20 Time Project Overview

20 Time Project in Education:

Imagine one project that will teach:

  • Goal Setting
  • Implementing Goals
  • Reflecting and Redirecting Goals
  • Showcasing Goals

20 Time can do all of the above. By allowing students to choose any goal, accomplishment, project of their choice, and then guide the students through the process, we can give them the foundation of successful autonomous learning.

By incorporating additional elements into 20 Time, such as Blogging, we can teach essential digital literacy skills as outlined in ISTE standards and Partners for 21st Century Learning Skills. Students will use cloud-based online tools to:

  • Research
  • Organize
  • Create
  • Cite
  • Publish
  • Showcase

In addition to digital standards, the project hits most Common Core standards in Reading, Writing, and Listening/Speaking.

At some point we have to ask ourselves, how can we not take time to integrate a project that hits so many learning objectives?

Details To Know About 20 Time Project Before Proceeding

  1. Don't grade the actual project! It would be cruel to punish the student who wanted to take her time for the mile down to 6 minutes and penalize her because she ended up being 10 seconds away from her goal. What you do grade are the assignments centered around the planning and presenting of the project: Planning Guide, Implementation Guide, Blogging, Conferencing, Pitch, and Final Presentation.
  2. Take a look at the page called "20 Time Preparation for the Teacher." There are a lot of things to consider as you let the idea of 20 Time swirl around in your brain.
  3. Read the blogs of other teachers in the communities above. Think about the grade level of your students. Think about the tools you have in class for your students (aides, technology, etc). What would make more sense- a long-standing 2o Time project or a more free-topic Genius Hour? Would it be wise to begin with Genius Hour for a semester and then move to 20 Time the next semester?
  4. 20 Time is generally more successful if students can have access to online resources during the time. Do you have a BYOD program? Are you willing to start one? It is amazing what the power of a simple smart phone can do to education. For more information see The Tech Classroom.

Interested?

Check out the Template Series in the tabs above for step-by-step implementation.