As an IB (International Baccalaureate) school, ISLAND PACIFIC ACADEMY requires that each student complete a personal project at the conclusion of each program (Primary Years Program, Middle Years Program and the Diploma Program). On Tuesday, May 10 IPA’s sophomores participated in the MYP Personal Project Showcase to culminate their MYP experience. The MYP Personal Projects are exactly that – personal. The students engage in practical explorations through a cycle of inquiry, action and reflection. The aim of the MYP personal project is for each grade 10 student to develop the attributes of the IB learner profile while becoming involved in a year-long project of their own choice. Students develop both knowledge and skills as they complete the following activities:
- deciding what they want to learn about, identifying what they already know, and discovering what they will need to know to complete the project
- creating proposals or criteria for their project, planning their time and materials, and recording developments of the project
- making decisions, developing understandings and solving problems, communicating with their supervisor and others, and creating a product or developing an outcome evaluating the product/outcome and reflecting on their project and their learning.
As a culminating and capstone MYP activity, the MYP Personal Project Showcase highlights the learner profiles, inquiry and reflection of the IB program while allowing the grade 10 students to explore their interest in a real world context. Grade 10 student Colton Okimoto built a quadcopter. When asked what knowledge he gained in this process, he responded, “I learned more about the technology but I also learned about pricing, budgeting, and time management.”
From technology, to art, to different languages, the range of topics explored and the projects created by the students are amazing and impressive. For example, Zachary Tocher rebuilt a car to make it drivable, Shania Bravo designed a house, Hannah Button trained a horse and Elizabeth Lyons-Best created video advice diaries for her younger sisters. Some students completed their original goal; others had to modify it. “Part of the process is realizing the scope of the project and coming to a realistic representation of what is possible,” stated Greg Terhune, faculty advisor for several student projects. “It is a great learning experience.”
Congratulations and well done!
A grade 7 student listens to Kira Hunkele’s (IPA ’18) presentation on “Different Learning Disabilities and Ways to Solve Them.”
Shania Bravo (IPA ’18) pauses for a photo with faculty member Tai Ando in between presentations.
Katherine Otaka (IPA ’18) demonstrates to faculty member Warren Andrade how to play the koto, a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument.
