St Andrew’s Junior College Project Work Department

What is Project Work? The subject is completed in JC1 You must complete all the coursework over 7-8 months

What is Project Work? You work in groups of 4 or 5 students Mass lectures, tutorials and small group consultations

Why is Project Work important?

PW: Passport to University Admission Requirement for Local Universities (Maximum of 90 points) 3 H2 and 1 H1 content-based subject H1 General Paper H1 Project Work (Must be included; max. 10 points) Mother Tongue Language

PW: Skills for Work Life Important Skills for Tertiary Education and For Life Creative and Critical Thinking Self-Directed Learning

PW: Skills for Work Life Important Skills for Tertiary Education and For Life Peer Collaboration & Team Work Public Speaking & Communication Skills

Recall Secondary School Life All examinable knowledge in textbooks Clear outcomes of learning (assessment of knowledge) Final Year-end Exams Individual effort leads to personal success Exams are based on time-based written papers

How is Project Work Different? No fixed ‘content’ YOU decide what you will be assessed upon Having knowledge is not good enough Assessment of critical and creative thinking skills On-going submissions which count towards your final ‘A’ Level grade You can constantly work towards improvement

How is Project Work Different? Collaborative effort Requires individual responsibility and group research Public speaking skills are assessed You can practice, practice and practice!

A Typical Project Work Task “Alternatives” (2010) This project task encourages you to consider how alternative approaches to situations may be of help in future developments. Identify a situation or problem where alternative approaches have been considered (e.g. in energy, manufacturing, transport, architecture, etc.) and show the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. Show how another problem or situation could be considered in a similar way, resulting in a successful outcome.

Project Work: 3 papers Paper 1: Written Report (WR) Word-limit of 3000 Paper 2: Oral Presentation (OP) 5 min of individual speech Response to question Paper 3: Group Project File (GPF) Preliminary Ideas (PI) Group Project Proposal Evaluation of Materials (EoM) Insight & Reflection (I & R)

Submitting Project Work Timed submission of course-based assignments 1st and 2nd draft of I&R 1st and 2nd draft of WR 1st and 2nd draft of PI 1st and 2nd draft of EoM JC1 Promotional Exams Intensive PW Preparations JC1 Common Tesst Sep Hols Work on WR June Holidays Intensive Primary and Secondary Research Every submission you are given opportunities to get feedback. For the written assignments, there are two draft submissions prior to the assessment deadline, while there will be OP rehearsal slots in T4. Important to make full use of every opportunity to obtain feedback from your Supervising Tutor so that you can further improve on your assessment piece. T4 Wk 9 – 10 OP Assessment T2 Wk 1 Release of Qn Paper T2 - 29 Apr Submission of PI T2 Wk 10 Submission of GPP T3 – 5 Aug Submission of EoM T4 – 21 Oct Submission of I&R T4 – 27 Oct Submission of WR

Summary of the PW Work Process PI PI PI PI Group Formation GPP

Summary of the PW Work Process GPP Research Phase in June Holidays (Primary and Secondary Sources) EOM EOM EOM EOM

Summary of the PW Work Process Consolidation of Findings WR I&R I&R I&R I&R

Summary of the PW Work Process WR OP OP Preparations & Rehearsals Q&A Q&A Q&A Q&A

Assessment of Project Work Paper 3: Oral Presentation

Assessment of Project Work Speaking Well is Rewarded Opportunities for regular practice External training will be provided Extra help/exposure where relevant Range of Public Speaking Ability & Confidence

Assessment of Project Work Paper 1 (40%): Written Report Due on 27 Oct Paper 2 (40%): Oral Presentation Assessed from 8 – 15 Nov Paper 3 (20%): Group Project File Preliminary Ideas (29 Apr) Evaluation of Materials (5 Aug) Insights & Reflection (21 Oct)

Assessment of Project Work Equal Components of Individual and Group Work 50% Group Written Report 40% Oral Presentation 10% Group Project Proposal 50% Individual Oral Presentation / Question & Answer 30% Preliminary Idea Evaluation of Materials Insight & Reflection 20%

SAJC-PW Programme Approach Individual & Group Research is CRITICAL for success; student topics with no research will NOT be accepted Training the skills of using critical and creative thinking tools Differentiated Learning experiences for different student profiles

SAJC-PW Programme Approach Student’s responsibility to seek answers independently (e.g. consultations) Your parents/guardians are partners in our programme; they are aware of what you are doing Rich resources in MRL & online platform for students to tap

So is Project Work Friend or Foe? No fixed ‘content’ or curriculum YOU decide what topic you will be assessed on Coursework submission with clear rubrics YOU know what will be expected of you Regular consultations with Supervising Tutors YOU have several opportunities to refine and improve on the assessment submissions Therefore, it is up to YOU to make PW work for you!

What Should I Do? You Decide What Topic Do your research You Will to Research Do your research and choose a topic wisely Continual Assessment Culminating in a Final Grade Put in consistent effort, keep closely to the timeline Equal Component of Individual and Group Work Contribute your best to the team and be encouraging Speaking Well is Rewarded Make full use of every opportunity to speak up in class