essay on personal project

MYP Personal Project

Important Dates and Timelines
What is the Personal Project
RCHK Handbook
Learning and Product Goals
Process Journal
Success Criteria
Developing a Plan
ATL Skill Information
Impact of Product
Product Evaluation
Bibliography
Academic Honesty
RCHK Samples from 2021-2022
OIS Samples from 2021-2022
IB Support Materials

PP Level 7 Video and Evidence Report OIS 1

This level 7 sample is a 9 minute video with an accompanying 6 page evidence report. The student asks the view to refer to the report to see more detailed information.

PP Level 7 Video and Evidence Report OIS 2

This level 7 sample is a 1 minute video with an accompanying 14 page evidence report. the student asks the view to refer to the report to see more detailed information., pp level 7 video and evidence report ois 3.

This level 5 sample is a 9 minute video with an accompanying 6 page evidence report. The student asks the view to refer to the report to see more detailed information.

PP Level 7 Video and Evidence Report OIS 4

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Last Updated: Jun 18, 2024 3:33 PM
URL: https://rchk.libguides.com/personalproject

The Heart, Head, and Hands of Learning

A step-by-step guide to the MYP Personal Project

(This blog post and the resources attached have been updated and can be found in the following location: Caring Practitioners )

Welcome to the Personal Project!

To effectively complete your personal project you need to follow each step listed on this webpage. To help you understand each section of the personal project Inquiry cycle there are five 10-minute videos to watch that will provide extra guidance. We recommend you read the steps under each heading and then watch the videos to reinforce what you have read.
At each step of the personal project, there is a .pdf exemplar for you from a previous Good Shepherd Lutheran College student that can help you structure your own process journal. See the hyperlink at the beginning of each objective. (Disclaimer: this is not an example of an excellent personal project, but rather a simple guide for you to follow as you complete your own personal project.)
Before you embark on the personal project journey ensure you have a process journal that suits your preferred journaling style, e.g., notebook, visual art diary, blog, pages document, etc.
Your process journal is where you document your progress throughout your Personal Project – it is extremely important that you back this up as you travel along your personal project journey.
Enjoy the process of engaging in your personal project and ensure you make regular contact with your supervisor; they will be your greatest support throughout the personal project.

We wish you all the best as you embark on this journey that will consolidate your International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme learning and prepare you for the further rigours of Stage 1 and Stage 2 at Good Shepherd Lutheran College.

Objective A: Investigating

(Supporting document for Investigating: Process Journal Exemplar – Investigating )

Personal Project Mind-map

In your process journal mind-map ideas for your personal project based on your personal interests. Spend time thinking about which product/outcome you would like to create and ensure this is a project that can maintain your interest and enthusiasm for an 8-month duration.

Defining a clear goal

In your process journal outline exactly what you want to create for your personal project and explain how this is based on a personal interest.

Ensure you document the following:

Give a precise meaning of the goal of your project. Explain what you want to achieve, when, where, how and why you want to achieve this.
Describe what makes the personal project personal: the experiences, interests and ideas that make it important to you.

Defining a global context

Select one global context from the six global contexts below that best applies to your project

Once you have chosen a global context, you need to decide on an area of exploration within this global context. An area of exploration is a way to make the global context you have chosen more relevant and specific to your project.

You now need to articulate in your process journal how the global context and area of exploration you have chosen can help you answer the following questions:

What do I want to achieve through my project?
What do I want others to understand through my work?
What impact do I want my project to have?
How can a specific context give greater purpose to my project?

Clarifying your goal

Drawing together your initial goal definition based on a personal interest and the global context and area of exploration of your choice, refine your goal using the SMART goal graphic organiser. Ensure you document this in you process journal .

Identification of prior-learning and subject-specific knowledge

In your process journal identify what you already know about the goal for your project, the sources of your knowledge and how this will help you achieve your personal project goal. For example, prior-learning could be a night class, sports clinic, previous training or experience, etc.

In your process journal identify what you have learned from your MYP subject groups that will help you achieve your personal project goal.

Demonstrate your research skills

In order to effectively achieve your personal project goal you need to firstly research and evaluate the sources you have researched so you can then transfer this research to your actual project.

Research Process

Using the research model below, you need to document your research in your process journal.

Ensure you have 1 – 3 primary sources and 4 – 8 secondary sources.

Ensure you copy/print your sources and ensure they are all documented in your process journal – see exemplar for example of how to do this effectively. (See process journal exemplar – Criteria A – for example of how this information can be documented.)

Ensure you highlight relevant sections of your sources and annotate how you can apply this to your product/outcome.

Evaluate sources

Each source you research you must ensure you evaluate this source using the process on the following page.

Authority – Who is responsible for presenting this information?

Who has written or provided this information and can you check their qualifications?
Is the information from an ‘expert’ in this field?

Accuracy – Is the information accurate, can it be proven and verified?

Is the information correct?
Can you check the accuracy of information through links, footnotes and bibliography?

Objectivity – Is the information based on facts, things you can observe or based more on opinions and emotions? Is it from just one point-of-view?

Is there personal bias?
Can you verify that facts, statistics and links to sources are accurate and truthful?

Currency – How old is the information and is this important?

