Revamping our Essential Questions

As I posted in my most recent blog post, my students gave their very first genius hour presentations and they were just ho-hum.  After watching each others and providing feedback as audience members, the students were able to reflect on their own presentations and most of them were very disappointed in what they had produced.  I told them they would have an opportunity to edit/revise their presentations and give them again in about a month, but they still weren't satisfied.  We talked together as a group and a majority of the students were able to articulate that they were unhappy with the topics and essential questions that they chose.  They felt like they didn't have a very deep understanding about what they were going to do with those topics and asked if they could switch and research something different.  I was pleased with their own assessments, so we began talking about new ideas.

Brainstorming New Ideas:

I took a little time over the weekend to think about my own ideas.  Coming up with something you are truly passionate about is challenging, so I decided to utilize my social media to help me come up with some ideas that may be engaging for the students as well.  Based on some of the topics that I noticed on my feeds, I was able to begin creating some questions.

After watching a digital "conversation" regarding the number of students with phones in the classroom:

• How much time do students at Harmon spend on their cell phones?
• What are some of the negative impacts for people who are addicted to their phones?
• What are some of the withdrawals that a person may go through when they forget their phone?

After seeing a friend post that she experienced the McDonald's McLovin' free meal:

• Which fast food restaurant do most Harmon students frequent?
• What are some of the healthy choices you can pick at a fast food restaurant?
• What are some of the biggest health concerns for people who frequent fast food restaurants?

Miscellaneous questions instigated by tweets:

• What are the educational benefits of playing minecraft?
•  How much sugar do students eat/drink each day and how does that impact their health?
• What is the average amount of sleep for a high schooler and how does this impact their education?
• What is color?
• Why do some say black people "talk white" when they use formal language?

With this last question, I shared an incredible spoken word piece around this topic: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tN4Zulagb8#t=49

The Results:

Students spent some time going through their social media feeds and began coming up with some great ideas.  About 95% of the students chose a different topic, something they felt more passionate about.  Some examples included:

• What is Isis and how are their actions impacting our generation?
• How are the decisions made in the Kansas state government impacting our high school education?
• What would students say are the top 10 restaurants in the Kansas City metro area?
• Which is better an android or an apple iPhone and why?
• What steps can our generation take to be healthier and live longer?
• What makes poetry beautiful?

These examples are deeper than the surface level questions students were asking before.  My class created their first ever blog and began working on their first blog post.  They were all engaged and focused on sharing their thoughts with others.  Their energy was contagious and I'm very excited to see their final products.