I believe that it is essential for students to be immersed in learning environments that allow them to be creative and inspired. Their learning should be guided by their passions and wonders. Unfortunately, I am not quite sure that our current education system is entirely promoting this kind of inquiry-driven learning. Angela Maiers argues that “standards-based education stifles engagement and passion in students” (2015). She believes that the students who are best at obedience, memorization, regurgitation, and compliance are the ones that are being rewarded. Sir Ken Robinson also strongly believes in what Mairers is saying. He outlines in his TEDTalk that schools are killing our young learners’ innate ability to be creative. I unfortunately agree with their shared perspective. Sadly an education system which requires instructors to focus on meeting an extensive list of prescribed learning outcomes set in the curriculum, does not teach students how to think for themselves. AJ Juliani suggests that the students who succeed in school are often the ones that do not know what to do when they get out (2015). Over the course of their entire elementary and secondary education, students are not only told what to learn, but also how and when to learn it. Then, rather abruptly, students are expected to understand themselves and make a decision on what kind of career they want to commit to for the rest of their lives. Young adults are not being given the tools and experiences at school to know how to smoothly make such decisions. Many researchers and education experts (including but not limited to: Will Richardson, Rob Mancabelli, Brigid Barron, Linda Darling-Hammond, and AJ Juliani) are also arguing that schools are not properly preparing students with the skills needed to be successful in the ever changing workforce.

“Today’s students will enter a job market that values skills and abilities far different from the traditional workplace talents that so ably served their parents and grandparents. They must be able to crisply collect, synthesize, and analyze information, then conduct targeted research and work with others to employ that newfound knowledge. In essence, students must learn how to learn, while responding to endlessly changing technologies and social, economic, and global conditions” (Barron, 2008).

I feel that it is our job as educators to prepare children to be successful in the real world, not just while in school. Setting students up for success outside the walls of a classroom starts with making material relevant inside the walls of a classroom. Ensuring that children understand why they are learning what we are teaching them, will help them to find value in the knowledge that they are gaining. Those that find value in learning will grow to actually want to learn. I strongly believe that understanding the relevance of something, aids in making it purposeful. People gain empowerment when they’re doing work that matters and is respected (Maiers, 2015). I also firmly believe that helping students find success in the real world involves educators offering students some power and choice in what they learn. It is important that teachers step back and let go of controlling every aspect of their students’ learning. Maybe if we asked and then gave children permission to do some of the things they are really passionate about throughout their academic careers (K-12), we would not be so lost and confused in university or, rather in life in general. And, maybe if we start pursuing our passions and wonders we would actually solve the world’s most impossible challenges along the way.

Genius Hour provides students the opportunity to become intrinsically motivated, life-long learners. It gives meaning and purpose to learning. Genius Hour is inquiry-based and teaches students how to think and how to explore. Students not only learn about subjects they are interested in, but they also learn about themselves and the people around them. For example, if a child is inspired by bridges, they could be given the freedom to explore this personal curiosity during Genius Hour. If their learning is guided by wonder, they may need to learn calculus to build a bridge. That student now has a reason to love and seek calculus, rather than calculus being a forced requirement from their teacher. Furthermore, the math skills that they learn may be much higher than what is actually required of them in the curriculum. Throughout their inquiry, the student may also need to understand the history, policy and politics of getting a bridge approved for building. Or, they may need to work on team-building skills to get all the right talent on board with their project. The autonomy, purposefulness and goal of mastery during this exploration provides so many exciting learning opportunities. It is important to recognize that if a student’s learning follows their curiosity, it will not be confined to the classroom alone.