Has the author(s) provided a date for when the information was written?
Has the information been revised or updated, and if so, when?

Ensure you document your source evaluation in your process journal . (See process journal exemplar for an example of how you can document this.)

In your process journal ensure you reflect on how your research skills have developed over the duration of the project. Ensure you document how you have shared your research skills to help your peers as they progressed through their projects too.

Here is a video tutorial to reinforce the information above:

Objective B: Planning

(Supporting document for Planning: Process Journal Exemplar – Planning )

Develop criteria for your product/outcome

Now that you have set your goal, defined the global context for your project and completed your research – you need to transfer this into criteria for success for your project.

In order to develop criteria for your project you need to develop a set of specifications for your product/outcome.

When creating your specifications ask yourself the following questions:

How will I know when I have achieved my goal?
How can I judge the quality of my product/outcome?

You need to create a minimum of five rigorous specifications for your criteria.

When creating your specifications you can consider the following options:

You now need to transfer your specifications in a draft form in your process journal and once your supervisor has approved this, write the final copy in your criteria for success rubric breaking down each specification from excellent to limited. (See process journal exemplar for what the criteria for success rubric should look like.)

Develop a plan and development process

In your process journal create a timeline or Gantt Chart (see personal project exemplar for example of a Gantt Chart) for the completion of your Personal Project.

Your timeline needs to include the following:

due dates for each segment of the Personal Project
meetings with supervisor
incremental stages for the completion of your product/outcome
how you will manage your time to complete your personal project (for e.g. balancing sports with school work, etc.)
draft of report
final copy of report
submission of whole personal project – process journal, report and product/outcome.

As you progress through the creation of your project, ensure you document your progress and how you are keeping to your plan.

(Disclaimer: the process journal exemplar for develop a plan and development process is very limited, you need to expand on this with much more detail.)

Demonstrate self-management skills

In your process journal you need to ensure you document your self-management skills as you create your product/outcome.

The next section of your personal project is to place your goal into action . As you create your product/outcome you need to continuously reflect on and document your developing ability to:

Organisational skills:

Meet deadlines
Stick to your goal
Maintain your process journal with regular updates
Select and use technology effectively and productively

Affective skills:

Mindfulness – practise strategies to overcome distractions and maintain mental focus
Perseverance – demonstrate persistence and perseverance
Self-motivation – practise analysing and attributing causes for failure and practise positive thinking

Reflection skills:

Develop new skills, techniques and strategies for effective learning
Keep a journal to record reflections
Identify strengths and weaknesses of personal learning strategies (self-assessment)

In your process journal, document your reflection. Be honest, explain how you have overcome self-management difficulties and reflect on how you can continue to have self-management success.

If you need further information on mindfulness and positive thinking strategies see our College Director of Positive Psychology, Mr Boyce or our College Chaplain, Pastor Andrew.

Objective C: Taking action

(Supporting document for Taking Action: Process Journal Exemplar – Taking Action )

Create a product/outcome in response to the goal, context and criteria

Here is the part of your personal project where you place your investigation and planning into action.

In your process journal you need to ensure you document the creation of your product/outcome. You need to ensure you take regular photographs and annotate these in your process journal.

Demonstrate thinking skills

As you progress through creating your product/outcome you need to document the following:

Problems you encountered and how you critically and creatively solved these problems
How you have transferred and applied information to make decisions when creating your product/outcome (explicitly explain at least 2 primary sources and at least 4 secondary sources – how have you applied this research to your product/outcome?)
Skills you developed as you created your product/outcome
How your prior-learning informed the creation of your product/outcome
How your knowledge and skills have grown throughout the creation of your product/outcome
How have you designed improvements

Demonstrate communication and social skills

Communication with experts and how their advice informed the creation of your product/outcome (make sure you document communication as evidence)
Communication with your supervisor and how their feedback informed the completion of your Personal Project (make sure you save all emails and record Skype sessions, etc.)
How you have read a variety of sources for information on your personal project
How you have transferred information given through communication to your product/outcome
How you have made inferences and drawn conclusions.

Objective D: Reflecting

(Supporting document for Reflecting: Process Journal Exemplar – Reflecting )

Evaluate the quality of the product/outcome against their criteria

For this section of your personal project you need to refer back to your specifications and criteria for success rubric that you created and have been seeking to achieve as you took action to create your product/outcome.

Using a highlighter, highlight in your process journal what you think your product/outcome has achieved against the specifications you have set.

You now need to provide a justification of why you have given yourself the grade against the specification. This needs to be documented in your process journal . If you have not achieved the top achievement levels you need to justify why and explain how you can improve your product/outcome so you can achieve the top achievement level.

Reflect on how completing the personal project has extended your knowledge and understanding of the topic and the global context

In your process journal respond in detail to the following questions:

how has completing the personal project extended your knowledge and understanding of the topic of your product/outcome?
how has completing the personal project extended your knowledge and understanding of the global context you have chosen?

Reflect on development as a learner

In order to respond to this part of your reflection choose at least 2 of the learner profile attributes in the following table and in your process journal reflect on how you have developed the characteristics of the learner profiles of your choice as you have progressed through the personal project.

