Interests Ignited: Grade 10 Students Showcase Personal Projects

WAB's Grade 10 Celebration

On April 26, display boards lined the halls of the High School showcasing an impressive and diverse range of Grade 10 students’ Personal Projects. This Personal Project Celebration is the culminating project of the Middle Years Program, where students have the freedom to choose any topic they want and work on it independently throughout the school year.

Throughout that time, they investigate, plan, take action and reflect. This year’s topics were as diverse as they were fascinating. Projects spanned from sustainability and songwriting to space debris, video games, neuroscience, and much more.

As we explore in this week’s WAB Podcast, self-directed learning was a core element of the Personal Project, with students given the freedom to choose their topic, set their own assessment criteria and define their own standards for success. This allowed them to explore who they are as learners and develop skills in self-reflection and self-assessment.

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I thought that self-directed learning was a really important aspect of this process because it allowed me to essentially step out of my comfort zone and try to figure out who I am as a learner, how I work, my pace, and help me reflect,” said Grade 10 student Nastia whose product was an embroidery of the geographical influences of climate change.

Chris Hayden, this year's Personal Projects Coordinator, echoed the importance of self-directed learning during the process:

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The personal project is an opportunity for students to engage in an extended meaningful, opportunity to explore self-directed learning and to identify an area that they want to learn. They set goals, practice resilience, and self-management, and then reflect on their progress,” he said.

Listen to this week’s podcast to hear from three Grade 10 students, as they explore the process and how it has impacted them.

Applications are still open for 2023/24