Remember this?
It turned out like this.
This is our class Genius Bar, inspired by the classroom make-over mentioned in this post.
I apologize for the blurriness of parts of the picture. The lighting in my classroom is not the best – plus I’m a horrible photographer!
How do I plan for the kids to utilize the Genius Bar? I will be “gamifying” our classroom, and the students will get privileges at each of the levels. One privilege will be to access the reference materials, including the computer (and I will probably add an iPad) whenever needed – as we do not, unfortunately, have a 1 to 1 classroom. They will also be able to use the neon chalk markers to respond to a weekly question. Another level will allow them to access the “fun” books and games. And, yet another level will allow them to check out the books and games for home use. (I’ll share the “Level Up” poster as soon as I finalize it.)
And what’s a Genius Bar without the advice of a Genius? I am thinking of using the info from the “What are My S.K.I.L.L.Z.” sheet, and letting kids sign up to get advice from one of our resident geniuses on a topic.
I’m still working on other parts of the room (school has started, but I test for the first few weeks, so I have a bit of time before classes begin.) And, if you recall, I mentioned that I got permission to use the classroom next to me. I’m going to have the kids help me create a Maker Studio.
Do you have any other suggestions for our Genius Bar?
(Update: I just saw this post from Erin Klein on her own classroom transformation that you might find interesting. Her pictures are much better than mine!)