Writing your personal project report

(Supporting document for Report: Personal Project Report Exemplar )

(MYP Personal Project Assessment Criteria: Personal Project Assessment Criteria )

Now that you have created your product/outcome and reflected and documented each step of the personal project inquiry cycle, you now need to transfer this information to your personal project report. This is a formal piece of writing that provides a report on the completion of your personal project. The word count is 1500 words to 3500 words.

Using your personal project report graphic organiser you need to respond to each heading using the information you have gathered in your process journal.

Personal project report checklist

To achieve at your very best in the personal project report, ensure you address each dot point in the personal project report checklist.

Criteria A: Investigating

Criteria B: Planning

Criteria C: Taking action

Criteria D: Reflecting

Ensure you provide a bibliography and an appendix. (See Bibliography guide for examples of how you need to structure your bibliography.)

Ensure you double-check your report for spelling and punctuation errors.

Once you have finished your report, you need to email this to your personal project supervisor for their feedback and when they have responded with feedback you need to update your report according to their feedback.

Submission and Exhibition

You need to submit the following to the MYP Coordinator’s office. On the bookshelf in the office there are alphabetically organised boxes, you need to place the following in the box (ensure all parts of your project are collated into a file of sorts or clipped together ):

Process journal (if electronic either printed out, uploaded to Coneqt or provide a url address for your process journal if this is a blog or website)
Academic honesty form, signed by yourself and your supervisor
Product or evidence of outcome (if you product is very large in size, please see Ms England to make a special arrangement for storage, delivery, etc.)

The week prior to your exhibition and awards evening, ensure you have pictures, headings, artefacts, etc., organised so when your rostered time comes to prepare your exhibition space you are ready to simply spend 20-minutes preparing your exhibition space.

Congratulations – you have officially finished your personal project!!

*Your final standardised grade will be submitted via Seqta.

References:

MYP: From principles into practice, 2014

Projects subject guide, 2014

Further guidance for MYP projects, 2015

Laura, you have done an amazing job in synthesising the PP experience. Not only have you made it engaging and meaningful by allowing for students’ voice, but you have also elevated the value of the experience by including resources for each stage of the process. I cannot think of anything more thorough. What I love the most about the post is that it talks to students and how it encouraged them to reach for the best by showing them the what and how. I am preparing my ATL in PP presentation for grade 9 (MYP 4), and I want to thank you for helping me think of a way to do it. I will make sure to share. Gracias.

Thank you. You are more than welcome to use all the resources. I’m currently planning our Marvel themed Year 9 Personal Project Inquiry Day. Our quest: the acquisition of knowledge and the preservation of academic honesty. Should be oodles of fun 🙂

Reblogged this on misslauraengland and commented:

Updated step-by-step guide to completing the MYP Personal Project.

Your website is amazing and has been a great help to our school as we have updated our PP handbook. Thank you so much for the permission to use your resources! In the last section of the guide you refer to a ‘personal project report graphic organiser’. Would you mind sharing that? akaaras ‘at’ desertacademy.org

Again, thank you so much for your engaging and thorough work!

Sorry for the late reply – I’m just learning how to use WordPress – so far I’ve been leaving comments in the incorrect place. I’ve emailed you the report graphic organiser. It is nothing special – just how our school logo and a general layout. The bulk of the layout is on the blog post here. Thanks for your positive feedback 🙂 Laura

This is amazing. I am trying to set up something similar for my students doing their first IB Community Project. Is there any way that you might possibly want to share your format and resources with me? It’s incredible and sure would save us a lot of time. Also, have you set up a template using a google.doc? I’m wondering how much support I give them for their process journal, and how much I let them go it alone to show independence? Any suggestions? jsims “at” sandi.net.

Hi Jenny – sorry, I’m just getting used to this – I have replied below 🙂

Like Liked by 1 person

Hi Jenny, Of course – we are so happy to share! We actually don’t use any other resources other than what is on the blog that has been transferred to our College intranet for the students to use. We used to have booklets, but I felt they were restrictive and required too much paper. So all their thoughts, ideas, planning and each criteria step-by-step as listed above goes in their process journals.

I have no rule on the process journal – we have some using a Facebook page, Trello page, Wikispace, notebook, Visual Art diary, etc. – we leave it entirely up to them. Myself and our Teacher-Librarian hold 5-6 workshops over the 8.5 month period we give the children to complete the project and these just unpack research skills, ATL skills, reflection skills. Everything else is communicated through the supervisors. This can be tricky – that is why I created this guide as our busy supervisors can easily access and know what is next for the students.

Here is a recording of the parent information session that I held several months ago and uploaded to our intranet so parents who were unable to attend can access this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXM7QdKZo0o (I really hate public speaking, so please excuse the lack of toastmasters training here).

I will upload some samples of last years Personal Project (just need to black out names) to my Google Drive and add you to my circle so you can access. This was our first attempt at the new objectives so – we considered this group our Next Chapter guinea pigs 🙂

I hope this helps a bit.

Congratulations, Laura, on this wonderful page! Your students get excellent guidance in the PP. Thank you for making all this available to the MYP community. We are new to the PP project and gaining some insight ourselves before introducing it to students is very valuable. There’s obviously a lot of hard work and experience in this, so once again, many thanks!

