qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwerty uiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasd fghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzx cvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmq wertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyui opasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfg hjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxc vbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmq wertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyui opasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfg hjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxc vbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmq wertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyui opasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfg hjklzxcvbnmrtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbn mqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwert yuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopas dfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklz xcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnm qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwerty The Community Project A Comprehensive Booklet for Students 2015/2016 The Australian School of Abu Dhabi
What is a Community Project? .............................................................................................................. 4
Aims & Objectives of the Community Project ...................................................................................... 5
Global Contexts and the Community Project ........................................................................................ 6
Approaches to Learning ......................................................................................................................... 6
Choosing a Topic and Project ................................................................................................................ 7
Project Ideas to Get You Started ............................................................................................................ 8
Process Journal....................................................................................................................................... 9
Community Project Planning ............................................................................................................... 10
Presenting the community project ....................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Community Project Procedures ........................................................................................................... 12
Community Project Responsibilities.................................................................................................... 13
Anatomy of a Good Community Project ............................................................................................. 14
Anatomy of a Good Supervisee ........................................................................................................... 14
Community Project Plan ...................................................................................................................... 15
Community Project planner ................................................................................................................. 16
Community Project Assessment Criteria Form ................................................................................... 22
STUDENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY ................................ 24
Community Project Agreement Form .................................................................................................. 25
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Bibliography & Acknowledgment
IBO Projects guide (2014 update) IBO documentation provided on the online site www.ibo.org and the IB online curriculum center Guide to the Personal Project – Osaka International School, Osaka, Japan Guide to the Personal Project – NIST, Thailand http://www.bedford.k12.ny.us/flhs/library/parentheticalreferences.html http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/legacylib/mlahcc.html Help, advice and adapted resources from many MYP schools, including, Suzhou Singapore International School, Osaka International School, K International School, Tokyo and NIST.
The community project is your chance to develop your community. It is a product of your own initiative and should reflect your experience of the MYP. It provides an excellent opportunity to produce a truly creative piece of work of your choice, to demonstrate the skills you have developed in approaches to learning and to show your understanding of the global contexts. The community project is an individual project completed in your grade 9 year. It consists of three main components:
Focus on service as action
Process Journal
Presentation Remember, you will be working on this project for an extended period of time so it needs to be something you really want to do.
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Aims & Objectives of the Community Project Aims The aims state what a student may expect to experience and learn. These aims suggest how the student may be changed by the learning experience. The aims of the MYP projects are to encourage and enable students to:
participate in a sustained, self-directed inquiry within a global context generate creative new insights and develop deeper understandings through in-depth investigation demonstrate the skills, attitudes and knowledge required to complete a project over an extended
period of time communicate effectively in a variety of situations demonstrate responsible action through, or as a result of, learning appreciate the process of learning and take pride in their accomplishments.
Objectives The objectives of the community project state the specific targets that are set for learning. They define what students will accomplish as a result of completing the community project.
Objective A: Investigating Students should:
define a goal to address a need within a community, based on personal interests identify prior learning and subject-specific knowledge relevant to the project demonstrate research skills.
Objective B: Planning Students should:
develop a proposal for action to serve the need in the community plan and record the development process of the project demonstrate self-management skills.
Objective C: Taking action Students should:
demonstrate service as action as a result of the project demonstrate thinking skills demonstrate communication and social skills.
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Objective D: Reflecting Students should:
evaluate the quality of the service as action against the proposal reflect on how completing the project has extended their knowledge and understanding of service
learning reflect on their development of ATL skills.
Global Contexts and the Community Project Global contexts direct learning towards independent and shared inquiry into our common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet. Using the world as the broadest context for learning, MYP projects can develop meaningful explorations of:
identities and relationships orientation in space and time personal and cultural expression scientific and technical innovation globalization and sustainability fairness and development.
The global context chosen by the students provides a context for inquiry and research in the project. Students choose only one global context to define their goal. In most cases other global contexts may inform the project or offer other perspectives, but the focus on one context will present opportunities that emerge through (self-imposed) limitations and give a specific focus to the project. When organizing fundraising campaigns or events for an organization, students will explore the challenges that the organization address, such as pollution, climate change, endangered species, health, education, housing, food, human rights, minority rights, immigration, culture, arts, communication. Therefore, the global context for the project will often be determined by the organization’s cause.
