Creating Academic Success Through Leading and Entrepreneurship

80/20 and PBL

“80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.”-- Tim Ferriss

    Think about that for a moment. Of everything that we do, only 20% of our actions account for 80% of the results. Another way to look at it? Think about the contacts in your phone. Currently, 20% of your phone contacts result in 80% of your phone calls.

     The 80/20 Rule, or Pareto Principle, has been around for centuries and used by a wide array of businesses, such as Google. Google’s 20 Time allowed their engineers to spend 20% of their working time pursuing projects of their choice. One example of how this worked out--gmail.

    So how does this relate to the classroom and to PBL? Good question. Let’s look at some of the shared characteristics of 80/20 and PBL:

• Allows students to explore what their passions are
• Places students in charge of their learning                                
• Fosters curiosity
• Creates self-motivation
• Encourages students (and teachers) to go above and beyond the standards
• 
  Causes students to understand that learning is a lifetime goal and that it doesn’t begin or end with schooling

   What does this look like in a classroom? I am glad you asked. Jeffrey McMicken of Ridge View High School has adopted the “20 Time” or “Genius Hour” in his English 3 classes. They spend one day per week (or 20% of their time) working on a project of their choosing. This year, as part of their “20 Time” project, Mr. McMicken’s juniors partnered with the 4th grade team at Sandlapper Elementary School for a mentoring program. As part of this partnership, McMicken’s students visit the Sandlapper campus monthly “to help collaborate on passion projects called Project CASTLE (Creating Academic Success Through Leading and Entrepreneurship).” McMicken said he was inspired to develop 20 Time after witnessing the success of other teachers, such as Nicholas Provenzano. But McMicken believes that  20 Time isn’t about the teacher’s success. It is about the students’ success. McMicken’s project builds “life skills-- goal setting, responding to failure, and communication/writing skills.” It puts students in control of their own learning by allowing them  to “figure out” how they learn best. This year’s 20 Time Showcase will be in the auditorium and large gym of Ridge View High School on Thursday, May 19th from 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

   Interested in learning more about how through "20% Time we can solve one of society’s biggest problems by giving students a purpose for learning?” Take a moment to read “Why 20% Time is Good for Schools.”