20% Time

Just read about this and want to bookmark it to ponder later!

http://edudemic.com/2013/05/10-reasons-to-try-20-time-in-the-classroom/

UPDATE:  OK, I'm reading mroe about this, and I'm getting that giddy "I'm SO excited!" feeling for doing this with my students.  I'm sold.  But, I need to ponder this more before I can clearly articulate the ideas my brain is forming.  Here are a few more websites of inspiration!

http://educationismylife.com/designing-20-time-in-education/

http://www.iteachithink.com/2012/07/give-your-students-20-time-to-do.html

http://stumpteacher.blogspot.com/2011/03/innovation-day-2011.html

http://www.geniushour.com/2013/03/29/approching-your-administration-about-genius-hour/

http://geniushour.wikispaces.com/Testimonials

http://www.geniushour.com/2013/03/29/approching-your-administration-about-genius-hour/

UPDATE:  I'm ready to write down the ideas running around my mind!

The more I learn about 20% time, the more I love it and want to give my students this opportunity.  Obviously, this isn't something I can do and expect students to learn Spanish, but I was thinking this may be a very cool way to approach culture.  That's not "pure" 20% time since I'd be putting that one requirement in that may "narrow" what students can study, but I imagine every student could connect what they are passionate about to Spanish-speaking culture in some way.  (Maybe there will be some flexibility to do "pure" 20% time in the future - I know I'll be facilitating some sort of after-school activity for 6 weeks, so maybe I could do this?  And, maybe, if I do this, it'll catch on with other teachers and the school!)

In my curriculum, I have Fridays set aside for culture, essentially 20% of my class time, where I'd planned to discuss a "theme" each day.  Rather, though, I'm thinking I can turn students loose to learn about what they're passionate about (though relating it back to some aspect of culture), and then allowing them to teach each other.  Each student (or group of students) would begin with a question, research the answer to their question, and create a product demonstrating their learning.  Beyond just the benefits of simulating real-world work by allowing them to choose what they're going to do and then developing some sort of product demonstrating that learning, I think they'll also have much more long-lasting learning experiences that are in-depth and relate to them and they'll love learning about other aspects of culture through their peers' projects.

Here are few ideas I can come up with off the top of my head, with an example question and product:

• Architecture
• Build a model of the Barcelona Cathedral
• Interior design
• Design a home with Spanish-style decorating
• Making a difference
• Present a plan that would improve the economic situation of someone in the Spanish-speaking world (like "Living on One")
• Economics
• Create a display illustrating the money and their exchange rates
• Explain how micro-economies work and improve the lives of locals
• Literature
• Create a children's book in Spanish
• Painting/drawing
• Create a painting in the style of Dalí
• Create a mural that communicates a message like Picasso's Guernica
• Drama
• Perform a dramatic piece illustrating some aspect of Spanish culture (historical event, work of literature, etc)
• Movies
• Create a movie illustrating some aspect of Spanish culture
• Film a movie that takes place in a Spanish-speaking country
• Technology
• Create an app that teaches students about the Spanish/Latino world
• Explain how a particular piece of technology from the Spanish-speaking world works (like the Eurotrain)
• Biology
• Explain the unique evolution of the animals in the Galapagos Islands
• Geology
• Show how the fault lines cause volcanoes and earthquakes in South America
• Ecology
• Explain the unique environment in the cloud forests
• Vacations/Tourism
• Plan a vacation to a Spanish-speaking country
• Politics
• Take a position on immigration and argue it
• Dance 
• Perform a Latin dance
• Music
• Write and perform an original song about Spanish culture
• Learn and perform a traditional Latin American song
• Horses
• Demonstrate the training style used in the Spanish Riding School
• Hip Hop
• Create a playlist of popular Spanish-speaking artists
• Food
• Cook a traditional meal
• Coffee
• Sample the different types of coffee produced from Latin-American countries
• Religion
• Explore the various religious believes and practices
• Pets
• Show what kind of pets are kept in Mexico and how they're treated/used
• Explain the effect of illegal exotic pet trade from Costa Rica
• Parties
• Host a Day of the Dead celebration

Ok, that's enough for now.  Plus, my ideas aren't very creative compared to what students are capable of coming up with.  I'm sure I'll learn plenty from them that I've never even thought of!  That brings me to another important aspect of this project - it was suggested on one of the websites to connect students to a mentor that can be their "go-to" person when it comes to expertise on a subject area.  Granted, I doubt there will be an expert for each of the specific projects, but it would be good for each student to find someone who has general knowledge related to their topic and can guide them to find their answers.  This takes a lot of the pressure off of me trying to help every single student on their various projects and topics, most of which I will likely be learning about from them.  Plus, it teaches networking and gives them a connection to someone else who loves what they love!

I really want students to be able to show off what they've learned and created, so I think I'll try to arrange a time where they can present their project to everyone.  Maybe I can talk my principal into giving students a school day where they set up their projects in the cafeteria for other students, parents, admin, and community members can come check out their work?  As for a timeline, I'm thinking about doing two "big" projects per year - one each semester.  At mid-term (the end of the quarter), they can give a brief presentation to the class about what they've learned so far and where they want to go with it, then present their final products at the end of the semester on a larger scale.  That also gives students the opportunity to explore something different second semester, or to build on their work from first semester if they so choose.

Anyway, I'm very excited about this now.  I can't wait to see it in action!