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 ProjectAllows 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 ProjectsCreating 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 supervisorState guiding questionKeep an ongoing logSubmit Project planAssessment criteria: A, G

Stage 2 (Product)Keep an ongoing logAssessment criteria: B,C, D, G

Stage 3 (Process)Write up draft 1 with feedback.Final draft Internal assessmentCriteria: A-GExhibition

Assessment Criteria

Criterion A: Planning and Development 4Criterion B: Collection of Information / Resources

4

Criterion C: Choice and Application of Techniques

4

Criterion D: Analysis of Information 4Criterion E: Organization of the Written Work 4Criterion F: Analysis of Process and Outcome 4Criterion G: Personal Engagement and Attitude 4

Total 28

Developing the ProjectSelect the topic

Choose supervisor

Define guiding question

Planning

Gathering the necessary information

Organization and production

Presentation

Evaluation

What drives the project?-Guiding Questions-

Guiding QuestionsAre 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.