Hi Lambrini – I’ve just replied below! Just learning this WordPress biz!

Your welcome Lambrini – glad to be of help! We have found this process to greatly help our students in developing as independent learners. 🙂

Dear Laura,

Hats off to you!!! Amazing work and thank you for sharing, it has helped me think about how i can make the experience interesting for my students as I am in the process of designing my Handbook and am looking for ways to improve it.

Regards Gurpreet

Thanks Gurpreet – glad to have been of help. I know what a big task this can be. 🙂 Laura

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Laura, This is a great resource! May I use these resources for my class? I will attribute you, this is not-for-profit.

Hi Bill, of course you can! No mention of me is necessary – just take all you need and adjust to your setting as you see fit. I’ll be adjusting this next week after a couple of Personal Project workshops with our Year 10’s – will post my updates and you are more than welcome to use that one too. Laura.

The kids found the whole criteria bit very easy to understand, when presented in your style. I really appreciate the effort that would have gone in when you would have created this.

Cheers Gurpreet

You are welcome 🙂 I’ll update this shortly for you all!

Thank you so much for this amazing resource. I have used it to modify our own PP checklists and resources. My students are absolutely loving using the Gantt Chart apps for Google Calendar and the exemplars you provided are so clear (what great take-aways). Thanks again!

You’re welcome – glad to be of help!

Hi! I wanted to share how I’ve been using all of the amazing tools you have here. My students and I have created a Personal Project Support website with everything students need to succeed ( https://sites.google.com/a/chatsworth.com.sg/ib-myp-personal-project/ ). We have credited your examples/tools, and want to thank you again for all of the resources & inspiration! Anyone, please feel free to use/share/borrow!

Wow Laura! Such an accomplishment. You discovered how to make this task easily accessible to students. I do have one question though, regarding the Journal Extracts: I noticed this was not mentioned in your guide, however the project guide states that the appendix to the report consists of 10 pages containing: “carefully selected process journal extracts that exemplify the knowledge, process and skills developed through the project” So would this be something you that would add to: Writing your Report Step2, along with the bibliography?

Hi Amal, This approach has greatly helped us manage the large nature of the Personal Project. I am updating this over the next couple of weeks now that we have all projects submitted. Our students know that all their work is in their process journals. We remind them consistently for ensure evidence, evidence, evidence and documentation of all thinking is to go into the process journal. And yes, you are correct. I need to add this in to the document. I have created an updated one on our Intranet and am talking with the kids upon completion to include their process journal extracts as well. It is such a great project for our kids. Laura

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Hi Laura, I am fascinated by your ‘Marvel themed PP Inquiry Day’ – is there any chance you might be able to share more details regarding this please.

Hi Rebecca, what is your email address? I can send you through our running sheet for the day. 🙂

Hi Laura, Thanks so much for that, my email is rmurray ‘at’ helena.wa.edu.au Would you be able to also add me to your google drive as mentioned in the reply to Jenny dated 24 October last year. Regards Rebecca

Hi Laura, Thanks to a friend of mine, I came across your blog and I must say that it will help me a lot. As Rafael said, it talks to the students and that’s simply the best. I am PP coordinator this year ( a newborn 😉 )and if it is fine with you, I would like to use (with credit of course) your resources. I also wonder what is your “Marvel themed PP Inquiry day” ;-)).

Hi, of course you can – you are more than welcome too! I’ve actually created an updated version so will upload shortly. Happy to Skype re: Marvel themed day 🙂

I will stay tuned ;-))

Hi Laura. As others have stated, I have found this blog extremely helpful. As the PP coordinator for our school would you be okay with me using (with credit) parts of your blog? I know the kids would definitely benefit from it. Thanks! Kim

Hi Kim, you are more than welcome to. I have an updated post that I need to pop up – will do so soon for you! No reference to me is necessary, just happy to share and be of help. Laura.

Hello Laura I responded to your blog in July 2015 and since then I adapted your guide for the Personal Project program at my school. i just wanted to thank you once again. Your approach makes the process so much more understandable and user friendly for students.

Your willingness to share your work with others is inspiring.

Many many thanks Charmaine

Hi Charmaine, you are so welcome! The update on my to-do list just keeps getting pushed to the bottom of my list sadly! I’ll try and get onto it ASAP!!!!

Hi Laura, Thanks a lot for making it so easy for me to explain the personal project to my students. Highly appreciate your efforts. Regards, Rushini

Hi Rushini, you are more than welcome 🙂

Wow – this is a brilliant site! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂

What a wonderful job. It gives a true sense of what is the role of people on this planet. I congartulate you and wish you every success. I am an engaged Dad, trying to steer his Grade 10 son in the right direction. Your work came up as a life boat in the middle of the sea…many thanks. If you may add me to your circles please, so we can keep up with the fast pace of your updates, I would be ever so grateful.

My warmest regards. Boualem

Hi Laura, What a wonderful piece of work. To me it comes as a life jacket in the middle of the ocean. Thank you very much for sharing, and giving the true sense of what we are on this planet for. I am a father of a Gr 10 boy, embarking on this same journey for the next few months and will do my best to provide him with all the support he needs. Can I ask you please to add me to your circles so we can keep up with your updates?

