Genius In More Ways Than One!

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We've been learning all about Genius Hour in the classroom. After researching the concept and starting my very own Genius Hour project, I really get the idea. I understand why this would be so engaging for students and how exciting it feels to learn about something you're passionate about. It got me thinking - could I apply this to other learning environments? I believe the answer is YES!

I'm always trying to relate what I'm learning back to the hockey team I coach. I work with 15, 16 and 17 year-old athletes who dedicate six nights a week to our team. It's my job as their head coach to develop their physical skill and mental understanding of the game. I do all of the facilitating of this learning and create my practice plans well in advance. What if I gave my players Genius Hour time? 

If players had the ice time and access to coaching staff to work on skills that they felt are important maybe we could increase their development even more! Players could get 20 minutes of ice every week to decide what they want to learn. As coaches, we could provide guidance, critique and even structure if they so wished. Would this create more buy-in from my players? Would they feel more engaged in something they prioritized as important? These are questions I can answer by testing it out and that is exactly what I'm going to do! Stay tuned.