Middle Years Program (MYP) Personal Project

Personal Project: What is it? •A creative, independent product of the student’s own initiative as the culmination of the MYP •The culmination of the student’s involvement with the 5 Areas of Interaction

What forms may it take? •An original work of art (eg. visual or performance) •A written piece of work on a specific topic (essay) •A piece of literary fiction (creative writing) •An original science experiment •An invention or specially designed object •The presentation of a plan for a business or community-based organization •A special event or development of a student or community organization

Aims of the Personal Project Allows students to •Demonstrate skill required to produce and present an extended piece of work •Engage in personal inquiry and reflection on a topic or issue of their choice •Focus on, and demonstrate an understanding of, the Areas of Interaction •Share their knowledge and opinions

Examples of Successful Projects Creating a picture book for young children AIDS information for teenagers and young adults Writing a vegetarian recipe book Choreographing a dance performance Creating a travel guide Designing and making clothes and accessories Creating books and games for the visually impaired Designing a website for a zoo

Assessment: According to MYP Criteria Stage 1 (Introduction) Nominate supervisor State guiding question Keep an ongoing log Submit Project plan Assessment criteria: A, G Stage 2 (Product) Assessment criteria: B,C, D, G Stage 3 (Process) Write up draft 1 with feedback. Final draft Internal assessment Criteria: A-G Exhibition

Assessment Criteria 4 Total 28 Criterion A: Planning and Development Criterion B: Collection of Information / Resources Criterion C: Choice and Application of Techniques Criterion D: Analysis of Information Criterion E: Organization of the Written Work Criterion F: Analysis of Process and Outcome Criterion G: Personal Engagement and Attitude Total 28

Developing the Project Select the topic Choose supervisor Define guiding question Planning Gathering the necessary information Organization and production Presentation Evaluation

What drives the project? -Guiding Questions- Are complex & have multiple legitimate answers Lead us to ask more questions about the topic Guide students to deeper levels of thought & discovery Make a connection between the subject matter & world issues Cannot be easily referenced Often tap into a “universal” question

Examples of Guiding Questions/ Areas of Interaction •What are rights and responsibilities of people in a community? (Community & Service) •Does travel open people’s minds or reinforce prejudice? (Approaches to Learning) •Why do people make monuments? (Human Ingenuity) •Does language unite or divide? (Community and Service) •What is the effect of human settlement on the ecosystem? (Environment) •Are addicts victims or criminals? (Health & Social Education)

Personal Project Process Journal •Throughout the development of the project, students are required to keep a Process Journal. •This should be updated regularly, each time the student works on or does research for their project. •It should be used to record progress, containing thoughts, ideas, decisions, feelings and reflections.

Final Structure of the Personal Project All personal projects must include a structured piece of writing, whatever the overall plan. This piece of writing must include: Title page Table of contents Introduction: defining the goal of the personal project, describing explicit foci on the areas of interaction and providing and outline of how to achieve the goal Description of the process: production steps, characteristics, aspects / components of the work Analysis: research and influences guiding the work, the findings and decisions made, resulting product and process in terms of the goal and focus on the areas of interaction Conclusion: reflection on the impact on the project and new perspectives that could be considered Bibliography Appendices - where appropriate

Exhibition As a form of celebration, the school organizes an exhibition of all the projects. The Personal Project exhibition demonstrates the success of the MYP program where the projects represent the culmination of the MYP years. An opportunity for students to pursue and share a personal interest.