My warmest regards from Dubai,

Happy to be of any help! I updated this last week and and it is my latest post. Enjoy 🙂

Hello there, This is our first year working on the PP. You can imagine how our teachers are… a bit overwhelmed. Thank you so much for sharing your PP process. This will help them understand better what is expected. Thanks again! Enid

Hi Enid – you are so welcome 🙂 I have updated this site with a new Guide to the PP after we have reflected on, engaged in a CAT3 PD and had our first cohort moderated. We have made a few adjustments. Enjoy, Laura

Make sure you use the updated guide on my blog – as we reflected and have modified 🙂

Thanks ur a legend

Thank you so much for this amazing information it helped me tons. But what do we do for our research? I need big help with that.

can u explain me how did u make your mind map because I don’t get it like why did u write woodwork and some fitness things, pls explain It would be really helpful thx in advance

oh I am sorry just got confused with somethings, I got it now

thx, srry to disturb

this is brilliant! Thanks.

This was really helpful.

Hi Laura. Thank you for sharing all this information. I am tutoring a student who had to leave school for health reasons and has only 6 weeks to prepare (outside of school) to take semester exams to get credit for her semester. She also has to do the MYP Personal Project (beginning to end) in these 6 weeks. I am going to help her do this even though I’ve never done this before. Could you add me to your google drive circle so I can see access samples of previous Projects, please? I’m desperate for any help.

Hi Janie, More than happy to – just flick me through your email address 🙂

[email protected] Thank you! 😊

Hello Laura,

I am a new coordinator in Mumbai, India. I cannot thank you enough for being so generous with your resources. I have used your resources to create a MYP PP student handbook for my school and your name will shine high up in the credits page-A million thanks-You are a saviour : )

Hi Priya, no credit needed – just glad this is of use 🙂

Great work! I am thankful to you from the bottom of my heart.It was so helpful and informative.The best thing is I got to know A-Z of personal project at one place and this saved so much of my time which is the most important thing in today’s scenario!!! Could you also add me to your google drive circle so that I can seeand access samples of previous Projects.I will be really grateful Miss Laura!

Hi Seema, you are very welcome. Glad to be of help and helping you save time too 🙂 always a bonus.

Laura great detailing for the Personal Project learners, my students of MYP Year 5 are also using your guide.

Thrilled! I’ll update these shortly and send them through 🙂

I would love to use this process with a group of photographers that I am leading in an annual person project! Is there any chance I can use your info? I am happy to give you credit for it! I would love if there is a place I could download this as worksheets to then adapt to photography specifically! If you would be willing to help us here is our FB page for my info on the group. Our 1st meeting is on Tuesday Jan 9th, where we will begin the process of looking at what our personal project journey looks like. Photo Club PDX https://www.facebook.com/groups/photoclubpdx/about/ my email is [email protected] . Thank you so much for your consideration and for this wonderful work!

Sincerely, Angela Holm (Angela Holm Photography)

Hi Angela, you are more than welcome to. No credit is necessary, it’s the MYP Projects cycle! Enjoy the photography club.

Hi, Laura, this helped me a lot in my personal project but I am not able to open the final report as it says the file could not be reached. Can you please try to re-upload it?

Hi Sid, I will need to investigate this. Will let you know when I’ve figured out what is going on 🙂

amazing thank you

Hi Laura 🙂 Thank you for the great work! it is amazing It will definitely help me and you gave me lots of ideas. Thank you:) I have created a mindmap for the whole process I can share it with you. my email: [email protected]

Thank you! I am new to the MYP program and seeing this all laid out was amazingly helpful. I will be borrowing!!

Thrilled to be of help! There is an updated version in one of my recent posts: Caring Practitioners.

This is absolutely amazing! I am a PP Coordinator and would love to recommend this blog to my kids. I’ve provided a lot of documents and information for Y5 kids at my school, but always struggle explaining how to best approach the project. This lays it out so well! Would you mind if I used some of your info and also shared this blog with supervisors and kids?

Hi James, you are more than welcome to! There is an updated version in more recent blog posts – Caring Practitioners post is the latest! We also have a By Concept Book – Personal Project Skills for Success being released in 9 days time too 🙂 you are welcome to use all that you need – no credit is necessary.

As a MYP student in grade 10, I really want to thank you for helping me understand more on the personal project. I couldn’t understand a single bit when the personal project co-ordinator came over and discussed the project with us, with the exception of the criterions. Thank you so much, again, for clearing up things for me! Forever grateful.

You are very welcome. Thank you for your kind words.

Congratulations on doing such an amazing job with documenting the Personal Project student journey and the role of the teacher / supervisor in supporting students.

I applaud you for taking the time to put this together and for being willing to share this with the international teaching community.

I am the MYP Coordinator at a new candidate MYP school in Dubai and have found the information you have provided very helpful and useful as we embark on our PP process for our current Grade 9 cohort.

I was wondering if you will mind if I used the information and resources you have created with my school community?

