International Baccalaureate (IB) Program
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About the Personal Project
The Personal Project is a culminating MYP project that students complete during their 10th grade year under the supervision of a JQUS staff member.Personal Project Aims
- For students to participate in a sustained, self-directed inquiry within a global context
- For students to generate creative new insights and develop deeper understandings of personal own interests
- For students to demonstrate the skills, attitude, and knowledge required to complete a project over a long period of time
- For students to communicate effectively in a variety of situations by sharing new understandings with peers, teachers, and families
- For students to demonstrate responsible action by journaling and regularly reflecting about how learning impacts attitudes and behaviors
- For students to appreciate the process of learning and take pride in personal accomplishments
Personal Project Showcase
Students present their Personal Projects at a school-wide Showcase held in the Arlington St Auditorium. The Showcase is generally held during term 3 of the Spring. The event is open to the public.
What do students submit as their Personal Project?
A student’s personal project consists of three components:
Personal project component
How it is assessed
❶ Product/Outcome
Evidence in the Report
❷ Process Journal
A selection of extracts in appendices of the Report
❸ Report
The content of the Report assessed by Criterion A-D
❶The Product/Outcome
The Product/Outcome might be an original work of art, a model, a business plan, a campaign, a blueprint, an essay, a course of study, a debate, a film, a video, or some other work.
❷The Process Journal
Students are responsible for maintaining a process journal to document the choices made and to evaluate why choices were made. The process journal records the progress throughout the project. The journal entries can be written, visual, audio, or a combination including both paper and electronic formats.
What it is
What it is not
Used throughout the project to document its development
Used on a daily basis (unless this is useful for the student)
An evolving record of intents, processes, accomplishments
Written up after the process has been completed
A place to record initial thoughts and developments, brainstorming, possible lines of inquiry and further questions raised
Additional work on top of the project; it is a part of and supports the project
A place for recording interactions with sources: teachers, supervisors, outside contributors
A diary with detailed writing about what was done
A place to record selected, annotated and/or edited research and/or to maintain a bibliography
A static document with only one format
A place for storing useful information: quotations, pictures, ideas, photographs
Used on a daily basis (unless this is useful for the student)
A means for exploring ideas and solutions
A place for evaluating work completed
A place for reflecting on learning
A record of reflections and formative feedback received
❸The Report
The report is a spoken or written account of something observed, heard, done or investigated. The report demonstrates student engagement with the personal project and summarize the experiences and skills recorded in the process journal.
Personal Project Assessment
The Personal Project report (and not the product) is assessed by the student's Supervisor along with a group of JQUS teachers using IB Rubrics Criterion A-D. The maximum score achieved is 24 points.Criterion A: Investigating, 8 pointsStudents should:
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Define a clear goal and context for the project, based on personal interests
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Identify prior learning skills and subject specific knowledge relevant to the project
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Demonstrate research skills
Criterion B: Planning, 8 points
Students should:
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Develop criteria for the product/outcome
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Plan and record the development process of the project
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Demonstrate self-management skills
Criterion C: Taking Action, 8 points
Students should:
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Create a product/outcome in response to the goal, context, and criteria
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Demonstrate thinking skills
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Demonstrate communication and social skills
Criterion D: Reflecting, 8 points
Students should:
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Evaluate the quality of the product/outcome against their criteria
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Reflect on how completing the project has extended their knowledge and understanding of the topic and of the global context
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Reflect on your own development as an IB learner