My high school has an advisory period three days a week. Advisory is 30 minutes long, and there is no set curriculum to follow. In the past, it has often turned into a free for all where students play on their phones, goof off, or sit and do absolutely nothing. Most of our staff feel that it is a waste of time and would really like to get rid of it, but it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. I have really been pondering how we could make it a more worthwhile part of the day, and as the technology coach, I would really love to get students creating with technology. Here enters 20 Time. For those of you who have never heard of it, 20 Time is the idea that students or employees should take 20% of the time dedicated to work or school and spend it on a creative project of their own choice. Google has done it with their employees, and that is how Gmail, AdSense, and the Google Teacher Academy were born.
In education, it would require students to find something they are interested in, come up with a project, draft a proposal, conduct research, create a final product, and present their end result to an audience. I have seen some of the projects students from other schools have done, and I think it is pretty amazing. I would love to incorporate 20 Time into our advisory period and turn advisory into something productive. What are your thoughts? Have any of you tried 20 Time before? I would love to hear about any experiences you have had! I've also included some resources below if you are interested in learning more about 20 Time in education.
20time.org
The official site of 20 Time. The videos under the "How" section are especially great.
20-Time in Education Inspire. Create. Innovate.
A site created by educators who use 20 Time in their own classrooms. Lots of great project ideas.
Why "20% Time" is Good for Schools
An article that tells how 20 Time can benefit students, teachers, administrators, and parents.
Brittni, I've always liked this idea and, at least outside of the US, it is easy enough to incorporate. The problem with the US is that you have jammed packed your curriculums with so many discrete, largely rote standards - all of which get tested at some point and schools judged based on that testing - that it really inhibits teachers' ability to do this kind of thing.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. It is difficult to do anything "extra" in the US when there is so much importance placed on standardized testing. That is why I think advisory is a great place to try something like 20 Time. There are no standards for advisory, and it is currently not the greatest use of time for students or teachers.
DeleteBrittni, What a great find! Thanks for sharing. I think that it would be a wonderful idea if your school supports you. In regards to what Michael said though, it is true that teachers are bound by the standards. So I suggest modifying this idea of 20 Time by asking students to pick one standard and creating something that will fulfill that standard somehow. You could use any of the technology based standards in the Common Core or ISTE for example. I also think that this ties perfectly with the constructivism learning theory. What a great way to involve students in their own learning to solve real life problems, awareness, or simply try something new (the idea of Maker Spaces for example). Good luck convincing your admin!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great idea! I am pretty lucky that my admin is on board. It is now more about getting the rest of the staff to embrace it and preparing students to take on something of this magnitude. I will definitely visit with them about aligning the projects to a standard. I think that could make this idea more appealing to staff.
DeleteBrittni,
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome idea! We have a flex period everyday that is approximately 25-30 minutes. It's used for clubs and some activities, but is largely unused by most of our students. I really like that this idea allows students to work on something that really interests them. Definitely worth considering for our use of that time next year!
Glad it might be useful to you! I am really hoping that we can get it going this upcoming year, and if not, I am hoping there will at least be another plan in place to make this period a better use of time.
DeleteThis is a great list! I am on year 4 with my advisees but I will share your post with my colleagues getting new kiddos. It is tough to use that time wisely and not be a totally cheeseball!
ReplyDeleteAwesome!