Hi Dave, you are so welcome to all the resources. There are more recent posts that have updated information. I’ve also written a book called Skills for Success: Personal Project – and it is much more helpful! You are welcome to use all the resources (YouTube included) no credit for myself is necessary 🙂

This site certainly has all of the information I needed concerning this subject and didn’t know who to ask.

Glad to be of help! We’ve published a book too – available on Amazon 🙂

Thank you miss Laura. I have been using your guide throughout my PP journey. Is it possible for me to contact you through E-mail? If yes, please drop in a mail at this email id- [email protected] . I require some help for my pp.

Hey! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this guide, it’s of so much use even 6 years later! I’m 4 months into the personal project and I have just discovered the need for the global context. My school didn’t provide much guidance for us and both of my supervisors resigned. Once again, thank you sooo much!

Hi 🙂 I’m so glad to be of help! There have been some big changes to the Personal Project and we have just finished the final edits to the second edition of our book. It is titled MYP 4&5 Skills for Success: Personal Project and will be released on August 27th.

How to Write Your PERSONAL PROJECT Report in a Weekend (2022)

Updated: Oct 12, 2022

Personal Project Guide (MYP 2021 2022 Edition Updated):

How to write your ib myp pp report and get top marks.

PART 1: Structure of 2022 PP REPORT

Your MYP personal project report should demonstrate your engagement with your personal project by summarizing the experiences and skills recorded throughout the process and be presented succinctly.

The report should be presented in three sections, based on the objectives and strands (a) planning, (b) applying skills, and (c) reflecting and provide evidence for all the strands of all criteria.

Max 15 pages (5 pages for each section)

PART 2: Requirements of 2022 PP REPORT

Other requirements laid out in the Personal Project Guide:

To ensure that the written part of the report is clearly legible, each page must have a minimum 11-point font size and 2 cm margins.

Evidence presented in images must be clearly visible at the size submitted.

Audio and video must be recorded and submitted in real-time.

The bibliography is uploaded separately and is not included in the page limit.

Please do not include a title page; if included, it will count towards the page limit.

Criterion A: Planning (5 PAGES)

Criterion A i. states a LEARNING GOAL and explains the connection between personal interest(s) and that goal

Your LEARNING GOAL should be a clear and concise statement/paragraph. Your LEARNING GOAL should be measurable, observable, manageable and meaningful. Your LEARNING GOAL should be an identified action that can be demonstrated in terms of knowledge, skills, and attitudes upon completion of a project.

Your LEARNING GOAL statement/paragraph should then be expanded upon and aim to address some of these key elements:

WHAT skills are you planning to develop through this project?

WHAT knowledge do you hope to increase as you work on your project?

WHY are you doing this (what need will this fulfil? what is the purpose)?

HOW will your learning goal be demonstrated?

WHAT degree of mastery is required to meet this learning goal?

WHAT are you specifically planning to learn through this project?

WHICH strategies might you employ to achieve your personal and academic goals

An excellent idea is to support your learning goal with a well-written project DESIGN BRIEF paragraph. Your DESIGN BRIEF should include some of these key elements:

WHAT are you specifically going to make/build/do/perform?

WHERE will your end product/project be situated (provide context)?

WHEN will your project be completed (Students should set an overall goal that can be achieved within 25 hours).

WHO is your target audience? WHO will see/use your product/project? WHO are the key stakeholders involved?

WHAT materials/resources/tools will be used when creating, making and building your project?

Connect your DESIGN BRIEF and your LEARNING GOAL - explain in a paragraph how the project and learning goals are in sync.

Clearly identify the topic/focus and provide evidence that this TOPIC/FOCUS REALLY INTEREST YOU and that you want to learn more about this topic. This element of the assessment criterion can be addressed by:

Clearly identify your prior learning - identify skills and your level of knowledge of this topic/focus

Considering that Criterion C should be directly linked to this section -- In Criterion A you paint a clear picture of your skill level and knowledge level... then in Criterion C you outline how your skills level has increased and your knowledge has increased. From A to C there should be clearly identified and measurable growth.

Linking your project to classes/courses you have taken in the past to convince the reader that TOPIC/FOCUS REALLY INTEREST YOU (e.g. a global context that your found particularly compelling in Science, a service as action experience that you would like to build on, a specific topic/unit that you found very interesting in Design can wish to explore further, explain how you have learnt piano for 4 years at Jenny's Music School and I and a level 3 and can play 14 songs off by heart and wish to move to level 4 and increase the number of songs in your repertoire 28, etc.)

Convincing the reader that this TOPIC/FOCUS REALLY INTEREST YOU and that you indeed possess intrinsic motivation to work hard on this chosen project.

Convincing the reader that your LEARNING GOAL for the project is linked to a TOPIC/FOCUS REALLY INTEREST YOU.

Providing a list (brainstorm list) and/or diagram (mind map) of all your interests and then explain how you chose TOPIC/FOCUS and it REALLY INTEREST YOU and related LEARNING GOAL from your long list of interests.

The above image demonstrates that I have been playing the Piano and have had a love for music since a very early age.

The above image is a mindmap I created when I was searching for a topic for the Personal Project, this is a mindmap of all my interests.

