The challenge of trying to create a Reggio inspired makerspace in an individual classroom necessitated a few adaptations. While trying to stay true to the constructivist/constructionist philosophies of the Reggio Emilia approach and the Maker movement, it was necessary to create a framework that best utilized our existing facilities, staffing and student population. I was very lucky to have the support of our school librarian, technology integrator, program specialist, grade 3 teaching partner and our classroom assistant (Yes, I know that I'm incredibly lucky!) We met to discuss our launch and decided to use a Genius Hour model as a starting point. In order to inspire the students to think creatively we began with "A Pep Talk from Kid President to You" video clip. The kids loved it!
Our next step, now that we had students riveted and excited, was to introduce the idea of Genius Hour. We began by asking the children "What is a genius?" "What does a genius do?" The responses were more than we expected. Students thought that a genius was:
I am continually amazed by the depth of response that young children will give when you take the time to discuss and analyze an idea rather than simply telling them the answer.
- Someone really smart and intelligent
- Someone creative
- Someone who takes time to make something awesome
- Albert Einstein
- An out of this world/ out of the box thinker
- Someone amazing at something (but not everything)
- A person who changes and grows (doesn't stay stuck in a box)
- Someone who collaborates and works with others
I am continually amazed by the depth of response that young children will give when you take the time to discuss and analyze an idea rather than simply telling them the answer.