MYP Coordinator. PYP/MYP Physical Education Teacher. IBEN Workshop Leader.
Coordinating the Personal Project
November 25, 2024
Introduction
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The Personal Project, a cornerstone of the IB Middle Years Programme, is a passion of mine. As a seasoned Physical and Health Education teacher and MYP Coordinator, I have witnessed the transformative power of goal-setting, both in fostering individual growth and in the fulfillment that comes from achieving those goals. Leading the goal-setting process beyond the PHE context in my role of Personal Project Coordinator has been an incredibly rewarding experience. Personally, I enjoy the opportunity to connect with students in a classroom setting, as I do when leading the interdisciplinary learning. Now in my fifth year involved in the Personal Project, I have refined and identified methods that have led to a successful implementation of this year-long process as the coordinator. Most recently our MYP 5 cohort achieved results over a mark above world average. In this blog post, I will go through strategies I emphasize to ensure both students and my supervising teachers are put in a position to succeed.
Promoting Visible Thinking in Students
A successful Personal Project focuses on the ability of the student to clearly explain the learning and experiences as the process was completed. Encouraging students to make their thinking visible not only inspires deeper engagement but also helps them approach their final report with clarity and purpose.
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By integrating visible thinking strategies early, students can begin evidencing the seven assessment strands well before the writing stage. For example, kicking off the year with the creation of mind maps to explore Strand A.i—choosing a learning goal of personal interest—offers a strong starting point. This activity allows students to unpack their initial thoughts, consider multiple perspectives, and reflect on what truly motivates them.
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Additionally, mind maps provide teachers with insights into which students feel confident expressing their ideas and which may need additional support from the start. Students who are not confident stating an interest may struggle to maintain focus and motivation as this student-driven project gets underway. ​Being responsible for a digital journal also ensures that students make evidencing their process a priority without teacher instruction. Whether on Managebac, or a Google Folder, having students organize and save screenshots, notes, forms, and reflections provides a wealth of information that is easily accessible.
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In Criteria B, students must identify specific ATL skills they plan to utilize during the project. A few months into the process, they reflect on their use of these skills, provide evidence, and continue to share how ATLs are guiding their progress. By the time the product creation phase concludes and report writing begins, students should have a well-documented trail of their thinking and many continue to use mind maps and other graphic organizers. This visible record supports them in sharing their learning experiences effectively and addressing all aspects of the report with confidence.
Celebrating Student Success Throughout the Year
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To maintain student motivation, uplift their spirits, and build a sense of community it is important that student achievement is recognized and celebrated. This is done through a kickoff/celebration event shared on social media, sharing accomplishments throughout the year, and school displays.
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Our kickoff event and final presentation are the same event, taking place at the end of the school year in June. At this celebration, MYP 5 students share their passion with the community, showcasing their product and learning, alongside offering advice to the incoming students. MYP 4 students are in attendance, taking in the advice and seeing how the different aspects of the Personal Project come together into a final product and report. Following up the celebration, MYP 4 students take time to reflect on the presentations, and start to brainstorm their own ideas as they enter the summer holidays. Each year I have held these celebrations, attendance by the community has increased, demonstrating the importance and impact the Personal Project has on students and their desire to share it with their peers, friends, and family.
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In my Personal Project lessons I make it a priority to track their long-term plans and encourage students to share the short-term goals they are working towards and accomplishing as they move towards their learning and product goals. The sharing of these accomplishments leads to good discussions as students get to share their passion and learn about each other's projects. Fostering a sense of community, while each student works individually, is key to maintaining motivation and overcoming obstacles. No win is too small as the process unfolds.
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Finally, I maintain a display board in the main hall that has brief descriptions of each individual's projects, and update these with a QR code link to their completed product when that part of the process is completed and the report writing begins. With this board being near my office, it is nice to see the lower MYP grades read about the Personal Project and discuss what the MYP 5s are working on, and also see DP students reflect on what their project was when they completed this project. All together, the goal is to embed the Personal Project in the life of the school, community, and recognize the hard work and dedication students must consistently put in throughout the year.
Supervisor Use of MyIB
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MyIB is an excellent but often underutilized resource for IB teachers. Whether due to user-friendliness or the overwhelming number of links to sort through, many valuable supports and resources go unnoticed, especially regarding the Personal Project.
