The Personal Project

1
The Personal Project

• What you need to know!

2
What is the Personal Project?

• The Personal Project is an extended piece of work
  undertaken in the last year of the Middle Years
  Programme
• A student must pass it, to obtain an MYP
  certificate
• It should involve 50 60 hours of the students
  time

3
What are the aims of the Personal Project?

• To demonstrate the personal skills, motivation
  and abilities needed to produce an extended piece
  of work
• To engage in personal reflection, inquiry and
  creativity
• To demonstrate an understanding of the Areas of
  Interaction

4
What can I do for my project?

• Produce a work of art visual, dramatic or
  performance
• Write about a special topic a book, a film, an
  important date or event in history
• Write your own short story, poems or play
• Perform an original scientific experiment
• Invent or design a product or process
• Plan a business project or special event
• No matter how wild your idea you may be able to
  do it. Discuss it with your supervisor

5
To whom can I turn to for help?

• Your supervisor for guidance and clarification
• Specialist teachers may be able to help
• Your friends and family can advise and encourage,
  but you have to do the work!

6
How do I lay out the project?

• Title page
• Table of contents
• Introduction
• Description of the process
• Analysis of the inspiration, research and
  influences guiding your work
• Conclusion and reflection
• Bibliography
• Appendices

7
What do the criteria actually mean?
8
Criterion A

• Define a clear goal from the start and ensure you
  aim for that goal throughout
• Ensure the project that you do is connected to at
  least one Area of Interaction. Describe how and
  why it is connected to this area of interaction
• Ensure your project allows you to reflect on and
  analyse ideas that are important to you and to
  which you have a personal point of view
• Ensure your project gives you license to
  demonstrate your initiative, organisational
  skills and abilities

9
Criterion B

• Choose and use as varied a set of resources as
  you can
• Use your resources critically, noting what
  information was useful and why and what
  information didnt help
• Record all your resources for inclusion in your
  bibliography

10
Criteria C and D

• Use techniques that fit with the type of project
  you are doing e.g. questionaires for gauging
  opinions, corresponding with experts when
  planning performances or charity events
• Justify and analyse these techniques
• Analyse the information obtained from these
  techniques
• Express personal thoughts and support your
  arguments

11
Criteria E and F

• Make sure your work is coherently laid out
• Present all your information clearly, within the
  project and in bibliographies and appendices
• Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the
  project and suggest improvements
• Comment on how well you feel you have addressed
  your original goal and the Areas of Interaction

12
How much should I write?

• If you write a reflective essay, the work must be
  incorporated into the structure described in the
  last slide and in total not exceed 4000 words
• For creative writing projects, the total word
  count of the project should be less than 4000
  words
• For all other creative projects the word count
  should be less than 4000 words

13
What is a journal or log book?

• This is like a diary you keep as you work on your
  project
• Use it to help you organize yourself and to
  record your progress, trials and triumphs and the
  resources you have consulted
• Use it in discussions with your supervisor as it
  may be used to assess criterion G
• The journal is not sent for moderation

14
Helpful Hints
15
The Journal

• Note down all your ideas
• Add entries regularly
• Keep it neat and tidy
• Write what you did and why you did it

16
Your Supervisor

• Meet regularly and be on time
• Have your work organised for each meeting
• Get your meeting schedule signed every time you
  meet
• Ask your supervisor what needs improving or
  amending

17
Your Project

• Choose something you are interested in and will
  stay interested in for the year
• Pick something rewarding but easy to do
• Choose a topic that you can successfully achieve

18
Organising Yourself

• Stay on top of the work
• Dont leave it all to the last minute
• Stay committed
• Read and re-read the criteria
• Ask if you dont understand something in the
  criteria
• Keep your journal up to date
• Factor in response time from other people for
  questionaires, letters, advice etc.
• If youre building something, give yourself
  adequate time to complete it

19
Finally

• Hand in two copies and your journal to your
  supervisor
• Enjoy your project it will be hard work but
  hugely rewarding
• Show off the work youve done at the exhibition
  and help the new Year 10s to produce a good
  project