Approaches to Learning
MYP projects are culminating activities through which students present, in a truly personal way, their development of ATL skills. ATL skills that students have developed in subject groups will prepare them for working more independently and developing an MYP project over an extended period of time. Projects, essays and investigations carried out in the subject groups are important vehicles for helping students to develop the skills and attitudes needed to complete MYP projects.
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ATL skills provide a solid foundation for learning independently and with others, demonstrating learning, and reflecting on the process of learning. They help students to become more autonomous, strategic and self-motivated and ultimately prepare students for responsible participation in local and global contexts. It is important to realize that ATL skills work in articulation across all stages of MYP projects, sustaining and often overlapping throughout the projects. Students will demonstrate how they have met the objectives through their presentation or report at the end of the project. They will be expected to communicate clearly, accurately and appropriately, utilizing communication, organization and reflection as ATL skills. Students have the opportunity to develop affective skills—mindfulness, perseverance, emotional management, self-motivation and resilience—throughout the entire process. This skill set contributes to managing state of mind and a healthy, balanced approach to the projects.
Choosing a Topic and Project There are different ways of choosing and narrowing down a topic. You should discuss ideas with different people, both inside and outside the school, to help you to focus on precisely what you are going to do. It is also important that you have a discussion with your supervisor about your choice to see whether or not your intentions are realistic. You should realize that your supervisor is not looking for work of university standard. Instead, this is an opportunity for you to demonstrate the approach you are taking, the methods you are using and your ability to describe and justify a focus on your chosen areas of interaction. It should be a topic or theme that you really want to explore and that will allow you to reflect on and analyze ideas to express a personal point of view. It is important that you keep the goal of your personal project in mind continuously, although the goal could be modified in the light of experience gained during the process. Selecting a topic:
What do I like doing in my spare time? What are some of my hobbies or interests? What are some of the things I do really well? What would I like to do better? How can I help others? How can I develop my community? Is there any aspect of my community that really infuriates me? (Be careful to be constructive and
proactive!) At this point in time, what are some of my ideas for my major project? What would I like the final result to be? How will I involve the community in my project and what format?
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Narrowing down the focus
You should then list the topics you have a genuine interest in and brainstorm ideas or sub topics you have relating to the topic, thus narrowing down your topic to a feasible amount.
Project Ideas to Get You Started
Joining a musem or historical society in the community to contribute to maintaining, restoring, and recovering local history
Improving the environment in the local hospital by designing and creating a series of pictures to hang in the corridors
performing a theatre play to raise awareness on bullying developing a program to promote the use of wind energy for domestic devices campaigning to reduce water, electricity or fuel waste campaigning to reduce plastic straw waste use creating a school or community garden addressing the concerns of immigrants and migrant populations tutoring classes providing additional or special instruction to primary students researching the effects of Cola drinks on digestion and developing a campaign to promote healthy
choices
It should be:
Personal, original, individual, something you have a genuine interest in It should not be:
Something completed at the last minute Part of any assessed school course work Bound by any specific subject Destroying your social or academic life
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Process Journal
For both the community project and the personal project, students are expected to document their process in the process journal. In this way, students demonstrate their working behaviours and academic honesty.
Documenting the process
The process journal is a generic term used to refer to the record of progress maintained by the student throughout the project. However, the media for documenting the process can vary depending on student preferences. It can be written, visual, audio or a combination of these, and it may include both paper and electronic formats. In the use of electronic/digital media, students are strongly advised to make digital copies of their journals or to transmit copies of their journals to an online storage site. Students will be familiar with the practice of documenting the development of their project in the process journal and can draw on techniques used to document the arts process journal, the design folder or similar workbooks in other subject groups. Students may develop their own format and design, although schools can provide templates or examples to support students’ work. The process journal is personal to the student, in the sense that he or she is also exploring ways of recording his or her process. Students are not restricted to any single model of recording their process journals. However, the student is responsible, through his or her use of the process journal, for producing evidence of addressing the four objectives to demonstrate achievement at the highest levels of the criteria. The process journal is:
used throughout the project to document its development an evolving record of intents, processes, accomplishments
a place to record initial thoughts and developments, brainstorming, possible lines of inquiry and further questions raised
a place for recording interactions with sources, for example teachers, supervisors, external contributors
a place to record selected, annotated and/or edited research and to maintain a bibliography a place for storing useful information, for example quotations, pictures, ideas, photographs a means of exploring ideas and solutions a place for evaluating work completed a place for reflecting on learning devised by the student in a format that suits his or her needs a record of reflections and formative feedback received
The process journal is not:
used on a daily basis (unless this is useful for the student) written up after the process has been completed additional work on top of the project; it is part of and supports the project a diary with detailed writing about what was done a static document with only one format.
