Why do I have to do the Personal Project?

The Personal Project is a mandatory project in the Middle Years Program. It is an opportunity to explore a topic that is of interest to you, to develop your approaches to learning (ATL) skills further and to create something unique to you. It is a way to consolidate and showcase the learning you’ve done over the 4 years in the MYP.

Will anyone help me do the project?

You are responsible for your Personal Project. It is an investigation that you do alone to show your skills as an independent learner.

However, you are not entirely alone in doing the project. You will be assigned a teacher supervisor who will be available to offer you advice and guidance as and when you might need it. Your teacher supervisor can do a number of things to help you in the process including:

• Advising you on whether or not you are undertaking an achievable project

• Helping you to create and follow a schedule for completing the project

• Discussing your learning goal and product/outcome to ensure they complement each other

• Meeting to discuss and review your progress with your project

• Advising you should any part of your project start to present difficulties

Being an independent learner does not mean you have to work in isolation. In fact the best independent learners recognize how important it is to collaborate with other people when undertaking a project because a wider range of ideas can lead to a better outcome. Apart from your teacher supervisor, you will talk with and seek advice from your parents, friends and other adults. However, the work you do in the project must be your own work.

How much time should I expect to spend on the personal project?

You are expected to spend approximately 25 hours on your personal project.

How can our personal project connect to the real world and improve current problems?

Making connections to the real world and transferring your learning is the goal of the MYP middle school education. The personal project is the way you will take action and demonstrate your learning.

What do we have to submit at the final deadline?

• Worksheets required by IB: Academic Integrity Form (documents the 3 meetings with the supervisor)

• The Project Report + Evidence of your product

• Bibliography

More specific guidance for submitting your project will be given.

Do I have to write anything to go along with the product?

Yes. The report you produce can be in different formats; it can be a document, a recording or a combination of both. You will need to think carefully about how you report your project and how you work best. More specific clarification will be given separately.

Can I change my supervisor?

Changing supervisors is not ideal but can happen if there is a problem. As soon as possible, please speak to the personal project coordinator without delay about your concern and communicate your needs clearly.

How will personal projects help our future development?

The Personal Project aims to allow you to explore personal interest and demonstrate action through learning. You will experience a self-directed investigation. You may demonstrate your mastery of the ATL skills.

The aims of the Personal Project are to encourage and enable students to:

• participate in a sustained, self-directed inquiry

• generate creative new insights and develop deeper understandings through in-depth investigation

• demonstrate the skills, attitudes and knowledge required to complete a project over an extended period of time

• communicate effectively in a variety of situations

• demonstrate responsible action through, or as a result of, learning

• appreciate the process of learning and take pride in their accomplishments.

Why do we need to do the personal project?

All students enrolled in the program at the beginning of grade 10 must complete a personal project. It is an opportunity to independently demonstrate your MYP learning and is preparation for the DP program.

Do I need to invent or create something new or can I make something that already exists in the world?

You generate new ideas and deeper level thinking about an idea or topic that already exists. The personal project is more of an opportunity to demonstrate your ATL skills through investigation, planning and research, action, and reflection.

Who will assess our personal project?

Your project will first be marked by a group of teachers including your supervising teacher. These scores are not yet given to the students because they are first sent to the International Baccalaureate Organization. IBO will mark 5 projects for every 25 students to ensure the accuracy. Finally, the marks are weighed into final grade boundaries for all the MYP personal projects worldwide. Your will receive a final score of 0-7 in Fall of your grade 11 year.

Which topics can I do my personal project on?

There are no limits to your personal project topic, as long at it satisfies appropriate legal and ethical standards with regard to health and safety, confidentiality, human rights, animal welfare and environmental issues. Here are some Example themes.

What are the criteria for the personal project?

There are three criteria: A: Planning, B: Applying Skills, C: Reflecting. Please refer to the teachers and students handbook for more details.

Will doing a project about games lose points?

No, what is most important is how you you define your goal, your research, your planning, your skills, and your reflection.

How many ATLs should/can I include the report?

You can choose. I recommend a different ATLs for Bi and Bii. You can go really into depth on one ATL you have developed or discuss ATLs in a bigger range.

Can I have more than one learning goal?

You could have one goal, and break it down into smaller goals, but this would usually be reflected in the success criteria.

How can I have the best self-management?

Students demonstrate self-management skills by managing time and tasks effectively (organizational skills) and managing their state of mind (affective skills). You can choose to show evidence in the ‘Applying skills’ section of the written report.

Evidence of organizational skills may include:

• Having a detailed plan for the completion of the project

• Planning strategies and actions to achieve the goal

• Meeting deadlines

• Keeping an organized and logical process

• Setting goals that are challenging but realistic

• Selecting and using technology effectively and productively

Evidence of affective skills may include:

• Perseverance and persistence

• Self-motivation and positive-thinking

• Resilience – the ability to deal with mistakes, failures, disappointment, change

What is the best format for "the process"?

Choose a format that allows you to be organized and chaotic, tidy and messy, because you will be putting scraps as well as good documents into it. You therefore can choose from a number of formats:

• A web site

• An iBook /a video

• A booklet

• A scrapbook

Choose the one you feel will be the most effective for your style of learning. You will use it to write your final report. The more you write in your process, the easier writing your final report will be.