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Beyond the initial handbook for new supervisor orientation, MyIB offers teaching slides to support the implementation of each of the three criteria. While I now create my own slides to better suit the specific needs of my context and students, these resources provide an excellent overview of how to present expectations to students effectively.
My favorite part of the Personal Project section on MyIB is the sample reports that have been graded, providing detailed rationale for each selected band, and the “Assessing the MYP personal project” course where teachers can practice grading a Personal Project and receive instant feedback on their accuracy. Building these resources into our internal professional development has increased supervisors confidence supporting the report writing process and made our submissions to the IB for external grading more accurate. Teachers who understand the usefulness of MyIB and benefit from the resources will be more likely to seek it out for reasons beyond the Personal Project.
Clear Communication
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Clear communication is important in any teacher leadership role, but it becomes even more essential when overseeing the Personal Project, which spans the entire school year. Supervisors must navigate this process while balancing their teaching responsibilities and other daily roles. Finding the right balance between collaborative meetings, emails, and a detailed Google site is key to keeping supervisors informed without overloading them.
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1. Collaborative Meetings
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An initial meeting at the beginning of the year provides the opportunity for reflection on the previous year to take place, and to set the tone that this is a collaborative process where teachers can shape the experience and have a voice. With the goal of developing a culture of shared decision making, I use visible thinking routines to gain an understanding of areas of strength, areas of improvement, and where further focus in the year-long process is needed.
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A second collaborative meeting is held at the beginning of the second term, a time when students are in the last month of product creation. Student progress is discussed with teachers being able to share specific experiences for their supervised student(s). This meeting also allows for teachers to start discussions, answer questions about the report writing process, and ensure the right evidence will be focused on as students prepare. Each teacher is supervising the Personal Project from a different perspective so I aim to value their time spent in meetings.
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A third and final in-person collaborative meeting takes place upon submission of the final report with teacher supervisors who will be involved in the grading and standardizing process. Analysing MyIB practice papers, that I have used to shape student expectations, will allow the markers to be more confident grading our cohort. The virtual grading course on the platform also allows for instant feedback as we practice grading to ensure our marking aligns with the submissions to be externally graded.
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2. Emails
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Since the three collaborative meetings are spread out across terms, it’s essential to use emails strategically to keep teachers informed and engaged with the expectations and progress of MYP Year 5. To respect their time, I focus on sending concise emails that highlight the most important information and make it easily accessible. At the beginning of the year, I share a link to my internal Google Site and encourage teachers to bookmark it. With consistent, detailed emails I aim to not overwhelm teacher supervisors but ensure they have information needed to support their students when regular supervisor-student meetings takes place.
3. Google Site
This site serves as a centralized resource hub, containing my lesson slides, key objectives, the Personal Project Guide, and other relevant links. Each objective and slides presentation is dated so supervisors are aware of where exactly they are at in the process. Teachers can access the site as needed to stay informed about student expectations, which supports their one-on-one meetings and helps them hold students accountable throughout the Personal Project process.
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Each year looks a little different as the student body changes, but building a culture of clear communication, teacher voice, and consistency can continue to make the Personal Project a feature of our MYP program, not a burden.
Final Reflection
While the Personal Project is a requirement for the MYP, embedding the process and integrating it into the school community to promote positive outcomes requires stakeholders to work together. Student learning must be at the forefront, which requires their supervisors to feel confident and informed, and the Personal Project Coordinator to develop a plan that covers all aspects of the year. The Personal Project revolves around students being able to evidence a personally relevant and meaningful product, aligned with self-led learning. Reliant on intrinsic motivation, we must provide students with the tools to make their efforts visible and scaffold the organization to streamline their report writing process, and celebrate their determination!
As the Coordinator, each year I work alongside experienced supervisors confident in supporting the Personal Project, and teachers who are completely new to the IB and/or the project. Developing a collaborative process tailored to informing the supervisors, but not overwhelming anyone is essential. Through created resources, clear communication, and the use of MyIB, a personalized plan for professional development can be enacted that allows teachers and students to thrive together.
Each year the MYP 5 cohort has different interests and needs, but through these initiatives the Personal Project can be a positive and meaningful experience for the students.