'.
haha! As close to "fame" as I will get. Love it!
Problems and solutions are great ways to structure GH work. Ss need structure and freedom in balance https://t.co/pbYoNisPrc
I helped a T create an environmental project where Ss planned fixes. One group created plan to reduce waste adopted by cafeteria
There's an Amazing PBL in a new book called "STEM to Story" involving oobleck. You should check it out!
Yes we broke it down to basics... What do you do in your free time, etc https://t.co/wZiZaqS5TF
I feel you! BUT as my colleague has suggested, start them with "curiosity." Passion might be too esoteric
I feel it needs to come from the top and be timetabled with strict QA. Maybe built into a form time each week.
Can I get in on the examples, please? Thanks for being a great sharer.
Honestly, it is an amazing part of my week. The first time I did it, I actually got teary eyed b/c I knew it was something special
Will do! Thanks! https://t.co/Ui5pBlpRB0
There's an Amazing PBL in a new book called "STEM to Story" involving oobleck. You should check it out!
But you don't have to have a designated Genius Hour to incorporate some of its principles; include more choice in S proj as a start
Absolutely! Pm your email and i will send you all what i have.
Indeed! S choice & voice WORKS! We just don't limited to one time events...make it the rule, not the exception.
Giving them choice and also challenging them -- that's what GH is about. Good GH work should go beyond the grade
we have PLTW in construction and science. I hear nothing but positives from students
Yes, they have a hard time not asking questions that aren't just google answers https://t.co/OQmDdyf7Ob
I need help w/helping Ss come up w/great Qs for their research. Mine want to answer really big Qs & end up frustrated.
Definitely checking this out https://t.co/wDHErEKl3a
There's an Amazing PBL in a new book called "STEM to Story" involving oobleck. You should check it out!
last wk I gave my Ss unlimited access to all kinds of "stuff" like cotton balls, yarn, diff pasta, toothpicks, coffee fltrs (pt 1)
For elementary peeps, I highly recommend 's Learn Like a Pirate for close study of GH implementation that works!
Not at all. Great support from admins. actually helps Ss and Ts be more on task & purposeful w/curriculum.
I don't know what to think! Ask forgiveness or ask permission? It's an area where fear really paralyzes me. Hate that.
