Pure Genius: Building a Culture of Innovation and Taking 20% Time to the Next Level

by Don Wettrick

You've heard the complaints too many times: When am I ever going to use this in the real world? Why are we learning this? When are we going to learn about something interesting? But what if your students came to class excited? What if they were passionate about their projects? What if they grasped the connection between today's work and tomorrow's careers? In classrooms across the nation, innovative teachers are employing passion-based, open-source learning to improve their student's education. In Pure Genius, Don Wettrick encourages teachers and administrators to collaborate--with experts, students, and one another--to create interesting, and even life-changing opportunities for learning. You'll discover: Innovation brings a fresh approach to solving real problems Creative ways to work within the constraints your current budget and system Courses that offer relevant content can inspire students to learn beyond the classroom Collaborating with experts and mentors improves the learning experience for students and teachers Students must be taught and entrusted to appropriately use social media Social media is an incredible resource for inspiration and professional development Innovation is the key to equipping today's students for tomorrow's marketplace. By incorporating the concepts Don explains in Pure Genius, you can empower the next generation to be free thinkers who can create new concepts and products that can change the way we live.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction, Professional Development

170 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 16, 2014

Reviews

[Joy Kirr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I already buy in to what Don preaches in this book - having students own their own learning, and getting connected to other educators and professionals so we can also be more innovative. I learned a lot from chapter 3 - "There Is No Plan." He laid out a plan that so many of us can follow - with steps and regrets. My favorite quote from this gem - "If my Innovations Class students only learn how to connect with others and look to serve, I'll be happy." YES! (It's an added bonus that my class gets a plug in pgs 54-55!)

[Erin Schyck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiration strikes! My only worry is that I won't be able to facilitate the idea process well enough to get every student working on one of their passions! Wish me luck!

[Leanne Gauthier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excited to improve upon last year's Genius Hour!

[Stephenie Eriksson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm ready to start this adventure with my students after finishing Don Wettrick's book. The book provided affirmation for my vision for my students and the encouragement to "be bold enough to take risks, allow the classroom to seem messy, and get good at improving as you grow and learn with your students." This is what I know will work, now to get "my hands dirty."

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is better suited for middle/high school teachers than elementary. While I embrace the idea and practice of innovation in education, I was disappointed that this book did not provide more concrete, day to day ideas/lessons about how this really looks in the classroom.

[Sara Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

The concept of genius time is exciting and useful for bringing relevance to the classroom. This useful book is full of instructions for making this happen in a way that ensures success (or at least failure full of learning). I wanted to start right away!

[Stella Pollard · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute must read for anyone who is considering a Genius Hour implementation into their classroom. Loved how it breaks down every step needed in order for students to be successful with this journey. This has the power to transform the future of students.

[Jennifer Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

So inspiring!

Love this book. Great ideas I plan on implementing in my Entrepreneurship class! Love the open source learning concept and encouraging students to create real businesses and solutions!

[Shannon Schmelz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book and it gives me inspiration for my innovation class. A few of the links are broken and some Twitter accounts referenced in the book are no longer active.

[Jordan Kerkhoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for educators looking for a spark. A quick read that will have you fired up to get back into your classroom.

[Rosa S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking forward to implementing these ideas with my 6th grade students this year.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good look at building a culture of innovation. I want to start an Innovation Class now!

[Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was inspiring for me as an educator in the 21st Century. As a teacher, we are constantly under pressure to assist our students be creative and innovative with no real direction as to how to do it. Don shares what has worked for him over time to really create a culture of innovation in the classroom. Firstly, he shares the TED Talk that inspired him, which was Dan Pink's, 'The Puzzle of Motivation'. Don has taken the information from there and created a classroom program if you like that really allows students to be creative, innovative, collaborative and think critically. He shows you how to manage a course like this in your classroom. He also gives specific examples of the results and they are phenomenal. It really is truly amazing.

There were so many ideas he shared with us the readers, but I think what motivated me the most, was that social media can be a very powerful way of allowing students to connect with a very large, global audience. They are also able to collaborate with professionals outside the classroom walls which can create very powerful learning opportunities.

I'm really looking forward to being able to implement his ideas in the classroom.

[Mika Auramo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don Wettrickin kirja Pure Genius. Building a Culture of Innovation and Taking 20% time to the Next Level oli melko mielenkiintoista luettavaa.

Kirja on Dave Burgess Colsultingin kustantama. Burgess taasen tunnetaan Pirate-käsitteestään ja omista innovaatioistaan. Muita Daven ”talliin” kuluvia opetusalan staroja ovat mm. George Couros ja Matt Miller. Suosittelijoiksi sitaatteinen on saatu mm. Daniel Pink, Eric Sheninger, Vicki Davis, Dave Burgus ja muutama muu.

