Journey as I improve my pes planus

At a young age, I was consistently geared for all sports-related. My parents introduced me to many activities, such as soccer, basketball, skateboarding, skiing, tennis, etc. At the time, I was very careless about the toll that my body is taking. Every time I would finish a sports activity, I would get this unbearable pain in the sole of my foot. That's the time when I realized my flat foot. Scientifically named pes planus, it is a condition in which a foot sole touches the floor when standing. There are two different types of a flat foot, to be exact I have a flexible flat foot meaning the foot has a normal arch at rest but disappears when it comes into contact with the ground. My flexible flat foot is caused by lax ligaments in the foot, resulting in the flattened arch. The state of my foot has been physically affecting me, to the point where it became a problem I must fix. I feel as if the condition pes planus has been overlooked by many people, myself included. Simply dismissed as a typical trait, I realised the different harmful consequences of pes planus. With that in mind, my project is to research common solutions and multiple workout routines that can improve my pes planus. Then create a video showcasing my progress in improving my pes planus, which can help educate people. The project is a highly challenging goal because the condition pes planus isn't something you can cure immediately. To solve the problem, I must use my research skills to find a wide variety of solutions to the problem. The answer takes time and effort, and most importantly, I must commit to my goal. I chose to do this project because this is something I relate to. Pes planus is a condition that I possess, and it is negatively affecting my foot. My flat foot will pose a problem for my future self, so starting now is the best way to avoid any further adverse effects on my foot. By creating a vlog type of video, not only can I showcase the different solutions I used to help my pes planus, but I can also help better educate people on the importance of pes planus. I found out that many kids and teenagers nowadays have the pes planus condition, and for adults, about 20 to 30 percent of the population have flat feet. My project can be an entertaining, informative guide that can help those who have the same condition and used a learning guide for those who do not know the condition, pes planus.

Global Context

The global context of my personal project is identities and relationships. This global context explores identity, beliefs, values, personal, physical, mental, social, and spiritual health, human relationships, including families, friends, communities, and cultures, and what it means to be human. The specific strand that I will explore is mental and physical health. The issues that I am facing (pes planus) is related to exploring my identity and my human relationship. The outcome of my product will not only affect my personal life but can be used to help educate the community.

Product

My personal project’s final product is an edited video covering the journey and result I conducted when improving my Pes planus. Beforehand, I had to work on multiple extensive research regarding the topic and create a workout routine that would significantly enhance my pes planus. All the research information is covered in the video, from the topic’s data, interviews conducted and explaining each of the workout routines.

Watch my project video below!

Reflection

In completing my project, my understanding of the topic and global context has been expanded further. My perspective on my case has changed; at first, I was entirely uneducated. Despite having prior learning, I haven't fully grasped the real scale of my problem. That was until further research and as my project’s progress went by is when I thoroughly learned what I was dealing with. My task was to open my mindset on the topic because I did not consider my pes planus to be a problem or even a condition. I now recognize that the problem is to be my utmost attention, and the same can be said to any disease or condition because what this project did was enhance and opened my mindset relating to this knowledge. Through my project, my critical thinking skill progressed, for I can improve my experience through communicating with people from interviews and websites and creating a solution to my problem. Another skill that I would say has been enhanced because of the project was my video editing skills. Editing was a skill that developed immensely throughout the project; I explored all the different editing software and refined my video editing skills through experience. I have gained a better understanding of my global context, identities, and relationships. Working with my global context, I explored a topic and expressed it through my product and how it connects with the community. I'm dealing with (pes planus) a common condition; 30 percent of the population has the condition. I felt included that this condition is often overlooked. The condition is not a severe problem, but it still can cause effects on your body. With creating my product, aside from documenting my journey, I hope it can be used as an information guide further to enhance the community’s knowledge regarding the issue.

IB Learner Reflection

The most notable IB learner profiles present throughout my project were knowledgeable, communicators, and risk-takers. I was able to explore my concept, ideas, issues and express them in my product. Using my prior learning, I further developed my in-depth knowledge and engaged on my problem, and solved it through my understanding. I developed my research skills and enhanced my experience and knowledge through multiple media; websites, youtube, interviews, etc. My communication skills have significantly improved due to interviews with experts, where I learned to communicate skillfully to obtain useful information. With my supervisor’s help, I responded to suggestions and critiques and would use them to improve my project further. My supervisor tells me about my criteria, or my interviewee explaining flaws I did within my exercise or research. I was also able to communicate through different platforms like youtube to receive the information I need for the project. I feel as though without this essential skill, I wouldn’t have been able to complete this project, and it will be a useful skill that I will carry throughout my academic life and even outside of the classroom.

When I chose a challenging task to overcome, I showed that I was a risk-taker by showing that I was willing to step out of my comfort zone to overcome a task that I deemed challenging. Despite not having experience with video editing, I didn't hesitate to try out different software and further research to better develop my knowledge. Despite being familiar with many sports-related activities, my goal proved to be the other case.