MYP PERSONAL PROJECT
@American international school of lusaka
Marie Slaby, PP Co-Coordinator
Fiona Moss, PP Co-Coordinator
2025-26
Marie Slaby, PP Co-Coordinator
Fiona Moss, PP Co-Coordinator
2025-26
The Personal Project allows students to demonstrate their ability to connect and transfer the extensive skills, knowledge and understandings they have acquired in one or more of their MYP disciplines in order to achieve a meaningful goal of their own design.
The project prepares students for success in the IB Diploma Programme by introducing them to the challenges of independent work, in which self-motivation is essential. The extensive research required by the project and the presentation of an academic report provide an introduction to the rigor and skills required by the DP Extended Essay.
During the course of the personal project, students choose a learning goal and develop a product or outcome that connects their chosen topic to their personal interest.
The three components of the Personal Project are...
The aims state what a student may expect to experience and learn and how they may be changed by the learning experience.
The personal project is an opportunity for students to:
explore an interest that is personally meaningful
take ownership of their learning by undertaking a self-directed inquiry
transfer and apply skills in pursuit of a learning goal and the creation of a product
recognize and evidence personal growth and development
The Personal Project involves students in a wide range of activities to extend their knowledge and understanding and to develop their skills and attitudes.
These student-planned learning activities include:
deciding what they want to learn about, identifying what they already know, and discovering what they will need to know to complete the project
creating proposals or criteria for their project, planning their time and materials, and recording developments of the project
making decisions, developing understandings and solving problems, communicating with their mentors and others, and creating a product or developing an outcome, and then evaluating the product/outcome and reflecting on their project and their learning.
As students become involved in the self-initiated and self-directed learning process, they will find it easier to construct in-depth knowledge on their topic, and develop an understanding of themselves as learners.
You will be assigned an AISL adult to be your Mentor. They will be your on-site coach, and you'll meet with them at least five times while working on your project.
In addition, your project may involve skills or knowledge that your assigned AISL Mentor may not have. Perhaps you would like to write code for a role-playing video game and need an expert on Python or C++; or perhaps you want to up-cycle clothing and need to learn how to use a sewing machine; or perhaps you want to convert a go-kart with a petrol engine to one that runs on solar power. You may need help from an additional trusted adult. Think about people you know in your neighborhood, your parents' friends, family members, or members of your greater or religious community. Who has these skills and knowledge and can help guide your progress? An additional mentor is not required for the Personal Project, but you may need to seek one out depending on the needed skills or knowledge for your particular learning or product goal.
The information on this site, resources, and worksheets are adapted from Amber Rhinehart and Lincoln Community School. Please feel free to use any and all material for school use.
If using this material, please ensure that proper credit is given to the authors.