DP2 - Interim Reflection Session
On ManageBac, consider the following and write a brief response in the "Researcher's Reflection Space," found in the EE section of the IB Manager.
What has been the greatest challenge you faced during the EE process?
How do you feel about your finished product?
If you could go back and do one thing differently, what would that thing be and why would you change it?
Has the EE made you more interested or less interested in further research in your subject?
The VV meeting is 20-30 minutes long and it is the FINAL step of the extended essay process. It is meant to be an overwhelmingly positive meeting; it should not focus overmuch on criticism or shortcomings. After your VV meeting with your supervisor, you are DONE. The VV can’t be held until your final EE draft has been submitted.
It is partly a celebration of what you accomplished; you’ll discuss thoughts on the EE process, the outcome, and your growth as a researcher, writer, and learner. This meeting is also a chance to talk about the challenges you faced and how you worked to overcome them. Finally, the VV is an opportunity for your supervisor to authenticate your work. Expect to discuss specific parts of your essay and answer questions your supervisor has prepared about research, analysis, etc. This is important information for them, as they need to fill out supervisor comments that get submitted to IB.
From IBO, featuring the International School of Dusseldorf (Belgium)
Key Points
The Viva Voce is the "final act"
Reflecting on strengths/weaknesses, disappointments and successes at different stages of the essay
Open-ended questions; students get time and space to think and respond
The "end product" is no longer the essay that's on paper, but the growth that's happened in the student's mind
Well, read your finished essay. Be familiar with your research. Look back on your notes and remember how your essay evolved over the last year. Consider challenges that you encountered. Think of successes and failures (or shortcomings.) What was rewarding about the EE process? What lessons can you carry into the future, beyond high school, DP, and MDID? Be ready to talk about specific sections of the essay, choices you made, research you did, how you overcame different obstacles.
You should have a general idea what you’re writing about before the VV. The final reflection should be finished very shortly after your Viva Voce meeting. Do not waste time!
Most of you have about 200 words left (some a little more, some a little less.) Just like your first two reflections, the goal here is to move beyond being descriptive, like a diary. You want to give your examiner some insight into why you made certain decisions, how you handled obstacles, and how engaged you were with your subject and topic throughout the EE process.
This final reflection could be an evaluation of what you’ve done; to what extent did your essay meet your original goal? How pleased are you with yourself? If you could do it all again, what might you do differently? Were there things you did that were helpful throughout the process that you can bring into your future work?
Keep in mind that this reflection is about you as much as it is about your finished EE; what has this process revealed about YOU? You do not need to present yourself as a polished, perfect student. Acknowledge flaws or areas where you can still improve (hello “meeting deadlines”) is an important aspect of our self-evaluations.
This needs to be completed shortly after your Viva Voce, while it is still 'fresh' in your mind.
You could write about...
Something you regularly thought about during the process
Times you felt frustrated (and how you got past that, or broke through an obstacle)
An understanding you gained ("I really didn't understand...now I...")
What might come next ("something I'd love to learn more about is...")
Moments througohut the process ("at first...later...in the end...")
Thinking a bit about your own learning ("I need to ask for help when.... I need to learn more about... I discovered that I...")
General Tips
Being specific is much better than being general (e.g. "I learned a lot about the importance of a good experiment set-up when..." vs "I learned a lot about how to do an experiment.")
Reference the past --> this is the "capstone" reflection, and it looks back on the whole process, not just the current moment
Be honest; there is no need to boost your work, if the quality speaks for itself, and there is similarly no need to be self-deprecating (unless it's something that can be justified)
Talking about WHY or HOW is much better than talking about WHAT --> dig deep into your work and your learning over the last year.
The following should be understood as examples, rather than models to follow. Your reflection should be your own and it should reflect your own learning and ideas.
The extended essay is over! The stress of EE is finally gone. I’ve Gained a rich experience from the process of writing this essay. First, my writing skills have improved, it is very helpful for essay writing when I go to college. After finishing this essay, I have a better understanding of how to approach writing essays. Finishing an essay on economics helped me to be more familiar with the economics concept: negative externalities and some related topics, which I believe will help me in my future (major related subject). Finally, finishing such a big assignment gives me a good sense of accomplishment even without knowing a score, it gives me a good sense of confidence that I actually can finish such a hard essay on my own. Overall, finishing EE gives me a great feeling and I really learned a lot in the process (problem solving, writing skill, etc), even though the process was difficult and painful, but I am glad that I finished the essay and I am proud of myself!
Following months of striving, I can finally comprehend the saying of "what you plant now, you will harvest later." I realized how I've been doing research incorrectly. Instead of finding a single source that answers all my questions, the most effective approach is to accumulate information from various sources, building up the answer brick by brick. I further discovered the secret prescription for handling word count—not only writing an essay textually but also "graphically." Utilizing diagrams benefited me with both the clarity and the conciseness of the demonstrations of complex concepts, resolving my original difficulty of not exceeding the word limit. Ultimately, my greatest harvest would be my improvements in time management. I acknowledged the importance of planning schedules, devising procedures, possessing a clear aim of what I want to achieve, and also evaluating whether this goal can be achieved within the given time. Not merely does this method allow me to maximize my productivity and chance of succeeding, it further gifted me chances to get a clearer picture of who I am and what my capabilities are. In conclusion, even though I may not have the most successful "take-off," following my passion powering me through obstacles, I do have the most successful "landing."
撰寫過後,我視這研究為發揚男女平權的媒介,有如張愛玲撰寫的初衷。過程中最印象深刻的低潮為老師提點我利用文學術語時。這一向為我的弱點,在撰寫時懦弱地無意間逃避此分析重點。我認為逼迫自己做不擅長的事才能精進自己,才能達到研究的目的。因此我利用身邊能觸及的資源:文學術語手冊,來分析。這延伸到我給下一屆的建議:打好基礎,把握每次不起眼的練習。我最大的收穫為求知慾。內向的我撰寫過程中強迫自己遇到困難時尋求幫助,這也最能夠長遠幫助我,大學或出社會,我們需不吝嗇於請教他人,看出每個人的強項並向他學習才能最有效吸收知識。