Student-Centered Learning Archives

Feb 26 2025

The Six Biggest Mistakes I Made with Genius Hour (and How I Fixed Them)

By John Spencer Creativity, Podcast 8 Comments

Student voice and choice can be challenging. There are so many variables at work and it’s okay if it doesn’t work perfectly. In this week’s article, I share my big mistakes I made with Genius Hour and how I changed things through multiple iterations. Listen…

Dec 06 2021

Ending the Semester with a Student Blogging Project

By John Spencer Creativity, Literacy, Podcast, Student Choice 10 Comments

December is exhausting for teachers. The days are shorter. The weather grows colder and (at least here in Oregon) wetter. Students are anxious — whether it’s a buzzing excitement for vacation or a sense of dread that some kids feel in homes that are unsafe…

May 04 2021

Geek Out Projects: My Approach to Genius Hour and 20% Time in the Language Arts Classroom

By John Spencer Creativity, Literacy, Podcast, Student Choice 8 Comments

There are so many different ways we can empower students to own the learning; from owning the assessment process to doing choice menus and choice boards to having students engage in project-based learning. In this article, we explore how Geek Out Blogs allow students to…

Jan 25 2021

Want Students to Be More Creative? Try Adding More Play.

By John Spencer Creativity, Podcast 8 Comments

It's supposed to snow this week, which reminds me of a moment four years ago when it snowed. We were from Phoenix, which meant our children had spent their lives experiencing the two seasons of blazingly hot and nice. The only thing that changed color…

Aug 26 2017

6 Student-Centered Projects for the First Week of School

By John Spencer Creativity, Empowering Students, Podcast 10 Comments

Don't Wait to Innovate! Teachers often begin the school year with team-building activities or a review of the rules and procedures. But what if we began with student-centered projects? The following is an exploration of six student-centered projects you can launch in your first month…

May 07 2016

Ten Things That Happen When Kids Embrace Design Thinking

By John Spencer Creativity, Design Thinking 5 Comments

I still remember the day. I was in my first year of teaching and I sat there holding my printed lesson plan. This was supposed to be my greatest lesson of the school year. I had planned it for hours, revising various aspects of it…