ACADEMICS

OTHER COURSES

MYP Personal Project (Grade 10)

The culmination of the Middle Years Programme is a self-directed inquiry done over an extended period in Grade 10, completed under the guidance of a supervisor. The Personal Project provides an excellent opportunity for students to demonstrate the skills they have developed through approaches to learning in the form of personal and creative work.

The output for the Personal Project includes a process journal, an outcome or product, and a written report. The project is assessed using IB-provided assessment criteria.

DP Creativity, Action, Service (CAS)

The Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) component of the Diploma Programme is an internal part of students’ last two years at the Academy. Participation in CAS encourages students to be involved in creative pursuits, physical activities, and community service in the local, national, and global contexts. Participation in CAS takes seriously the importance of life outside the world of scholarship, requiring students to share their energies and talents while developing awareness, concern, and the ability to work cooperatively with others.

The three elements of CAS are interwoven. The Service element is the most significant, but the other two are very important as they provide access, balance, and flexibility to meet individual students’ interests and preferences.

CAS is experiential learning that involves students in new roles. The emphasis is on learning by doing real tasks that have real consequences and then reflecting on these experiences over time. Activities should be undertaken gradually, be appropriately adapted to the circumstances and take into account your aptitudes and preferences. CAS credit may only be awarded for activities for which the student does not receive any other form of credit or pay.

Successful completion of CAS is a requirement for the award of the Beacon Academy and IB diplomas.

DP Extended Essay

The Extended Essay (EE) is an independent, in-depth study of a focused topic chosen from the list of approved Diploma Programme subjects. The requirement promotes high-level research and writing skills, intellectual discovery and creativity. It provides students with an opportunity to engage in personal research in a topic of their own choice, under the guidance of a supervisor. This leads to a major piece of formally presented, structured writing in which ideas and findings are communicated in a reasoned and coherent manner, appropriate to the subject chosen.

The Extended Essay is assessed against common criteria, interpreted in ways appropriate to each subject. Students who do not pursue the full IB diploma may be asked to complete a Senior Project in lieu of the Extended Essay.

DP Theory of Knowledge

Theory of Knowledge (TOK) aims to encourage students to reflect on their experiences as learners, in everyday life, and in the Diploma Programme, and to make connections between academic disciplines and between thoughts, feelings and actions. It hopes to develop an awareness of how knowledge is constructed, critically examined, evaluated and renewed, by communities and individuals.

Through discussions around a Harkness table, examination of various text and video, activities, personal reflections, responses, and informal presentations, students will hopefully come to a thoughtful, more considered awareness of what they know, and how they know it to be true. They will examine their personal belief systems, share their perspectives, and consider these in the light of the beliefs and perspectives that others hold. They will further hone their critical thinking skills, working to analyze issues and problems, and to consider implications. They will consider global events and issues, understand their relevance, and situate this understanding in their conceptualization of themselves as citizens of an interconnected world.