The MYP Personal Project is a hands-on, final-year assignment where IB students explore a topic of personal interest. This project allows students to gain new skills and knowledge while working towards creating something meaningful and concrete.
As the capstone of the Middle Years Program, the Personal Project offers a special opportunity for students to celebrate their learning journey. It also enables them to display and further develop their Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills, which are essential for academic growth and lifelong learning.
MYP Personal Project Requirements
For the MYP Personal Project, IB requires students to:
- Select a topic that truly inspires and engages them.
- Set their own goals and define the steps to reach them, allowing them to create personal criteria for success.
- Demonstrate and strengthen their Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills while reflecting on how the project has affected them and/or their community.
Aims
The objectives of the MYP Personal Project, as stated in the IB’s Personal Project guide, build around three core principles: inquiry, action, and reflection.
- Inquire: Engage in a meaningful inquiry that resonates personally, taking responsibility for self-directed learning.
- Act: Use and apply skills to meet learning goals and create a tangible outcome.
- Reflect: Recognize and document personal growth and development throughout the project.
Ultimately, the project empowers students to dive into their passions, take control of their learning process, and reflect on their journey. This experience helps them become more inquisitive, proactive, and self-aware individuals.
Objectives
The project has three objectives. Ideally, the focus is on proper planning, application of Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills, and reflection.
1. Planning
Students should:
- Define the learning objective of their project and explain how their personal interest influenced the choice of this goal.
- Identify the desired outcome and set specific benchmarks for evaluating the success of their final product.
- Create a detailed and organized plan for achieving the product and meeting the established criteria for success.
2. Application of Approaches to Learning (ATL) Skills
Students must describe how they applied ATL skills to reach their learning objective and elaborate on how they used those same skills to help create the final product. This demonstrates their ability to transfer these skills across different stages of the project.
3. Reflection
Students should:
- Analyze how the project contributed to their personal growth and learning experiences.
- Reflect on the project’s impact on themselves, considering the knowledge and skills gained.
- Evaluate the product against the success criteria they initially set, critically assessing its effectiveness and overall performance.
Assessment Criteria
The assessment criteria for the MYP Personal project evaluate planning, application of skills, and reflection.
Criterion A: Planning
Maximum Points: 8
This criterion emphasizes the necessity for students to establish a clear learning goal for their project, detailing how their personal interests shaped this choice. By articulating the link between their passions and the learning objective, students can demonstrate their motivation and enthusiasm for their work.
Students must also specify the intended product they wish to create, along with defining relevant success criteria to assess the product’s effectiveness and quality. This includes setting clear benchmarks or standards that the final product should achieve.
One has to present a detailed and structured plan that outlines the steps and strategies they will employ to create the desired product and meet the success criteria. This plan should offer a comprehensive roadmap, illustrating the student’s understanding of the necessary actions and resources needed to reach their project goals.
By addressing these aspects, students demonstrate their capability to set meaningful objectives, produce tangible outcomes, and devise effective plans to realize their ideas.
Criterion B: Application of Skills
Maximum Points: 8
It is essential for students to exhibit the application of ATL (Approaches to Learning) skills to reach their learning goal and successfully complete their project.
Initially, students must clarify how they employed specific ATL skills to assist in achieving their learning goal. This requires detailing the ways they utilized critical thinking, research, communication, self-management, and other relevant skills to enhance their learning journey and make strides towards their objectives.
Moreover, students need to explain how they applied ATL skills in the effective development and creation of their intended product. This involves discussing their use of organization, collaboration, information literacy, and other applicable skills in designing, constructing, and presenting their outcomes.
By reflecting on their use of ATL skills during both the learning process and product development, students can demonstrate their ability to leverage these skills effectively and highlight their growth as independent learners.
Criterion C: Reflection
Maximum Points: 8
Students have to articulate and reflect on the impact the project has had on their personal growth and learning. This involves considering how the project has influenced their skills, knowledge, and overall development as learners.
Moreover, they have to evaluate their final product by measuring its performance against the established success criteria. This evaluation requires a critical analysis of the product’s effectiveness, quality, and alignment with the initial goals and objectives set for the project.
Both of these goals contribute to a comprehensive assessment and reflection on the personal project, enabling students to gain valuable insights into their own progress and achievements.
MYP Personal Project Support
The support for the MYP project comes from the coordinator, supervisor, librarians, and the community.
Coordinator
The coordinator is responsible for organizing the personal project and establishing clear expectations for students. This includes communicating the school’s timeline and assigning supervisors. They provide guidance and structure throughout the project, facilitating effective communication between students and supervisors.
Supervisor
The supervisor works closely with individual students, offering support and guidance throughout the project. They ensure academic integrity and provide feedback on the first draft. Their role includes offering personalized assistance and ensuring that students adhere to academic standards.
Librarians
Librarians assist students in developing research skills and help them find relevant resources. They provide guidance on citations and bibliography writing. Their support helps students create effective research strategies, locate, and cite appropriate sources.
Community
The community role involves engaging with experts both inside and outside the school. This includes seeking feedback and conducting interviews for the project. Community members offer access to specialized knowledge, insights, and external perspectives that enhance the project.