Reflecting

Strand i : Explain the impact of the project on yourself or your learning

Purpose

Explain how the project has impacted you or your learning journey.
Use detailed examples and evidence to support your reflection.

What You Should Do:

Focus on how the project influenced your learning and personal growth.
Use specific examples to explain the most significant impacts:
- How did your ATL skills improve? (e.g., organization, critical thinking)
- How did you demonstrate IB Learner Profile attributes (e.g., risk-taker, communicator)?
Consider:
- "How have I changed or grown as a learner?"
- "What did I learn that I can apply in the future?"
Ensure the reflection links to your learning goal and product.
Reflect on both the process and product—both can lead to significant impacts.
Provide reasons why the project matters to you—go beyond simply describing what you did.
Include thoughtful examples and evidence to show the connection between your project and your growth as a lifelong learner.

Ask yourself:

What have I learned since starting this project?
What advice would I give to someone starting a personal project?
What am I most proud of achieving?

When reflecting on the personal project, it is important to remember that the process can have a positive impact even if the product is not successful.

Possible impacts of the learning goal

Develops specific ATL skills, ie better time management
Extends knowledge about an area of interest
Gains confidence by completing an independent project

Possible impacts of the product

Meets a need in the community
Showcases your skills or abilities

Notes about Impact of the project:

Here are some ways which can help you think about writing your reflection

You:

• Could refer to any aspect of having done the project: inquiry, action and/or reflection

• Could include progress made towards the learning goal

• Could include ways in which you have grown as a learner, such as improvement in the ATL skills or learner profile attributes

• Could include ways in which you have grown or changed as a result of the project, ie I no longer eat processed food, or I now go to the gym regularly.

Prompts to reflect on

How has the project changed or grown you as a learner?

Such as an improvement in ATL skills or learner profile attributes.
"Through the project, I improved my communication skills by learning to present my ideas clearly and confidently during meetings with my mentor."

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How has the project helped you progress toward your learning goal?

Such as gaining practical experience in applying new techniques or acquiring deeper knowledge of the subject through hands-on activities.
"The project helped me progress toward my learning goal by allowing me to practice and master three advanced crochet stitches while creating a unique sweater design."

How has the project influenced your perspective, skills, or mindset?

You could include ways in which you have grown or changed as a result of doing the project.

"Working on the project shifted my perspective on time management, as I realized the importance of breaking large tasks into smaller, manageable steps to achieve better results."

"Working on the crochet project taught me how important it is to carefully plan out my designs and test new techniques before starting a final piece, and from now on, I will always create prototypes to avoid mistakes and save time."

What you should not do:

Avoid listing impacts without detail. For example:

Weak Example: "I improved my critical thinking and research skills."
Strong Example: "I improved my critical thinking by learning to evaluate multiple sources during research, which helped me create a well-informed product."

Don’t reflect on irrelevant aspects, like:

Irrelevant: "I didn’t manage my time well."
Relevant: "I learned to adapt my time management by creating weekly schedules to meet deadlines."

Final checklist

Explain how the project impacted you or others.

Link the impact to my learning goal and lifelong learning.

Include specific, detailed examples or evidence.

Strand i table

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