Article by: Alice Ye
On Wednesday, May 20th, the Group 4 projects took place for all junior IB students. ISM students were given the opportunity to collaborate with its service partner, Papaya Academy, for this assignment. Students assigned to groups of four or five created and delivered lessons about global issues.
The Group 4 project is, according to the IB Diploma site, “a collaborative activity where students from different Group 4 [science] subjects work together on a scientific or technological topic.” It aims to assess students’ interdisciplinary and comprehensive skills and allows students to “develop an understanding of the relationships between scientific disciplines and their influence on other areas of knowledge.” After all, in the real world, most, if not all, innovations and inventions are results of the combined knowledge and efforts of all science disciplines!
Perhaps the most unique aspect about this assignment is its combination of students from all the Group 4 science classes. Most assignments are kept separate between classes, and this project presents a rare time where the curriculum facilitates interdisciplinary cooperation between subjects. Mr. Paulson, an IB Biology teacher, explains, “students are assessed for the communication of their ideas and collaboration.” The focus is, therefore, not on the knowledge of the students but on the way they convey this knowledge and their teamwork. This project is also unique in that it requires a fair amount of creativity, sometimes lacking in the concrete facts of the more traditional science curricula. The Group 4 project is a “great opportunity for students to think outside the boundaries of their IB science course syllabus and apply their knowledge to a real world situation, while realizing the boundaries between the different sciences are somewhat artificial.”
Jessica Zhang, a junior, chose to address how climate change affects Pacific countries such as the Philippines. Her group gave a presentation about the greenhouse effect and a video demonstrating climate change. Overall, she described the project as a “great experience, as it raised awareness about issues of global importance.” Simon Zhang’s group aimed to “teach local kids about a healthy diet and lifestyle” through a video and an educational game. He agreed that “teamwork was a very important factor in finishing the work on time.” Because of this project, he was able to get closer with the people he did not know before, making it an “enjoyable activity”.
On the whole, the Group 4 project engages students in a common, world-applicable situation, and allows them to develop valuable skills applicable to experiences outside the classroom. As it allows juniors to take a day out of their normal schedule and work with new peers, it is an alternative, fun assignment to end the school year with.