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Community Project Planning The following community project planning sheets and timelines are provided to help you set goals and deadlines for each phase of your personal project. The questions / suggestions provided in each project phase will provide you with ideas to complete your journal. You may discover things work out differently from what you had planned; this is true for most projects. It is totally acceptable for you to adapt your planning to the new situations presented, however this must be done with your supervisor’s knowledge. Provide your supervisor with any written material before the appointment so as to give him / her time to read it beforehand. Your supervisor must sign each phase as you complete it.
Student Community Project Timeline
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The presentation at the end of the community project is an oral presentation delivered to an audience. This may be an audience of teachers, peers, family and friends, or the wider community.
For an individual student presentation, the time allocated is 6–10 minutes. For a group presentation, the time allocated is 10–14 minutes.
Students choosing to complete the project in groups will present the project as a group, but each group member should have the opportunity to speak during the course of the presentation. The format of the presentation should be structured following the MYP community project objectives. Students should plan, draft, rehearse and prepare materials necessary for the presentation, and it is good practice for the supervisors to review one rehearsal presentation per student or group. You may want to view various teen TEDx talks as possible models for presentations. These can be found by searching “teen” on http://www.ted.com/tedx or at www.tedxteen.com. At the time of the presentation, students must submit to the community project supervisor:
a completed academic honesty form for each student the proposal for action process journal extracts any supporting visual aids used during the presentation bibliography/sources.
Students choosing to work in groups will submit a selection of process journal extracts from each member of the group to represent the development of their community project. Good practice suggests that evenly distributed selections will best represent the contributions of all individuals in the group. In group submissions, a maximum of 15 process journal extracts is permitted. For individuals, a maximum of 10 process journal extracts is allowed. A student completing and presenting his or her project individually will be awarded levels of achievement for his or her individual work in the project. In cases where students have chosen to work in groups, supervisors should award the same levels of achievement for each student. The opportunity to work together with other students promotes the understanding of teamwork and team achievement. In extenuating circumstances, and subject to local policies and practices regarding group work, supervisors may award students different levels of achievement for their participation and performance in the community project. No formats of presentation should include question-and-answer sessions or formal interviews that are used to further assess students’ presentations or adjust levels of achievement met by the presentation itself.
General Working as an advisor and helping a student prepare a Community Project can be a very rewarding experience. The advisor and student should work closely together as the project develops. Community project advisors will work more effectively with students if they are available to meet with each student regularly. Both student and advisor must acknowledge this and agree on appropriate meeting times. Different projects will require different contact times between the individual student and advisor. The frequency of these meetings may change according to the type of project, the topic, the characteristics of the student and local circumstances. It is suggested that advisors and students, at a minimum, meet anywhere from five to seven times from November to May. Advisors and students should keep a record of each meeting in the “Community Project Planner”. Students and Supervisors can expect the following steps to be taken if they are falling behind in their Community Project.
1. Small signs of student falling behind in CP discussed with student directly in a Supervisor Meeting. 2. Supervisors will inform Projects Co-ordinator, Mrs Maissa, if the following occurs:
There are large signs of student falling behind in CP.
There are repeated, small signs of falling behind in CP.
There are a number of different small signs of falling behind in CP.
Projects Co-ordinator will then speak individually with the student.
3. If the concerns of the Supervisor are not corrected soon by the student then parents will be informed.
4. If the concerns persist then a meeting with Student, Parents and Supervisor will be arranged, as appropriate.
5. If there is still no improvement then meeting with Student, Parents, Supervisor and Personal Project Co-ordinator will be arranged, as appropriate.
Missed Supervisor Meetings It is important that valuable time is not wasted through missed meetings and chasing students up.
