Tenth-Grade Personal Project
and the Extended Essay
Students in the IB Middle Years Programme transition into themes with more global
contexts: identities and relationships, personal and cultural identity, orientations in
space and time, scientific and technical innovation, fairness and development, and
globalization and sustainability.
They also further refine their Approaches to Learning skills – how they think,
communicate, research, and self-manage. By the time they’re sophomores, they’re
ready for the next IB stepping stone: the Tenth Grade Personal Project.
“With the Personal Project, students have to take action and present, much like the
Exhibition,” says Middle Years Programme Coordinator Joe Hernan. “But they have to
do an oral, written, or multi-media report and they keep a process journal so they can
demonstrate their self-management skills.”
In the past, students have assisted with summer programming for
underprivileged students, written short stories about suicide prevention and
awareness, started an art club at Mercer Elementary, held fundraisers for LGBTQ
organizations and for the Jewish community, and written songs for performance,
among others.
For Aaliyah Williams, the Personal Project presented her with the opportunity
to fulfill a goal (painting a mural at the High School) in a meaningful way. She spent
seven months on her four-by-eight-foot mural, which was inspired by a landscape
painting by Harlem Renaissance painter Loïs Mailou Jones.
Aaliyah admits that the project was a challenge. She was limited to working
after school and required to be accompanied by an adult; plus, blending the paints to
her satisfaction was no easy task. Still, she’s proud of her work, which will become
her legacy. “This project helped me realize that I can take action and I can be active in
my community,” she says.
This coming school year, Aaliyah will enter the Diploma Programme. The High
School’s Moore says that participation in the elective program has grown steadily
in recent years: 54 students in Aaliyah’s Class of 2020 are enrolled as Diploma
Programme candidates and participation among students of color has increased
133 percent. The core of the Diploma Programme enhances students’ abilities
to analyze philosophical perspectives in the Theory of Knowledge course, which
enriches critical thinking and engages them in creativity, activity, and service to
develop them as leaders.
Each Diploma Programme student completes an Extended Essay, a 4,000-word
independent, self-directed research paper, over the course of two years. In years past,
essay subjects have included: examining data and performing statistical analysis to
determine the impact of income inequality on voting trends in Ohio over the three
presidential elections from 2008-2016; how saxophonist John Coltrane’s utilization
of less traditional playing and compositional techniques on “A Love Supreme”
contrasted with his previous works and led into his more experimental projects;
and the extent to which the creation of the Algerian national soccer team fostered a
strong sense of national unity and led to national independence from 1954-1962.
To some, the topics may sound a bit esoteric, but Moore contends the topics
students select reflect how they have embraced the IB Programme and how they
understand the connectedness of the world around them.
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organizations,” says Jean Reinhold, IB
coordinator at Fernway School. “The
students see that the actions they’re
taking make an impact and they
realize that they’re important enough
to be talking with an expert. It’s very
empowering for them.”
John Rizzo, the District’s director
of Technology and Media Services,
has served as both a primary source
and a mentor. He says his experiences
with Exhibition have been enriching
personally and professionally,
particularly in his role as a primary
source for a group researching
technology addiction.
“Some of the questions they asked
made me question my own behavior,” he
says. “It was clear these kids weren’t on
a fact-finding mission. They were trying
to answer a thought-provoking question
and look at things through a new lens.”
Serving as mentor was a growth
opportunity for Rizzo. “You’re really
there to guide the students and you have
to avoid the temptation to take over
because you want them to be learning.
It’s not your job to spoon-feed them,”
he says. “Being a mentor also enabled
me to see how students are interacting
with technology, which helps inform
how the District moves forward from a
technology standpoint.”
On Exhibition Day, students share
their research with students during the
day and with at least two audiences at
night. “Every single child is glowing.
They’re proud, they feel like experts,
and they realize that they’re part of
something bigger than themselves,”
Reinhold says. “Today, there’s a huge
push for developing students’ soft
skills. With Exhibition, they learn to
collaborate, communicate, assume
responsibility, and adopt different roles.
It mimics the working environment
for our younger students in a very real,
authentic way.”
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