Supporting the MYP
Personal Project
2015-2016
Goals for today
• Provide a brief introduction to the Personal Project.
• Review the project timeline for the 2015-16 school year.
• Explain the model for project supervision for the 2015-16
school year.
• Discuss how we will communicate with students and parents
regarding the project.
Personal Projects in the MYP
•
The Personal Project is a long-term, independent
project that students undertake in their 10th grade
year.
•
Projects are focused around a topic of each student’s
interest and take a wide variety of forms.
•
Students complete projects independent of their
classes, under the guidance of a project supervisor.
•
This project is required of all 10th graders in the
MYP.
•
It appears on student’s transcripts as a course
called “MYP Research Seminar”
•
All students are also registered with IB for course
results in the Personal Project.
When is this happening?
• September
29th - October 9th – Meetings
with students through NSL / Magnet US
History
• October
7th – 15th – Supervisors sign up for
students
• October
19th – Email containing students’
proposals and reminder regarding meeting
• October
21st – First supervisory meeting
Structure for supervisory meetings
•
•
•
•
In fourth period on October 21st students
will receive a folder with their name,
their supervisor’s name and a number.
There will be an announcement
dismissing 10th graders to the gym for
supervisory meetings.
Students will find their way to the table
with their number on it.
When the bell rings for lunch,
supervisors will come down to the gym,
meet with student, sign off on their
folders and dismiss students to lunch.
Structure for supervisory meetings
•
Students who are absent are responsible for
rescheduling with their supervisors.
•
Students will record their meetings with
supervisors in ManageBac.
•
Before, during and after meetings, they should take
notes in their student handbooks.
•
These will help them to keep focused and prepare
for the more formal reflections that they need to
complete.
Ongoing support throughout the process
•
•
•
Students will have monthly meetings with their
supervisors.
Supervisors and students will receive monthly
reminder emails / announcements outlining the
planned topics for discussion that month.
These topics are also outlined in the Student
Handbook, under the “Pre-Meeting Reflection”
section.
Parts of the Project
Process Journal (Checkpoints and Reflections)
• A record of your thoughts and actions.
• Contains research notes, ideas and plans.
• Can take a variety of forms but…
• Must include certain formal entries common to all students
Final Product
• Can be a physical or digital product, an event or action
• Needs to achieve a particular goal and meet a set of
specifications
• You set your own criteria for success.
Final Reflection
• Can be written, verbal, or a combination of both.
• Word and time limits vary based on the combination.
• Decisions (and instructions) for the report are outlined in
January.
What’s a process journal?
• An
ongoing record of students’ thoughts,
reflections, ideas and research.
 Composition book or sketchbook
 Running Word, Dropbox or GoogleDrive
document
 LiveBinder
 GoogleDrive or Dropbox folder containing files,
documents and notes
 NoodleTools notecards, EasyBib lists, etc.
• Designated
checkpoints that all students
complete (in the Student Handbook).
• Formal
reflections that will be submitted
through ManageBac.
Student’s Role in the Process:
What we told students
• Take
• Do
responsibility for your own project.
something small every day.
• Record
• If
everything you do.
you fall behind, don’t hide. Ask for help.
• Pursue
your interests, but keep focused on
one goal. Know that you won’t probably
have time to look into everything that
interests you, but that you need to make
consistent progress.
Parents’ Role in the Process
•
Stay informed –Google “RMHS MYP Project” or scan
the QR code on your handout to access it from a
smartphone.
•
Process over product – Both are important, but
process is more so.
•
Allow your child to learn from his or her struggles
– Ask questions about his or her concerns
•
•
Keep it in perspective – Although the project is
intended to be challenging, it should not completely take
over your child’s life. A personal project should take
approximately 25 hours for a student to complete.
Learners at the center – Students strive to exemplify
the Learner Profile. These traits help focus their
learning throughout the process.
How can we stay in the loop?
•
RMHS Website
•
Edline page for the Research Seminar Course (S2)
•
ConnectED emails
•
PTSA Listserv
•
Twitter - @RMHSMYP_Project
The Personal Project page of the school website, located in
the “IB Programs” section.
How can we help?
•
•
We will be seeking parent volunteers to assist with
setup of meetings on the following dates (10:3011:30 AM)
 October 21st
 November 18th
 December 14th
 January 29th
 February 18th
We will be seeking parent volunteers to assist in
the planning, organization and setup of the
community exhibition (early March)
•
We will also be seeking volunteers to assist in the
setup of the in-school exhibition (late April)
•
Volunteer interest sheets are located on the table
outside.
Get Excited!