Research, collaboration and creative thinking: Students, educators share success stories of their projects at Apeejay’s IB school

Interest boosts learning. It motivates young minds to follow their natural curiosities and develop them into academic models. More often than not, career trajectories are decided in this manner as students build the necessary confidence in their skills and abilities at the school-level.

Recently, students of Middle-Years-Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP) at Apeejay School International, South Delhi completed their Personal Projects (PP) and e-portfolios.

Sharing how choosing a topic based on their thinking appeals to them as part of their Personal Projects (PP), Ms Bhavya Arora, the School Counsellor says, “Simply put, it gives students agency. Besides, all of them had one mentor each for their project. PP forms an important element of the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum under which students work for an entire year. In that duration, they set their learning goals, ideas, plan and reflections along the lines of ATL skills.”

Ms Arora was supervising an MYP student, Daksh Phore who came up with an idea to create a model based on driving. Ms Arora says, “Daksh researched cases related to driving. He then narrowed it down to adults indulging in the act of drinking and driving and how this behaviour results in accidents and road rage. At the time of the project, a crucial incident took place in the national capital about a woman being dragged by a car. So, he took that example for his investigation after which he created an alcohol sensor for cars. For his prototype, he also interviewed experts related to the industry.”

Ms Sanya Malhotra, DPBM Facilitator in the school mentored Shaurya Sharma who is passionate about e-vehicles. For his PP, Shaurya explored more about the functioning of e-vehicles and the use of lithium batteries in it. According to Malhotra, “Projects such as these give students a chance to spread their wings.” Furthermore, a core ethic she encourages among learners is academic integrity.

A student from MYP 5, Nia, had an enriching journey while creating her project. “I felt the need to excel and strive for excellence. My project is a labour of love created with long and hard days of work. It is a self-written novel highlighting the peculiar similarities and lovable familiarities in characters that do not follow social norms. The book is 139 pages long and one that allows readers to take on a journey along with the main character. In the course of reading it, the audience will understand life and the ups and downs of it. The book cover also displays a beautiful crown that may look easy to wear but holds immense weight to crush a man’s soul. In addition to this, my e-portfolio seeks to eradicate the problem of lack of collaboration among youth. Via a trade game, I demonstrated the global level of collaboration and cooperation across various disciplines.”

Ms Akansha Madan, the Design Facilitator of the school mentioned that MYP students worked upon a statement of inquiry given by the IB Board. This year, they had to resolve a problem statement, finalise their target audience and create a final product. “Since design involves a complete cycle of ideating, creating and seeking feedback, my student, Nia created the game to boost teamwork among schoolchildren,” she says.

Made with research, skills and reflections, Vaishnavi, another MYP 5 student crafted a collection of illustrations and poetry inspired by parts of her life. “I became more self-aware and confident with my abilities thanks to this project. The e-portfolio allowed me to explore my creativity by investigating artists, art movements and artworks. To learn about how art sheds light on 21st century issues was an eye-opener too. I made my works preserving different global problems which we are facing. It is my attempt to spread awareness regarding the same and encourage thoughtful action.”

Finally, Ms Kanika, a Visual Arts Facilitator in the school says, “With different themes such as issues of the 21^st century, globalisation and sustainability, students could pick an array of art mediums to display their ideas. Some of the techniques used by them were paper mache and woodwork, just to mention a few.”