The above image shows that I am a beginner level with Python coding and my learning goal is to build on this and get to level 3

Criterion A ii. state an intended product and develop appropriate success criteria for the product

DESIGN BRIEF - start with your well-written design brief

Create a list of SUCCESS CRITERIA / DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS specific assessment specifications/criteria for your product. Identify key design specifications; explain WHO will test each specification/criterion; explain HOW each criterion will be measured/evaluated and JUSTIFY each specification/criterion with RESEARCH. (e.g. I will make a video that will be 3-5min -- this will be measured by my supervisor in May and if the video is between 3-5 this will be a PASS, otherwise it will be judged FAIL. According to XXX research 3-5min is the optimal time for a short video because YYY)

Pro-Tip - RESEARCH and find how to measure success for your product (e.g. how to judge a pizza, how to critique a short video, how to measure the success of a piano recital) and use this as a guide when you create your own list of success criteria.

Pro-Tip - create a design specification table with these columns:

Design specification

Explanation of specification

Justification of this specification linked to research

How the specification will be tested, measured and by whom

Criterion C will be directly linked to this section when you evaluate the success of your product.

SpecificationDescription & link to research analysisTest Aesthetics: Modern and MinimalI made this choice because my client likes this style and because he values practicality more than style and he also wants the chair to blend in with many different styles.Testing from the client in which he will give a rating between 1-5 which will be test by looking at the chair in detail.Cost: 900 bahtAccording to research, the average price of a modern chair is about 1000 baht but because they don't care about the materials used to make a chair. The material used can be a lower grade but be cautious that the materials still have to be good enough for the client.Testing by calculating the cost of the material used to make a chair while also keeping track of the budget.ErgonomicsThere are many ways that a chair can be made comfortable. One of these ways is about the materials of the chair. The angle of the chair also matters because it determines how the client sits and also the posture of the client. https://www.chairoffice.co.uk/blog/the-ergonomics-of-a-chair-explained/ https://ehs.unc.edu/workplace-safety/ergonomics/office/ Testing from the client to see if the chair is comfortable or not by having the client sit on the chair for a period of time to see if the chair affects the posture or gives any pain to the client.SustainabilityThis chair will be made out of wood because it doesn’t hurt the environment as opposed to plastic which is very harmful to the environment. The chair will also be put together using different types of joints and metal nails and screws. Non toxic glue. But the only place where plastic or rubber will be used is for the stopper so that the chair doesn’t wobble. https://www.mymove.com/home-inspiration/decoration-design-ideas/the-ultimate-guide-to-sustainable-furniture/#:~:text=The%20best%20sustainable%20furniture%20choices%20are%20created%20from%20recycled%20items,for%20furniture%20and%20home%20decor .Testing from the client and creator by researching the sustainability of each material and the consequences of using the material to see if it’s harmful to the environment or not.SafetyWhen building the chair, be sure that there will be no sharp edges, splinters, and any other things that can hurt the client. The chair also has to be stable so that when the client is sitting, he/she doesn’t fall backward. https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/workstation-health-and-safety-desks-chairs-and-posture Testing from the creator and the client by sitting on it to see if the chair has any place which can be considered harmful to the client.FunctionA chair made for sitting in which the chair will be used in the study room or bedroom.Testing from the client where he/she will judge whether the chair suits the surroundings or not.MaterialsThis chair will be made mostly out of wood which can be found in Thailand.Testing from the designer by testing each material and comparing it to other specifications.PracticalityThe chair should be light and portable while also giving comfort and functionality.Testing from the designer and client by doing a series of tests which involve moving the chair around to test if the chair is movable or not.ComfortEven though the chair will be made from wood, the chair will include a cushion which will give the client more comfort. https://www.onyamagazine.com/australian-affairs/comfort-or-practicality-can-you-really-have-both-when-purchasing-office-chairs/ Testing from the designer and client by sitting on the chair and giving a rating of 1-5 where 1 is the least comfortable and 5 is the most comfortable

Criterion A iii. present a clear, detailed plan for achieving the product and its associated success criteria.

Your DETAILED PLAN needs a clear reference to TIME &/or your due-dates list. (when will each task take place and how much time is allocated (23rd March | 2hrs)). Create yourself a timeline for completing short- and long-term tasks.

The emphasis is a DETAILED PLAN of how you will create your PRODUCT - NOT a plan to write your report and NOT a plan to meet the learning goal). Your creating the PRODUCT DETAILED PLAN should be a how-to build guide; a step by step guide &/or a to-do list. It should be a clear series of steps leading to the completion of the product. Your plan should so clear and user-friendly that it be able to be understood and followed by a third party.

Pro-Tip - create a table or a Gantt chart or a Timeline or a Flow-Chart or a Table with these elements addressed:

Key steps - easy to understand and doable steps

Your plan needs a clear reference to TIME &/or your due-dates list. ((when will each task take place and how much time is allocated (23rd March | 2hrs)

Materials, Skills and Tools - what materials and tools do you need for each step (sketch several ideas for the main character of my storybook - sketching on paper, with pencils)

The above image outline my detailed plan for creating my product

Criterion B: Applying skills (5 Pages)

Criterion B i. explains how the ATL skill(s) was/were applied to help achieve their learning goal, supported with detailed examples or evidence

Above is an image that outlines all the ATL skills (add citation)

Research ATL skills and select each ATL skill that was applied to help you achieve your learning goal.

