What is it?
These are essential stages for the completion of your project: investigating, planning, taking action, reflecting and demonstrating. Note that it is designed in a cycle because it is a continuous process. At every stage, you are required to reflect on your progress, reevaluate your goals, and make adjustments where necessary in order to demonstrate what you have learned.
Service learning Model
(IBO Projects Guide 2014, p 18)
(IBO Projects Guide 2014, p 18)
INQUIRY (In the CP and PP)
In this stage of the project you will be required to:
- Decide what you want to learn about,
- Identify what you already know,
- Explore what you will need to research in order to effectively complete the project,
- Conduct research and evaluate the sources,
- Create proposals and/or criteria for your project,
- Plan your timeline for completion,
- Consider the resources you will require in order to complete the action,
- Record the development of your project in the process journal,
- Make decisions,
- Solve problems,
- Communicate with peers, supervisors, and the external community,
- Create the product or take action,
- Evaluate the product or outcome,
- Reflect on your learning and the project
You will need to select relevant and reliable sources in order to demonstrate your engagement in the inquiry phase. The number and type will obviously depend on the nature of your project; however, to reach the highest levels of achievement, you must select a range of sources, and a variety of source types.
During this phase, you will be required to utilize the ATLs relating to information and media literacy, in order to analyse the reliability of the sources.
Things to consider when evaluating a source:
- credibility of the author or publication
- currency - i.e. Is it recent?
- accuracy
- relevance
- intended audience
- objectivity of the source
ACTION (In the CP)
In the community project, action requires that you demonstrate some form of SUSTAINABLE service within a community. This is done by identifying a NEED within a specific COMMUNITY and finding ways in which you could assist that community in overcoming their need. The more long-term the effect of your service will be, the better.
You will need to decide which of the four types of action would be most suitable for your project. (You may choose more than one, but at least one must demonstrate that it is sustainable.)
The four types of action are:
You will need to decide which of the four types of action would be most suitable for your project. (You may choose more than one, but at least one must demonstrate that it is sustainable.)
The four types of action are:
- Direct Service - In this service type, you would physically get involved with helping out people, animals or the environment. For example: Walking dogs and cleaning their cages for a shelter.
- Indirect Service - In this service type, you would not have direct contact with the individuals, animals or environment; but the work you do will still benefit them. For example: redesigning the website for a non-profit organization to generate more online traffic and financial support.
- Advocacy - Through this form of action, you would lend your voice/s to speaking out on behalf of a specific cause; and ultimately create awareness about and support for that cause. For example: Creating a short anti-bullying film and educating fellow students about the effects of bullying.
- Research - This type of action requires that you conduct research about an issue through varied sources, and data analysis. You would then need to report your findings to the policy makers within the community in order to encourage them to change their policies or practices. For example: Conducting a study of food wastage within your school, and suggesting means to reduce waste, and recycle.
ACTION (In the PP)
In the personal project, action does not have to be performed in service of a community. Action in the PP involves a wide range of means in order to create a product.
Ways in which this could be accomplished include:
Ways in which this could be accomplished include:
- developing an area of personal interest beyond the subject-specific curriculum
- sharing your new understandings with peers, teachers, family or the external community
- changing your behaviour/s in response to your learning, and reflecting on those changes.
REFLECTION (In the CP and PP)
As mentioned above, reflection forms an integral part of the process at every stage of the project. You should be constantly referring to the goals/criteria you have designed for your project in order to determine whether or not you are on track.
Your reflection should be recorded in your process journal entries, as well as in your final presentation. With the personal project, you will also be required to reflect in the final report. The report is not a requirement of the community project.
Your reflection should be recorded in your process journal entries, as well as in your final presentation. With the personal project, you will also be required to reflect in the final report. The report is not a requirement of the community project.