Lukuja teoksessa on yhteensä 17, varsinaista sisältöä 11. Tämä kuuluu samaan kategoriaan kuin monet muutkin lukemani vastaavat kirjat, eli tämän tarkoituksena on ikään kuin reflektoida omaa oppimisprosessia, kertoa omasta kehittymisestä ja innostaa muita opettajia omissa ponnisteluissaan tulla omalta osaltaan innovatiivisemmaksi. Monessa kohtaa tuntuu, että tämän olen lukenut ennenkin, sillä monet kirjoittajan ”omat” esimerkit on muilta poimittu. Viittauksia muihin pioneereihin ja konkareihin alun jälkeen on vain muutamia, mutta mm. Grant Lichtmanille annetaan tunnustusta.

Aluksi yritetään siis motivoida opettajaa luvussa ”Why Innovate?” ja tämän jälkeen päästään pohdiskelemaan johtajuuden muutosta, ja jostain kumman syystä todetaan vielä, että antaa mennä vaan, ettei ole muka mitään suunnitelmaa. Tarkoituksena lienee luottaminen omaan intuitioon jne.

Seuraavaksi kirjoittaja pääsee innovaatioesteisiin, ja varsinkin sosiaalista mediaa käsittelevät luvut ovat onnistuneita lukuisin esimerkein. Somea lähestytään sekä opettajan että oppijan näkökulmasta, ja näistä luvuista löysin kehityskelpoisia ideoita parillekin kurssille.

Loppupuolella kirjoittaja kehottaa luottamaan omiin kykyihin ja verkon sekä somen tuomiin rajattomiin mahdollisuuksiin innoittaen avaamaan luokan ovet koulunulkopuoliseen maailmaan ja löytämään projekteja sekä tehtäviä, joissa voidaan hyödyntää oppimisessa oikean elämän esimerkkejä, tehtäviä ja mentoreita.

Keskeisiä ajatuksia ovat mm. valinnanvapaus opeteltaviin asioihin, älytunnit, oppilaan intohimon herättäminen opeteltaviin sisältöihin, yhteistoiminnallisuus, pienryhmäopiskelu, someaktiivisuus, jatkuva reflektointi, tämän vuosisadan perustaitojen haltuunotto luovuudesta kriittiseen ajatteluun.

Kaiken kaikkiaan pidin lukemastani melko paljon, vaikka sisältö oli monelta osin suunnattu sosiaalisen median noviiseille ja oman opetuksen päivittämistä vasta nykyaikaan suunnitteleville. Tiivistettynä kirjan perusajatus voisi olla opettamisen hakkerointi, mikä tarkoittaa ”MacGyverin” tavoin uusien ja innovatiivisten vaihtoehtojen tai ratkaisujen löytämistä eri opetuksellisiin askareisiin.

[Stefanie Pitzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational book that has me geared up for fall already! I love the message of innovation and the simple yet thought provoking points. In this book, he shares his methods for creating a time or entire class period, dedicated to students choosing their own learning and outline/describes them from all viewpoints! I love that he pushes to make genius hour more than just an hour. I also appreciated that he shared his amazing journey, both successes and failures, of building a culture of empowered learners!! A must read for any educator!

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for teachers who want more than standards and tests

This book is a great guide and idea generator to be innovative in your setting. Whatever you teach you can pull something from this book if you are thinking about Incorporating Genius Hour or a whole innovation class into your curriculum.

[Heather Sobek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has me so excited to start my Genius Hour elective class next fall! I do wish he had gone into more detail with the day-to-day successes and failures of his class. Can't wait to keep planning this amazing opportunity for my students!

[Staisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspires me to try something new in my class this next year. While I am not as pro social media as Wettrick, and it would not work in my classroom to the extent that it did in his, I agree with creating the relevance with my students.

[Alicia Wettrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A road map of how we can change education

[Leslye Speidel Thiery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshing! Inspiring! Want to read it again!

[Janet Braud · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for educators who want to stay on the cutting edge. Lots of how-to and examples.

[Lisa M · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title says it all!

Merged review:

The title says it all!

[Elizabeth Cornman · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone pondering whether to move your classroom to a 20time model, this book provides plenty of inspiration to make the move.

[Sonja · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing! I am sharing it with my students and recommending it to friends!

[Tammy Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

[Stacy Rennhoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A...

[Kris Patrick]

Could be a good purchase to share some of the larger scale success stories with students. I like Don and acknowledge that I formerly misunderstood him and his beliefs. I’ve been enjoying his podcast, StartEd Up. My recommendation would be to find Daniel Pink and Tucker Max episodes.

Don is a colleague, and he has been making some bold claims about elementary education lately. Next time I see him, I’ll be tempted to counter - stay in your lane, bro. ;)