Identify the specific ATL skills;

explain the skills (link to research);

then provide clear examples/evidence of how you demonstrated and developed the ATL when learning.

1 - ATL Skill of Thinking & Researching - focus on Observation

2 - Observation Skills are the starting point for critical thinking. People who are observant can quickly sense and identify a new problem. Those skilled in observation are also capable of understanding why something might be a problem. They may even be able to predict when a problem might occur before it happens based on their experiences. (citation)

3 - Twice a week I observed my vegetable garden looking for insects, growth, soil quality, moisture blah blah blah and below is a picture of me inspecting the leaves of my coriander plant.

Above is an image me inspecting the leaves of my plant and demonstrating THINKING and RESEARCHING and OBSERVATION skills.

Criterion B ii. explains how the ATL skill(s) was/were applied to help achieve their product, supported with detailed examples or evidence.

Research ATL skills and select each ATL skill that was applied to help you build and create your product. Identify the specific ATL skills; explain the skills (link to research); then provide clear examples/evidence of how you demonstrated and developed the ATL when creating, designing and building your product.

Evidence of the ATLs (Developed and demonstrated)

Evidence might be: visual thinking diagrams, bulleted lists, charts, short paragraphs, notes, timelines, action plans, annotated illustrations, annotated research, artefacts from visits to museums, performances or galleries, pictures, photographs, sketches, up to 30 seconds of visual or audio material, screenshots of a blog of website, self and peer-assessment feedback.

List, explain and identify a range of Self-Management ATL skills - then provide evidence that you have developed/demonstrated each skill. Explain how each specific ATL skill had a positive effect on your Personal Project &/or you as a student.

Examples of research into the ATL skills of self-management skills identified and explained:

https://www.businessphrases.net/self-management-skills/

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/self-management-skills

https://www.careerizma.com/blog/self-management-skills/

Research "thinking skills" and identify 3-6 specific thinking skills you developed/demonstrated when working on your Personal Project.

Explain each specific thinking skill, then link this with some evidence of how well you developed/demonstrated these skills, then explain how each skill impacted you as a person OR impacted your project. (e.g. Critical Thinking Skills of Curiosity - explain what this is, identify how you demonstrated this skill and explain how it had a positive impact on your project OR you as a learner/student.)

Here are some thinking skills identified and explained:

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/collegesuccess2x30master/chapter/types-of-thinking/

https://open.lib.umn.edu/collegesuccess/chapter/3-1-types-of-thinking/

https://cetl.uconn.edu/resources/design-your-course/teaching-and-learning-techniques/critical-thinking-and-other-higher-order-thinking-skills/

Research "communication skills" and "social skills" and identify 3-6 specific skills you developed/demonstrated when working on your Personal Project.

Explain each specific communication/social skill, then link this with some evidence of how well you developed/demonstrated these skills, then explain how each skill impact you as a person OR impacted your project. (e.g. Empathy - Social Skill - explain what this is, identify how you demonstrated this skill and explain how it had a positive impact on your project OR you as a learner/student.)

A well structured, presented and written PP Report is imperative for top marks in Criterion CIII that focuses on communication skills.

Here are some communication and social skills identified and explained:

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/interpersonal-skills-list-2063724

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/interpersonal-skills

https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/

Criterion C: Reflecting (5 pages)

Criterion C i. explains the impact of the project on themselves or their learning

Revisit your LEARNING GOAL - Was well was it met? Provide evidence that it was met (measurable and observable evidence)

Revisit your prior knowledge level and skills level from Criterion AI then discuss how specific knowledge, from a variety of knowledge areas has increased because of the project. Identify some skills that have increased because of the Personal Project. For top marks, there needs to be clear evidence of growth.

Research "IB Learner Profile attributes" , and identify 2-3 LP attributes that you developed when working on your Personal Project, and how this has had a positive impact on you as a student.

Research "IB ATL skills" , and identify 2-3 ATL skills that you developed when working on your Personal Project, and how this has had a positive impact on you as a student.

Conclude with a general statement about your growth, as a result of the PP and how the PP has made you a better person and how the world is a better place because of your PP.

explain the impact of the project on themselves or their learning

support their comments with specific evidence or detailed examples.

Criterion C ii. evaluates the product based on the success criteria, fully supported with specific evidence or detailed examples.

SHOW YOUR PROJECT - share your product here

DESIGN BRIEF - Revisit your DESIGN BRIEF and compare it to the product you completed - did you meet the requirement of the DESIGN BRIEF ?

SUCCESS CRITERIA / DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS - When evaluating the product students should use their success criteria. Students should gather evidence to show the success of the product. Their evaluation should focus on what extent they achieved their goal. When evaluating the impact of the project (both the learning goal and the product), students might talk about how it impacted them personally or how it impacted others.

Examples of supporting evidence could include:

evaluation of the product against the success criteria

images showing key features of the product

analysis of the causes for success and/or failure

share data your collected from the test and analyse the data/scores/feedback and explain the data/scores/feedback

Discuss some things you could change/improve to make the outcome even better.