1. On the FIRST occasion that a student is more than 10mins late for ANY Supervisor Meeting, without sending a message to the Supervisor, the Supervisor should feel free to consider the meeting to be cancelled and should NOT seek out the student.
The Supervisor should inform the CP Co-ordinator of the missed meeting.
The CP Co-ordinator will speak to student.
2. On the SECOND occasion that a student is more than 10mins late for ANY Supervisor Meeting, without sending a message to the Supervisor, the Supervisor should again consider the meeting to be cancelled and should NOT seek out the student. The Supervisor should inform the CP Co-ordinator of the missed meeting. The CP Co-ordinator will speak to the student and will inform the parents, if deemed appropriate.
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3. On the THIRD occasion that a student is more than 10mins late for ANY Supervisor Meeting, without
sending a message to the Supervisor, the meeting is cancelled and Supervisor should inform the CP Co-ordinator. The CP Co-ordinator will arrange a meeting with the Student, Parents and Supervisor, as deemed appropriate.
Community Project Responsibilities
The following document is intended to be used by students and supervisors to understand their responsibilities and how to help students stay on track. Responsibilities
STUDENTS are responsible for: 1. Using the Guidelines and Assessment Criteria. 2. Arranging times of all meetings and making up for missed meetings. 3. Bringing their Process Journal and any other relevant materials to EVERY supervisor meeting. 4. Making REGULAR Process Journal entries. 5. Meeting deadlines for the Planning Task, Research Task, Reflection Task, Presentation and Poster
Presentation. 6. Meeting deadlines set by the student for achieving tasks needed for their Personal Project. 7. Presenting the Project ON TIME.
SUPERVISORS are responsible for:
1. Helping students understand and use the Guidelines and Assessment Criteria. 2. Contacting the MYP Projects Co-ordinator, Mrs. Maissa, when a student does not turn up for a
Supervisor Meeting. Following the Procedures below. Initially, address lateness to Supervisor Meetings directly with the student.
3. Checking that the Process Journal and any other relevant materials have been brought to each Supervisor Meeting.
4. Checking each Supervisor Meeting that the Process Journal has been used and to make suggestions of how to make better use of it.
5. The advisor should help the student to establish and maintain the focus of the Community Project and ensure that it is proceeding as planned.
6. Guiding students to complete the Community Project (and all relevant tasks and presentations) successfully.
7. The advisor should suggest a variety of resources and relevant sources of information the student may use to develop the project. The importance of research should be emphasized.
8. Guiding students to set realistic and appropriate tasks and deadlines for tasks during each Supervisor Meeting. Holding students accountable to themselves for missing their own deadlines.
9. Giving advice on how to improve Presentations and their Project 10. Advisors are invited and encouraged to attend the MYP Projects Fair in the spring when Personal
Projects/ Community projects are exhibited and which students also attend.
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Anatomy of a Good Community Project The most important features of a Good Community Project (CP) are that you:
1. Choose a topic and an activity that you ENJOY. Perhaps a hobby or a skill that you want to teach others
2. Have a VERY CLEAR Aim, link to a Global context and Key Question. Simple is usually good.
3. Make REGULAR USE of your Process Journal (PJ). Develop the habit of writing a regular reflection on; how well you are achieving your goal; how your understanding of the global context is changing; which Assessment Criteria you have addressed so far; what mark you think you deserve so far for that Assessment Criteria and what you need to do to improve; how well you are planning and making use of your time; how realistic your weekly tasks are that you set yourself. Read over your previous reflections before writing the next one.
4. Have a VERY CLEAR and REALISTIC Time Plan for all stages of your CP. Do NOT do more than 15 hours throughout the year. Do NOT do less than 10 hours throughout the year.
Anatomy of a Good Supervisee The HABITS of a GOOD Supervisee are that you:
1. Are genuinely motivated and interested by your topic. 2. Make an entry into your PJ EVERY TIME you do some work on your CP. 3. Spend between 1-2 hours (on average) on your CP EVERY WEEK. 4. Turn up to EVERY supervisor meeting with
Your Process Journal. The task completed that you set yourself the previous meeting. A purpose of what you want to talk about (e.g. obstacles) A task that you think you should set yourself for the next meeting.
5. Turn up to ALL meetings on time, leave a message for your supervisor if you are absent AND speak
to your supervisor the first day back after absence to suggest a new date for a meeting. 6. Are open-minded and try suggestions from your supervisor.
