Two day workshop, Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th of April, 2015, led by Gary Green.
The Personal Project is an independent research project that a student produces in Year 10. It is a creative endeavor of the student’s choosing that demonstrates the skills the student has learned in Approaches to Learning. Assessment of the Personal Project is based on a set of 8 specific criteria that are normalized to a scale of 1–7. The Personal Project is designed to demonstrate the student’s ability to organise, create, and complete a significant body of work.
(Source) Also see notes from Day 1.

Criterion D: Reflecting

In the personal project, students should:
i. evaluate the quality of the product/outcome against their criteria
ii. reflect on how completing the project has extended their knowledge and understanding of the topic and the global context
iii. reflect on their development as IB learners through the project.

• Reflection is ongoing, deliberate and explicit and requires evidence in the CP/PP.
• Reflection is extended beyond the product to include process, AtL skill development, global contexts, understanding of service and learner profile.
• Students need to know what “evaluate” is, need to know how to do it

Gary Green: Brainstorming is a low level thinking activity, it’s a brain spew. Need to go beyond that, where do the ideas come from, Attach prior learning or knowledge to them.

Students need to be explained about formal communication to adults, need to be told how to introduce themselves to their supervisor (proper handshake), need to know what to say, what questions to ask. Don’t just send them off the the Head of English office and throw them in the deep end. The supervisor meeting should be carefully scaffolded; will benefit both of them.

Workshop activity: For one session, we worked on an activity for Section D which would assist students in evaluating their work. Will share later. One example is included on the left, click to enlarge.
There were traffic light tables in Word, Prezis, units in Stile.

Make sure you give the students the Academic Honesty page from the PP guide.

Only four samples are sent to the moderator, these are selected by the school.

We then moderated three papers and compared our grades to the IB moderated task. It was interesting as often we awarded grades that were too high. The way to mark the PP is to very strictly apply the criteria, rather than looking at the pretty cookbook, dress, chairs, trained dogs etc. You must assess the process, as outlined in the assessment criteria.

Note, nowhere in the criteria does it say that the writing should be perfect, the criteria are about the process, the goal, the reflection.

The role of the supervisor

• Personal project: Individual supervisor
• No recommended model for supervision
• Non teaching staff can supervise.
• Must hold three meetings and take notes.
• Must have seen process journal and evidence of product and academic honesty.
• Take into account the IN, students w special needs or considerations, parental circumstances, organisational abilities, ESL etc etc.

Process (at workshop leader’s school)

• All goals have to be checked.
• Staff pick a goal statement, they do not pick a student. They find out who the student is only after they picked the goal. Students do not pick a supervisor.
• Students have to contact their supervisor (after students have been taught how to contact/address/write the supervisor.
• There is a “no list”, can’t do a photo book, can’t organise a party.
• All supervisors must take notes of each meeting. Would be good to do it in SEQTA.
• Keep the parents away
• Each student gets a  small booth/table to present their project.
• A photographer comes in and takes photos of all projects, that is put together in a slideshow, a poster or a book.
• Students run the presentations. Booths stay up for two weeks.
• Students only get their Year 10 report if they cleaned up their booth and have met all requirements.
• If you are using non-teaching staff, you MUST train them very well.
• Must have a clear process for everything, it must be written down.
• Students must make formal contact with supervisor. Supervisor should respond.  (Insert image). That email  itself is an AtL, students should reflect on how it is different from emailing a friend.  Students should also be taught how to deal with the supervisor, do a role play. Shake hand, wait to be offered a seat, look teacher in the eye, how to start the conversation etc etc. Students have a script: I’m really grateful that you agreed to help me with my project. My goal is…. I would like to ….
  The supervisor should have a checklist with AtL type check list items. Did the student bring everything? Is there a process journal? Notes to take by and for the supervisor.
• At workshop leader’s school, the Year 10s have scheduled PP classes (50 minutes in a two week cycle).
• Supervisor should ask: What are you hoping to LEARN?
• It is also useful to tell the students to take notes of the meeting as it is very interesting to see what they get out of it.
• The role of the library is enshrined in the PP guide.
• Kids get obsessed with the product but you must refocus them towards the learning, process, reflection etc.
• A student who comes in half way through Year 10, they cannot complete the PP. Some schools also don’t let students do a PP if they come from a non-IB school.
  The school must develop policies in regards to the PP.
• PD for staff is vital. Must have clear expectations, must set clear goals for staff and students.

The supervisors’ responsibilities are to:
• ensure the chosen MYP project topic satisfies appropriate legal and ethical standards with regard to health and safety, confidentiality, human rights, animal welfare and environmental issues
• provide guidance to students in the process and completion of the project
• confirm the authenticity of the work submitted
• assess the MYP project using the criteria in this guide
• participate in the standardization of assessment process established by the school
• provide personal project grades to the MYP Coordinator to enter in IBIS (from 2016).

Students should receive information and guidance that includes:
• guidelines about the MYP project
• a timetable with deadlines
• the assessment criteria for the project
• advice on how to keep and use a process journal
• the importance of personal analysis and reflection
• formative feedback
• requirements for academic honesty.

Some examples of PP goals: