The Personal Project is a culminating independent piece of research that forms the core of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP). It is the significant milestone and stepping stone towards future academic work and the Diploma Programme (DP). You may recognise this as part of a continuum reflecting back to the Primary Years Programme (PYP) exhibition.
Aims of the MYP Personal Project
The Personal Project is the culminating project in the Middle Years Program (MYP) and requires that the students apply the skills they have practiced and mastered throughout their years in the program.
According to the IB Projects Guide (2016), the aims of what the student may expect to experience, learn and be changed by the learning experience are:
Participate in a sustained, self- directed inquiry within a global context
Generate creative new insights and develop deeper understandings through in-depth
investigation
Demonstrate the skills, attitudes and knowledge required to complete a project over an extended period of time
Communicate effectively in a variety of situations
Demonstrate responsible action through, or as a result of, learning
Appreciate the process of learning and take pride in their accomplishments
Objectives of the MYP Personal Project
There are four main objectives, each of which align with the assessment criteria.
They define what students will be able to accomplish as a result of their study.
Objective A: Investigating
Objective B: Planning
Objective C: Taking action
Objective D: Reflecting
The assessment criteria representing these objectives show the levels the student may achieve in four criteria from 0-8, largely understood as from “limited” to “excellent.”. The grade is calculated by adding together the achievement levels of the four criteria (the criteria scores) and then applying the Personal Project Grade boundaries. This process is what students have experienced in their single-subjects throughout the MYP in the assessment and reporting process. For further information about assessment and reporting in MYP at AaIS, please refer to the AaIS assessment policy (2018a).
The Personal Project grade will be reported to Inntakskontoret along with the other final grades in Year 10 and will count into the average for application to upper secondary schools.
The student must at least achieve a passing grade for the personal project to be eligible for an IB certificate attesting to the completion of the IB up to this level. The certificate provides the credentials necessary to enter the Diploma Program (DP).
What is the Personal Project all about?
The Personal Project is all about: inquiry, skills and action.
This project is a culminating example of inquiry and the MYP at AaIS. The students ability to extend their knowledge and understanding by developing skills and attitudes, reflects their ability to initiate, manage and direct their own inquiry. As students become involved in the self-initiated and directed process, they will find it easier to construct in-depth knowledge on their topic and develop an understanding of themselves as learners.
The inquiry should:
Allow for students to decide on what they want to learn about and identify what they already
know and what they need to know to complete the project
Prompt students to create proposals for their project, plan their time and materials and record the process
Make decisions, develop understandings and problem solving supported through supervisor/s and other communications to then also create the product/outcome
Evaluate the product/outcome and reflect on their learning
What is the Personal Project made up of?
The Personal Project is made up of three components:
1. A process journal
2. A project report
3. A product or outcome
Along with these three components the MYP Personal Project cover sheet and Academic Honesty form from the IB Projects Guide (2016) must be included.
(Aalesund International School, 2019)
(Aalesund International School, 2019)
References:
Aalesund International School (2018) Academic Honesty Policy, Aalesund, Norway.
Aalesund International School (2018a) Assessment Policy, Aalesund, Norway.
Aalesund International School (2019) Personal Project Guide Book, Aalesund, Norway.
International Baccalaureate Organisation (2016) Projects Guide, Petersen House, Cardiff, U.K.