Innovation in action at the Academy - IB MYP ‘Personal Project Expo’
74 students from grade 10 exhibited their IB Middle Years Program (MYP) Personal Projects at a day-long expo at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad on Wednesday 1 and Friday 3 February 2017. Through their presentations, they explained their motivation and inspiration and learnings captured from their 9-month project journey.
Visual and practical exhibits brought to life independently designed, innovative solutions to a diverse array of global issues. This included environmental and energy sustainability, women’s empowerment, science and technology, social justice, reviving ancient art and craft traditions, mental health and access to education as well as tackling India’s road safety challenges and ways to make sports more accessible.
The expo was attended by students from Academy Junior and Senior Schools, faculty, parents and a contingent from Oakridge International School.
Project outcomes included self-written publications; original works of art; documentary videos; models of solar powered cars and hydraulic cities; business plans for change; campaigns for social justice, domestic violence and women’s rights campaigns; blogs on adolescent mental health, investigative studies, scientific experiments, narrative essays, mobile apps, a student constructed calculator for the blind and many other forms of work.
The Personal Project forms part of the final evaluation and terminal assessment for the 5-year IB MYP journey. Student-centred, practical and independent learning experience requires students to strengthen their 21st century learning skills, particularly self-management, research, communication, creativity critical, thinking, and collaboration. 74 projects demonstrated this crucial academic journey, profiling grade 10 student awareness of global issues, and their intrinsic motivation and desire to address them.
“The Personal Project gave us a chance to do something we would otherwise not have had the opportunity to do,” said Aryan Srivastava, who had organized a 2-day ‘mini Model United Nations’ experience for grade 7-9 students to introduce them to the world of diplomacy and debate. “I was happy to share this experience with my juniors, and prepare them for the Model United Nations we hold at our school every year because this is one way students can learn more about the world and its issues, and try to come up with solutions.”
The Academy MYP Personal Project Expo exemplifies the vision of His Highness the Aga Khan, the founder of the Aga Khan Academies, to identify exceptionally gifted and talented children, enable them access to a world-class education regardless of ability to pay, and raise them against a set of values that prepare them to be global citizens, ambassadors of development, and effective homegrown leaders with the capacity to solve the problems of tomorrow. Raising leaders for tomorrow as innovative creative thinkers is our mission in action!
Click here to view news coverage of the exhibiition.
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