Exploring Academic Milestones: Inside the MYP Personal Project

The time has come! This is one of the most important moments of the year for our school in Venice: the Personal Project Exhibition! To delve deeper into the significance of this event for us as an IB school, and to understand the essence of the Personal Project within the MYP curriculum, we interviewed our Personal Project Coordinator, Mr. Alessandro Vino. He shared with us his perspective on this crucial milestone and his experience in guiding students through it.

The Personal Project is the culmination of the Middle Years Programme curriculum. The IB placed the Personal Project in year 5 to prepare the students for the upcoming challenges in Diploma Programme. At the end students need to deliver an academic report of the process.

It is the first time students encounter a long term individual project. Self-management and organisation skills are essential to perform well.

Students have the freedom to follow their interests and passions to create their own unique project. They may select any topic as long as they demonstrate a learning strategy and apply it to create a product. It is truly impressive to see the range of diversity and complexity in the students’ work. During the years I have seen all sorts of topics, ranging from scientific experiments, to exploration of the human mind and some delving into the creative fields.

My role is to support students to set their level of success and follow them through each phase of the project.

Ultimately, each student needs to decide their level of achievement to demonstrate academic maturity. Working on a long term project is challenging for most, however it is an excellent learning experience that sets the basis for long life learners, which is our ultimate goal as IB educators.

The Personal Project ends with an open exhibition, where students can showcase their products to peers and families. The exhibition day is an excellent opportunity for students to gather feedback on their work, and take pride in their work. Hosting the exhibition is challenging but highly rewarding, as project coordinator I am grateful to students for their commitment and hard work to showcase their personal interests.