The Personal Project is something that many MYP students fear when they enter the 10th grade. It’s a huge task that takes almost a year to complete, where students create a product, report on the process, present it, and write a report that’s between 1,500 to 3,500 words to send off to the IB.
Despite it being a lot of work, it can be enjoyable. But how? Well, we reached out to some of the current 10th graders to get some tips.
Sandra K: Creating Artwork
“My personal project idea was to create three artworks reusing waste materials in order to inspire others to become more environmentally friendly, and each of them depicted a major issue occurring in Kenya.”
Tips:
- Not to procrastinate.
- Choose an easy project because you’ll probably end up hating it anyway.
Tudor I: Building a Dog House
“I built an insulated dog house and created a method on how to do it properly.”
Tips:
- Pick a product that is easy to achieve/ build/ create, as the actual product makes up a small portion of the grade so they shouldn’t waste their time with it.
- Choose something that can be done at home without needing extra help, as you will only be able to do it alone.
- Make a product that can be tested because that way you can talk about if it was successful or not.
- Choose a product that can be carried out like a science experiment as they are often easy and there is plenty to talk about.
Ioana D: “Humans of Bucharest”
“For my project, I wrote and designed a book about the life stories of the people of Bucharest and conveyed how their feelings, values, and beliefs were shaped by their previous experiences.
Tips:
- Choose something you’re passionate about, as it would make the process more enjoyable and effective, and it would also provide a greater inner satisfaction after the project is completed.
Niki B: Making Eco-friendly Face Oil
“I made an eco-friendly and natural acne oil. I used a combination of five different essential oils that are known for killing bacteria and being anti-inflammatory.”
Tips:
- Be thorough with your writing process in the journal on ManageBac.
- Do a lot of research.
- I can’t stress this enough, but time management is key.
Gal O: Designing an Apartment Building
“I designed my own apartment building; but I designed it in a new technological style of building so that was where I had to look into my global context.”
Tips:
- Your product is not the only thing you’re going to present,;when you do show up for the exhibition you’ll need visuals, posters etc. I recommend putting that together into your planning schedule, along with the actual product itself.
- Meet with your supervisor often.
- Choose a friendly supervisor who is also responsible and helpful.
- Don’t choose a teacher that can help you because you can’t use your supervisor as a source.
And, finally, some tips from MYP and Personal Project Coordinator Andy Pontius:
- Follow your passions. Do something you truly love to do and something you see as a future career because that makes the whole process easy.
- To improve time management skills, you will have to work on the project several times a week. Have a list, be organized, but you have to make sure you enjoy what you’re doing.
The Personal Project at a Glance:
| Month | Planning Steps |
June – Aug | Get a supervisor and create a goal statement and inquiry question for your product. |
Aug – Sept | Research and start writing your first process journal entries.Create product/ outcome specifications. |
Oct – Dec | Continue process journal entries and complete the product/ outcome. |
January | Keep writing process journal entries and create the display for the Personal Project Exhibition. |
February | Write up the first draft of the report; get feedback from your supervisor, then write and submit the final draft. |
Any questions? Feel free to comment below!