20% Project

What is it?

Students will choose one learning goal/project to study and implement over the course of an extended period of time- usually one semester or an entire school year. Many teachers encourage students to choose a service project. Whatever the project is, students learn about one thing all year.

There is a big difference between a learning goal and a performance goal. Example: I had a student who wanted to shave two minutes off her mile. She trained all semeseter- however, what was she doing during the 20-Time hour in my class? Nothing. Mostly bugging other students as they were working. She had created a perfomance goal, not a learning goal. Had I known better at the time, I would have prompted her to study how to take two minutes off her mile- a learning goal. Create a workout for the next week. Learn what kind of workout she should be creating. Evaluating what worked and what didn't from the previous week's workout. Examining the type of diet that would be ideal for her situation. You'll want to guide students who choose performance goals into creating learning goals.

The Process:

Green: Students choose a goal and backwards plan from the date of the finale (a Ted-style presenation about their learning process) to the present.

Yellow: 6 weeks into the project, students present their idea to the community. By announcing what they are doing to the public, it holds them more accountable.

Brown: The end project, a Ted-style speech in which they reflect on the learning that happened throughout the project.

Orange: Each week, at the end of the hour students reflect via blog, journal, etc on what they learned in the hour and what their next steps are for the following week.

Even More

Check out the links below for my own reflections on each stage of the process.

Preparation for the Teacher: A quick write-up about what you need to do to prepare for this project.

Introducing 20 Time to Your Class: How to introduce, what to say and not to say.

Blogging: The essential researching and reflection tool for your students.

The Pitch: The event your students will use to publicly announce their project, holding them accountable to everyone.

Conferencing: Why and when you should do it.

Final Presentation: The final graded reflective presentation.

The Community

Click here to see the information to join an amazing community of educators who are using 20-Time in their classrooms.