Foundations Summer Projects 2024: Personal Journey Project

Overview

Through this assignment, we encourage you to explore your own educational and cultural backgrounds as you transition to a new school – Shanghai Qibao Dwight High School (QDHS)! You have read two articles and watched three videos about the experiences of students in different educational systems. What will your experience at Qibao Dwight be like? You will create a short video explaining your thinking process and sharing your questions.

 

Essential Question

(Use this question to guide your thinking; your video should answer this question directly or indirectly).

1. What challenges and conflicts do you (and your family) expect you to face as you begin your new educational journey at Qibao Dwight and how can you use your background and experiences to address these challenges?

 

Assignment Components

Please create a video that is approximately 5-8 minutes long. In the video, please include the following:

1. Self-Introduction:

- Tell us your Chinese name and your English name. If you do not have an English name, think about names you might want to use and why.  

- Tell us where you currently live and which middle school you attended.

- Tell us if you have any brothers, sisters, or pets.

- Tell us how you are spending your summer.

- Tell us one or two additional pieces if information you would like to share.

2. Parent Interview:

- Interview one parent or another family member and make sure to video record the interview.

- Include a 30-second segment of the interview in the video.

- You may interview your parent in English or interview them in Chinese then translate for them (using subtitles).

- Sample questions include:

1. Why did we, as a family, decide that I would attend Qibao Dwight High School?
2. What do you expect that I might learn at QDHS or accomplish after I graduate, which I might not be able to do by attending a Chinese high school?
3. What do you think I will do well at QDHS and how will you support me in this new experience?
4. What do you think will be some of my major challenges at QDHS? How can we work together to help me deal with them?
5. What advice would you give me as I start high school, particularly in an English-speaking environment with a Western curriculum?

3. Reflection on Past Experiences:

Answer 2 out of 10 questions. Prompts that relate to IB Learner Profile.

1. Have you ever done something that others consider courageous? Explain.
2. What is one thing that has always intrigued you to want to inquire about? What questions questions come to mind about this topic?
3. Which field or subject are you talented at and what makes you so knowledgeable about this subject? Explore how you developed an expertise in this subject.
4. Have you ever come across a situation where you had to make a difficult choice or strike a balance between conflicting opinions? Describe and provide details.
5. Reflecting back at your school life so far, what is one particular thing you would have done differently? Explain.
6. Describe a time where you had a different opinion than everyone around you. How did you show others that your perspective can also be right?
7. Describe a situation when you sacrificed your comfort for the sake of someone else. Try to avoid mentioning sharing your possessions in your response. Focus on how you sacrificed your comfort and made another feel better in particular.
8. Why did you choose Qibao Dwight? Describe the reasons you gave to your parents about joining an international school like Qibao Dwight.
9. Describe your personal hero. What principals or ideals does this person exhibit that makes you aspire to be like him or her?
10. Describe a time when you had to work together with others to come up with a creative solution to a difficult problem. Focus your response on personal experiences and avoid academic or study situations. 

 

4. Neighborhood Walk and Reflection about new school, new environment, and new ways of learning:

- Please take a 15-30 minute walk around the neighborhood where you live and think about which experiences from your life you will bring to Qibao Dwight.

- Take a photograph, pick up an object, or think of a song that represents these experiences.

- In the video, share the photograph, object, or song, and reflect on some the following questions:

a) How do you feel about starting at a new school, QDHS?

b) Which aspects of this new experience excite you? Which aspects make you worry?

c) In what ways do you expect to succeed, and in what ways do you think you will be challenged?

d) What questions do you have about QDHS and/or this new kind of education?

 

 

Assignment Submission

Please create a video in mp4 format with any program you like. For simple video recording and editing, consider using iMovie on Mac computers or the Camera app on PC computers.

 

Please name your file “House_Full Name_Journey Video.” For example, if you are in Section 3 and your name is Michelle Wang, the file would be named “Aristotle_Michelle Wang_Journey Video.”

 

Due Date:

We will show you on campus July 30th how to submit the assignment.