DP2 - Interim Reflection Session

First Reflection Session

IMPORTANT: When should we finish the first reflection meeting and our first written reflection?

Meetings should be held between April 22nd and May 6th. Note that G12 Eternal Exams are happening during this time period, so most teachers will also be watching those near the end of this time period. That means try to plan for something earlier than later.
Some people are in good shape to have a meeting quite soon, while others need to prepare a bit more (nail down a topic, have a preliminary RQ, do some starting research, etc.)
You MUST walk into the first reflection session fully prepared!
The first written reflection on ManageBac should be completed after your reflection session with the supervisor (and I will look for ALL reflections to be completed by May 7th.) Realistically, you should write your reflection within a day of the meeting.

G11, Preparation for the First Reflection.docx

Keep ManageBac up to date! Your notes (and honestly, supervisor notes) should be up on the shared Google Doc from the EE class.
Bring a copy of sources you've found in your research (have them open already on your laptop before walking into the meeting.)
Take notes on your research (read articles, write down key points, links to your research topic and question, etc.) Keep these on the Google Doc from ManageBac -- easy for you, your supervisor, and the EE coordinator to check up on you.
Come prepared with questions you have, or identify areas where your supervisor (or the EE coordinator can help you.) A lot of students currently have questions about subject-specific research -- this is something that we can cover in general in our EE sessions, and your supervisor is in a position to talk about your chosen subject.

Sample Meeting Agenda

Below is a pretty normal set of discussion topics in a first reflection session for a Global Politics EE (note that every subject has its own expectations for research, organization, analysis, etc.)

What motivates a student's choice of Global Politics (or any other subject) and the specific topic they selected?
How familiar is a student with the methodology of research in the subject they chose? What should you be looking for, how to evaluate sources, what kind of arguments are you hoping to make?
Discussing the research question: does it invite analysis? Can it be made more clear? Is it appropriate for your subject?
Talking about the student's early work: going over sources, notes, looking at the Researcher's Reflection Space together, etc. Are some of your sources good / bad? Getting feedback & advice from your supervisor on early work...
End the meeting by talking about next steps: in the next 6-8 weeks, what is the student hoping to accomplish? What milestones are they expected to reach by the end of the year, and how can they get there?

STOP HERE

EVERYTHING BELOW THIS LINE HAPPENS AFTER YOUR FIRST REFLECTION SESSION

ENGAGEMENT, ENGAGEMENT, ENGAGEMENT

Your reflections, and in some ways the EE as a whole, lives and dies based on your Engagement. How motivated are you? How interested are you in this subject, this topic? Find the spark.

Writing the First Reflection

This is the first of three manadatory reflections that IB needs. The three reflections make up part of your final EE grade, in Criterion E (Engagement.) You have a total of 500 words that you can use across the three reflections, altogether (600 Chinese characters for anyone doing a Chinese EE.)

It is recommended that you use between 100-150 words for your first reflection.

This reflection should address the topic/subject choice you've made, as well as plans for the next steps of your essay work. In order to have a successful reflection that scores well, you can demonstrate engagement by...

Addressing your interest in the subject/topic in a meaningful way
Justifying choices you make (i.e., "My next steps are _______. This will benefit me because _________.")
Do not focus on your supervisor's advice! Following another person's direction is not engagement. Instead, you can consider what a supervisor might have said and think about how that advice can be applied. (e.g., "My supervisor noted that I might need to narrow down my research question. After conducting a little more research and learning more about my topic, I understood what they were saying. Looking at ______ would mean my topic might not be able to go in-depth, but I've seen that I will be able to gather enough information if I focus on _______, which is more narrow and focused. This will strengthen my essay!")

100-150 words isn't a lot, so don't try to do everything. Pick and choose. Focus on what is relevant and meaningful to YOU and YOUR WORK. Are there personal goals you want to work on? ATL skills? A curiosity you hope to satisfy by doing this essay?

Are you planning to be a doctor, but this EE is maybe the last chance to do in-depth History research? Great topic to bring up!

Are you hoping to go into business and your choice of an Econ topic reflects a potential future path? Cool!

Is your EE work coming out of your participation in an extracurricular activity (e.g., Physics and Robotics Competitions?) or the pursuit of a hobby (filmmaking?) These connections matter and they can add a personal touch to what you write about 👍🏻

Three MDID samples: first reflection

Sample 1: English B, Cat. 3

I was struggling with my EE topics for six months. I am a more diverse person, not having a tendency toward one subject. Therefore, I decided to choose English Acquisition as a language to discuss media and technology’s impact on society. Unfortunately, I failed because it required both language and “cultural context”. I rethought my targeted topics on culture again and again and came up with 7 topics and 3 detailed outlines in total. After reflecting on this process, I realized the problems were not from the papers, but from my attitude. I put myself in an “avoidance” state when I had to deal with any Anglophone culture. Being a third culture kid, it is extremely challenging for me to distinguish cultures. Although there is no culture requirement in literary analysis, I’m glad to choose The Hate U Give to look into another part of American culture.

Sample 2: Psychology

My EE topic brainstorm started relatively quickly, as I was set on choosing psychology as my subject area since I’m fascinated by human behavior and the rationale behind choices and decisions we make. Moreover, my interest in gender also contributed to the formation of my topic. I settled on investigating the relationship between the menstrual cycle and cognitive functions such as emotional processing or problem-solving skills. The topic of the menstrual cycle is one that I’m fascinated with since it is important to recognize the impact of the hormonal change of the menstrual cycle on the human brain. The main challenge I'm facing with my topic right now is that I haven’t done enough research to determine which cognitive process I will be investigating as I don’t know which has enough research to support it. To conquer this obstacle, I will read some studies soon and then formulate a viable research question.

Sample 3: Chinese L&L

現代人開始重視自我權利，例如挺同大遊行等。這也是我選定張愛玲傾城之戀的原因。身為女性，在現代生活中常感受到女性的權益受限，更何況在過去的傳統社會。這令我非常崇拜此文本中的女主角，透露著傳統社會中新女性的樣貌：獨立，不被社會打壓。對他的佩服也讓我對女性的權益格外感興趣。我希望分析傾城之戀中的新女性議題能讓我對現在的社會風氣有更深一層的見解。

REMEMBER

DESCRIBING will only get you so far...
JUSTIFYING what you've done, or a decision you made, will be more helpful than just describing what you've done or what you decided
EXPLAINING (with reasons and causes) is better than describing
EVALUATING (weighing the pros and cons, the benefits and drawbacks) is better than describing
You demonstrate ENGAGEMENT in the EE process when you do more than just describe what you've done (or haven't done 👀)

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