Step 1: Identify the need, community & goal
During this step you may have to conduct some RESEARCH about various communities. Think about conducting surveys, looking at newspapers articles and speaking to members of the local community to get ideas.
A need can be defined as a condition or situation in which something is required or wanted; a duty or obligation; or a lack of something requisite, desirable or useful.
The community may be local, national, virtual or global. There are a wide range of definitions of community. Have a look at this table to get some ideas:
A need can be defined as a condition or situation in which something is required or wanted; a duty or obligation; or a lack of something requisite, desirable or useful.
The community may be local, national, virtual or global. There are a wide range of definitions of community. Have a look at this table to get some ideas:
Community |
Examples |
A group of people living in the same place |
|
A group of people sharing particular characteristics, beliefs and/or values |
|
A body of nations or states unified by common interests |
|
A group of interdependent plants or animals growing or living together in a specified habitat |
|
(IBO Projects Guide 2014, p 30)
* Note: Think carefully about your own personal interests when selecting your community and need. For example; if you are scared of animals, then volunteering to work at an animal shelter may not be the best option for you, unless you are wanting to challenge yourself to overcome your fears.
Ultimately, you need to see this project through and demonstrate SUSTAINABLE action, so make sure you are happy with your selection.
Ultimately, you need to see this project through and demonstrate SUSTAINABLE action, so make sure you are happy with your selection.
Some examples of goals may be:
- to raise awareness
- to participate actively
- to research
- to inform others
- to create/innovate
- to change behaviours
- to advocate
When deciding your goal, you will need to determine what type of action you wish to take.
You should make a reasonable evaluation of how you might address the need in the community. You should feel empowered by a goal you can reasonably achieve in the suggested time frame of the project. Whether a project is appropriately challenging is determined by YOU, but should be guided by the supervisor. (What is labeled as too ambitious or limited for a group may be accessible or challenging for another).
You can involve teachers or other appropriate people as resources, but the project must be completed by you. Goals set by you/ your group need to demonstrate that they are highly challenging for you. You will need to explain in the presentation/report how and why this goal would be highly challenging for you as an individual or group.
Here is a table to demonstrate how a challenging goal could be adapted to be highly challenging.
You can involve teachers or other appropriate people as resources, but the project must be completed by you. Goals set by you/ your group need to demonstrate that they are highly challenging for you. You will need to explain in the presentation/report how and why this goal would be highly challenging for you as an individual or group.
Here is a table to demonstrate how a challenging goal could be adapted to be highly challenging.
Challenging goal |
Highly challenging goal |
Students recognize an issue of cyber-bullying among the school community and raise awareness through an information campaign. |
Students instigate a change in the disciplinary procedures taken against cyber-bullying among school peers, through negotiations with various school stakeholders. |
A student hears the local children’s hospital is understaffed and volunteers his or her services for a set period of time. |
A student creates a puppet show to entertain children and to tour several schools and hospitals. |
Students think their school needs to support a local autism society next door to the campus, so they design and create a children’s story to educate students on what autism is. |
Students work with the autism society members to write and publish a children’s story together, which is then showcased at the school’s open day, hosted by students and society members. |
Students raise awareness of the need for blood donation at a local hospital or clinic. |
Students organize a blood drive to be held at their school during student-led conferences. |
(IBO Projects Guide 2014, p 30)
Step 2: Select the global context
The global context chosen by you provides a context for inquiry and research in the project. You should choose only one global context to define your goal. In most cases, other global contexts may be relevant, but the identification of one context will give your project a specific focus.
In the presentation/report, you must explain IN DETAIL how the Global Context is linked to your goal. Start by focusing on the Global Context descriptor. Look at each strand and determine whether or not it can be linked to your topic. Discuss all the ones which can relate.
Here are some examples of various goals which have been linked to a specific global context:
In the presentation/report, you must explain IN DETAIL how the Global Context is linked to your goal. Start by focusing on the Global Context descriptor. Look at each strand and determine whether or not it can be linked to your topic. Discuss all the ones which can relate.
Here are some examples of various goals which have been linked to a specific global context:
The goal |
A need |
A community |
Global context |
To raise awareness |
Freedom of expression |
A nation perceived as politically oppressed |
Personal and cultural expression |
To participate actively |
Trained working dogs |
Special needs community |
Identities and relationships |
To research |
Access to clean drinking water |
Pacific island countries |
Orientation in space and time |
To inform others |
(Access to) medical provisions |
Various socio-economic groups |
Fairness and development |
To create/innovate |
Medical advances |
Support group for cancer patients |
Scientific and technical innovation |
To change behaviours |
Social acceptance |
The school community of teachers and students |
Identities and relationships |
To advocate |
Modernization of local methods of waste management |
The local population as it prepares for a national event |
Globalization and sustainability |
(IBO Projects Guide 2014, p 31)
Step 3: Determine the proposal for action
When you are clear on what you want to achieve and the service as action of your project, you will be in a position to determine the proposal.
