The MYP Personal Project is a practical, final-year, individual assignment that gives IB students the opportunity to choose a subject of interest and delve into it by acquiring new skills and knowledge while producing tangible results.
Given that the Personal Project serves as the culmination of the Middle Year Program, it provides a unique academic platform for IB students to commemorate their learning journey.
Moreover, it’s through this project that students can demonstrate and enhance their Approaches to Learning skills.
In MYP Personal Project:
- Students explore a topic that genuinely motivates and captivates them.
- Students establish their own objectives and determine the means to achieve them. It means they have the right to set their personal criteria for success.
- Students exhibit and cultivate ATL skills while reflecting upon the influence of the Personal Project on themselves and/or their community.
What Are the Aims of IB MYP Personal Project?
The objectives of the MYP Personal Project, as outlined in the IB’s Personal Project guide, align with the principles of inquiry, action, and reflection.
- Inquire: Engage in an inquiry that holds personal significance and assume responsibility for self-directed learning.
- Act: Apply and transfer skills to pursue learning goals and produce a tangible output.
- Reflect: Acknowledge and provide evidence of personal growth and development.
In essence, the Personal Project empowers students to explore their passions, take charge of their learning, and reflect on their progress. In the end, they become inquisitive, proactive, and self-aware individuals.
What Are the Objectives of IB MYP Personal Project?
The following are the objectives of the IB MYP Personal Project:
1. Planning
The student should be able to formulate the project’s learning objective and elaborate on how their personal interest influenced the selection of that goal.
Secondly, they should define the desired outcome and establish relevant benchmarks for measuring the success of the final product.
Lastly, they should outline a comprehensive and precise plan for attaining the product and meeting the associated success criteria.
2. Application of Approach to Learning Skills
The student should be able to describe how they utilized approach to learning skills to help in accomplishing the learning objective.
Furthermore, they should be able to elaborate on how they applied the same skills to support the creation of the intended product.
3. Reflection
First, the student should be able to analyze the impact of the project on personal growth and learning experiences.
Second, they should assess the project’s effect on oneself or one’s learning, considering personal development and knowledge gained.
Finally, they should be able to evaluate the product based on the predefined success criteria, critically analyzing its performance and effectiveness.
What’s the Assessment Criteria for IB MYP Personal Project?
The following is the assessment criteria used to grade the IB MYP Personal Project:
Criterion A: Planning
Maximum Points: 8
This criterion requires that a student define a learning goal for their project and explain how their personal interest influenced the selection of that particular goal. By explaining the connection between their interests and the learning objective, student can show their motivation and enthusiasm for the project.
Moving on, students should state the intended product they aim to create and establish appropriate success criteria for evaluating the product’s effectiveness and quality. This entails outlining specific benchmarks or standards that the final product must meet.
Lastly, students need to present a well-defined and comprehensive plan that outlines the steps and strategies they will undertake to achieve the desired product and meet the associated success criteria. This plan should be detailed and provide a clear roadmap that demonstrates the student’s understanding of the necessary actions and resources required to accomplish their project goals.
By fulfilling these requirements, students can demonstrate their ability to set meaningful goals, create tangible products, and develop effective plans to bring their ideas to fruition.
Criterion B: Applying Skills
Maximum Points: 8
Throughout the personal project, students need to demonstrate their application of ATL (Approaches to Learning) skills in order to attain their learning goal and successfully complete their project.
First, students need to explain how they utilized specific ATL skills to support the achievement of their learning goal. This entails outlining the ways in which they employed critical thinking, research, communication, self-management, and other relevant skills to enhance their learning experience and make progress towards their objective.
Additionally, students must articulate how they applied ATL skills to effectively develop and create their intended product. This involves describing the use of organization, collaboration, information literacy, and other applicable skills to design, construct, and present their outcome.
By reflecting on their application of ATL skills in both the learning process and the product development, students can show their ability to leverage these skills effectively and highlight their growth as independent learners.
Criterion C: Reflecting
Maximum Points: 8
During the personal project, students have to achieve two key objectives.
First, they should be able to articulate and discuss the impact that the project has had on their personal growth and learning. This involves reflecting on the project’s influence on their skills, knowledge, and overall development as a learner.
Secondly, students are required to evaluate the final product they have created by assessing its performance against the predefined success criteria. This evaluation entails critically analyzing the product’s effectiveness, quality, and alignment with the initial goals and objectives set for the project.
Both of these objectives contribute to the holistic assessment and reflection on the personal project, allowing students to gain insights into their own progress and accomplishments.
Student Support for IB MYP Personal Project
| Role | Responsibilities | Support Provided |
| Coordinator | Organizing the personal project and setting clear expectations, Communicating the school’s timeline Assigning supervisors | Provides guidance and structure for the project, Facilitates communication between students and supervisors |
| Supervisor | Working one-on-one with students, Providing support and guidance, Ensuring academic integrity, Giving feedback on the first draft | Offers personalized assistance throughout the project, Ensures adherence to academic standards |
| Librarians/ | Assisting students with research skills, Helping find relevant resources, Providing guidance on citations and bibliography writing | Supports students in developing effective research strategies, Assists with locating and citing appropriate sources |
| Community | Engaging with experts within and outside the school, Seeking feedback and conducting interviews for the project | Offers access to specialized knowledge and insights, Provides external perspectives and feedback |