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Community Project Plan
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Community Project Planner
Date: Day: Time:
Report on work since last meeting: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Is the student keeping the timeline? Yes No Is the student maintaining a process journal? Yes No Supervisor’s comment: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Is the student keeping the timeline? Yes No Is the student maintaining a process journal? Yes No Supervisor’s comment: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Is the student keeping the timeline? Yes No Is the student maintaining a process journal? Yes No Supervisor’s comment: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Is the student keeping the timeline? Yes No Is the student maintaining a process journal? Yes No Supervisor’s comment: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Is the student keeping the timeline? Yes No Is the student maintaining a process journal? Yes No Supervisor’s comment: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Is the student keeping the timeline? Yes No Is the student maintaining a process journal? Yes No Supervisor’s comment: ________________________________________________________________________________________
define a goal to address a need within a community, based on personal interest identify prior learning and subject-specific knowledge relevant to the project demonstrate research skills.
B Planning
develop a proposal for action to serve the need in the community
plan and record the development process of the project demonstrate self-management skills.
C Taking Action
demonstrate service as action as a result of the project demonstrate thinking skills demonstrate communication and social skills.
D Reflecting
evaluate the quality of the service as action against the proposal
reflect on how completing the project has extended their knowledge and understanding of service learning
reflect on their development of ATL skills
Final Score
/ 32
/7
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MYP Grade Boundaries
Grade Boundary guidelines Descriptor
1 1–5 Produces work of very limited quality. Conveys many significant
misunderstandings or lacks understanding of most concepts and contexts. Very rarely demonstrates critical or creative thinking. Very inflexible, rarely using knowledge or skills.
2 6–9 Produces work of limited quality. Expresses misunderstandings or significant gaps in understanding for many concepts and contexts. Infrequently demonstrates critical or creative thinking. Generally inflexible in the use of knowledge and skills, infrequently applying knowledge and skills.
3 10–14 Produces work of an acceptable quality. Communicates basic understanding of many concepts and contexts, with occasionally significant misunderstandings or gaps. Begins to demonstrate some basic critical and creative thinking. Is often inflexible in the use of knowledge and skills, requiring support even in familiar classroom situations.
4 15–18 Produces good-quality work. Communicates basic understanding of most concepts and contexts with few misunderstandings and minor gaps. Often demonstrates basic critical and creative thinking. Uses knowledge and skills with some flexibility in familiar classroom situations, but requires support in unfamiliar situations.
5 19–23 Produces generally high-quality work. Communicates secure understanding of concepts and contexts. Demonstrates critical and creative thinking, sometimes with sophistication. Uses knowledge and skills in familiar classroom and real-world situations and, with support, some unfamiliar real-world situations.
6 24–27 Produces high-quality, occasionally innovative work. Communicates extensive understanding of concepts and contexts. Demonstrates critical and creative thinking, frequently with sophistication. Uses knowledge and skills in familiar and unfamiliar classroom and realworld situations, often with independence.
7 28–32 Produces high-quality, frequently innovative work. Communicates comprehensive, nuanced understanding of concepts and contexts. Consistently demonstrates sophisticated critical and creative thinking. Frequently transfers knowledge and skills with independence and expertise in a variety of complex classroom and real-world situations.
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STUDENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY
I fully understand the Australian School of Abu Dhabi Academic Honesty Policy concerning
dishonesty and cheating in the classroom. The policy was read and explained to me in class and/or
year level assembly, and I was given an opportunity to ask questions in order to completely
understand the policy and how it may affect me.
My signature shows that I have a full understanding of what is considered dishonesty or cheating
and that I am fully aware of the serious penalty involved if I should choose to be dishonest in my
academic work while I am a student at the Australian School of Abu Dhabi.
Student Name (print):
Home group Teacher:
Student Signature: Date
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Community Project Agreement Form
I _____________________________________________________ have read the
Community Project handbook and have understood the requirements that I have to
meet.
I have also understood that it is my responsibility to set up meetings with my
supervisor and to follow the timeline provided in order to meet deadlines.
I have also read and understood the school’s Academic Honesty Policy and will
adhere to it at all times.
Complete sheet and submit to the MYP Projects Coordinator. Please sign below that you have read the Community Project handbook.
