Innovation Hour

Innovation Hour will give students who are identified as Gifted and Talented the opportunity to explore a topic they are curious and/or passionate about while in the school setting. The program features six key components – Passion, Plan, Pitch, Project, Product and Presentation. Students will be able to hone their social and communication skills while also utilizing their creative thought processes as they explore subject matter that they have chosen in a way that is teacher-guided but self-directed.

Innovation Hour will help to support, guide and celebrate the passions of our gifted and talented students while helping them to truly become life-long learners and thinkers who are inspired and equipped to pursue futures beyond what they can imagine.

Innovation Hour is designed to take place during the school day at the time slated for intervention and/or enrichment. All of the GT students in the grade will come together for Innovation Hour, and work will be facilitated by a teacher in the student’s grade level – but not necessarily the child’s assigned classroom teacher – who has completed his/her GT training. There will be no requirement for students to do any work outside of the designated class time, but if a student wishes to do additional reading, research, or investigation after school, and family schedules allow for it, that is certainly permissible. Having all of the GT students working on these self-driven explorations alongside one another will allow GT students to collaborate like never before by sharing ideas, resources, and feedback.

There are times when our GT students may feel a little confined by the boundaries of the grade-level curriculum. Many of our students are intrigued by global issues, and many have passions outside of curricular learning. Innovation Hour is one way to support the passion and drive that our GT-identified students possess. By allowing students to use dedicated time during the school day to explore that in which they are interested, FBISD hopes to help these students feel more fulfilled in their educational experiences while building their collaborative, critical thinking, and communication skills.

Some of the resources, such as curriculum, will be provided by the District. Teachers will be facilitating and providing some resources students will utilize. Materials will be provided by teachers whenever it is possible. When it is not possible, students will be responsible for seeking out and finding resources and materials. Parents of younger students are encouraged to monitor the resources their child accesses on his/her own for appropriate level and content.

Progress will be monitored by teachers and administrators. They are tasked with creating a monitoring system and have been provided an exemplar in the Innovation Hour curriculum. No grades will be associated with Innovation Hour. The program is designed to allow students to explore their interests and improve academically without grading.

Feedback was gathered from campus and district administration to determine readiness and commitment to the pilot program. Campuses at the elementary, middle, and high schools were selected to provide the opportunity to pilot at various campuses.

You can contact the child’s teacher or administrator with questions specific to his or her campus. For general questions about Innovation Hour, you may contact the Gifted and Talented department at (281) 634-7664.