You will need to plan specific tasks or activities to complete to develop your project. Use checklists, rubrics, timelines, flow charts or other strategies to prepare your proposal. You will need to demonstrate in a process journal entry/appendix that you have created an action plan for yourself/your group.
The project should follow your proposal, and you should be actively involved in designing, problem-solving, decision-making and/or investigative activities to determine the course of action required. Proposals should be achievable based on the time and resources available.
You will document the proposal on ManageBac (under the Worksheets Tab) and individual students will use this to reflect upon the group’s final service as action.
Every student, whether working alone or in a group, must keep his/her own ManageBac account up to date. The proposal must be completed (and updated if changes are made during the course of the project).
You will need to plan specific tasks or activities to complete to develop your project. Use checklists, rubrics, timelines, flow charts or other strategies to prepare your proposal. You will need to demonstrate in a process journal entry/appendix that you have created an action plan for yourself/your group.
The project should follow your proposal, and you should be actively involved in designing, problem-solving, decision-making and/or investigative activities to determine the course of action required. Proposals should be achievable based on the time and resources available.
You will document the proposal on ManageBac (under the Worksheets Tab) and individual students will use this to reflect upon the group’s final service as action.
Every student, whether working alone or in a group, must keep his/her own ManageBac account up to date. The proposal must be completed (and updated if changes are made during the course of the project).
Step 4: Perform the action
In this step you will actually physically take action - depending on what goals you set for yourself.
* REMEMBER: You need to document evidence of the action. Take pictures or videos of yourself/ves out in the community, record evidence of any campaigns you may have run, take screen shots of posts on social media, etc. And use this evidence in your process journal entries.
* NOTE: it is not sufficient to only post the images, videos, etc. You also need to write an entry and reflect on:
* REMEMBER: You need to document evidence of the action. Take pictures or videos of yourself/ves out in the community, record evidence of any campaigns you may have run, take screen shots of posts on social media, etc. And use this evidence in your process journal entries.
* NOTE: it is not sufficient to only post the images, videos, etc. You also need to write an entry and reflect on:
- the success of the service as action and whether or not it was sustainable
- the manner in which the Global Context was incorporated into your project
- the research you conducted and the sources used
- what subject-specific (prior) knowledge you may have used in order to complete the project (e.g. I used my knowledge of colour selection, typography, design layouts, and Photoshop skills from Visual Arts and Design classes in order to create the posters to effectively promote our campaign.)
- the ATL skills used and developed throughout the project
- the IB Learner Profiles you and/or your group members have developed most throughout the project
For certain reasons, some organizations may not allow you take take photographs of the individuals with whom you may be working. ALWAYS ask permission first!
You may also be creative in these situations, and consider taking pictures of only your hands while you are working, or only using silhouettes. But make sure that you show the images or videos to the organizers first, to get their approval for publication purposes.
You may also be creative in these situations, and consider taking pictures of only your hands while you are working, or only using silhouettes. But make sure that you show the images or videos to the organizers first, to get their approval for publication purposes.
At SISD, every student will submit their own process journal reflections (including those who have worked in groups), and will contribute their own reflections on the project in the final presentation.
You will be given an individual grade for Criterion D: Reflection based on the work you submit.
You will be given an individual grade for Criterion D: Reflection based on the work you submit.
You should be reflecting at every stage of the project, and not only at the end! These reflections should be recorded in your process journal on a regular basis.
However, after completing the action component, you and/or your group will need to reflect on the following:
However, after completing the action component, you and/or your group will need to reflect on the following:
- the success of the service as action and whether or not it was sustainable
- the manner in which the Global Context was incorporated into your project
- the research you conducted and the sources used
- what subject-specific (prior) knowledge you may have used in order to complete the project (e.g. I used my knowledge of colour selection, typography, design layouts, and Photoshop skills from Visual Arts and Design classes in order to create the posters to effectively promote our campaign.)
- the ATL skills used and developed throughout the project
- the IB Learner Profiles you and/or your group members have developed most throughout the project
Do not only focus on the positives in your reflections. Our experiences as humans are never perfect, and there will always be areas for improvement. Your reflections should indicate that you are able to identify areas for improvement, as well as suggest ways in which you could implement those changes in future.
* You will be given samples of previous projects, as well as the student/s' reflections during specific training sessions with the supervisor and Projects Coordinator.