Gathering my "sparkles" from the Extended Essay Workshop I have attended.
Sparkle 1: Reflection on the RPPF: Takeaways from the Two Videos
As previously discussed and taken up in Modules 1 and 2, reflection and metacognition are highly cognitive tasks. The manner in which the skills are acquired can be derived in natural environments such as social interactions from home and family life, friends and peers and the larger community. Like language and literacy skills acquisition, it requires formal instruction, thus, the RRS and RPPF in the EE are set in place and marked following a criterion. Beyond the numbers, reflection and metacognition permeate the EE process which becomes a set of skills learned by students who explore and investigate topics they are passionate to know more about.
The supervisor's important role in the 3 phases of reflection in the EE is an opportunity to teach, guide and mentor. Each phase has a role in learning to write an academic paper for the first time: setting directions and clearing the path; being aware of roadblocks and finding out ways to overcome them; recognizing mistakes and victories, big and small that contribute to becoming a life long learner. Indeed, the part where reflection is concerned in the EE process is a growth for the individual student and the supervisor as well. This is core to being and becoming. This is beyond marks and grades received internally and externally.
In my interviews and guided sessions with students, and when I dialogue with them from the First Reflection; to the Interim and the Viva Voce, I will be more aware of the feelings that students articulate and the breakthroughs they made. I will value the check-in sessions since these act as bridges or ways of follow through in learning; connecting prior knowledge and making sure that the writing has integrity.
Sparkle 2: Reflection on Assessment
The most challenging part of working around the EE and supervising students to reach the finish line is the idea that of external examination. The idea alone is challenging, yes. A decade and counting in the IB, I have taken the external exams as a measure to check our quality of instruction ensuring that IB standards and requirements are met. This informs policy, practice and philosophy. It is a form of assessment and evaluation that removes complacency and pushes teachers and the school community to continuously grow. In an ever changing world, we cannot afford to not develop.
Keeping this in mind, I see the assessments in the EE as highly formative. It is a long haul though, therefore in between the three reflections, check-ins are just as important. It is in this little moments when strategies and techniques in thinking and learning are fortified, flowing into routines or habits. This in turn becomes culture.
As an EE Supervisor, I need to pay attention on my supervisee's process of choosing a topic, or how she/he arrived in that decision; how the RQ presents an arguement that can be defended or proven with the intelligent and responsible use of sources. It is at this point when timelines and self management skills need to be observed. And for the next meeting, which is the check-in, I will look for report on progress. This period can be a long wait, so the Reflection Space can be utilized to monitor if the student is working or not.
In the Interim, as the student reaches the writing of the EE, more reflections can be had and learning gains can be reaped. It is noteworthy to look at the metacognitive skills of students as this juncture. Again, as a matter of formative assessment that can be given as feedback, this is information that students will value. Thus, reaching the final draft of the EE and the Viva Voce, supervisor and student can look back at an experience that had been challenging but difficult.
Writing my final report based on my supervisee's RPPF would be a task I will look forward to.
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