Extended Project candidates put through their paces!
06 Feb 2013
On Thursday 29th November, seven Christ College Sixth Form pupils delivered presentations on their Extended Project assignments in the Conference Room at Christ College.
Each candidate delivered a presentation to an audience comprised of Sixth Form pupils, teachers, parents and a panel of specialists. Following their presentations, the pupils then faced 5 minutes of questions from the specialists before questions were invited from the rest of the audience.
The Extended Project is an initiative which completely changes the mindset of traditional post-16 studies. It frees the pupil from the classical teacher-led A-level classroom studies, and instead puts the onus on the pupil to pursue an idea or interest of their own and follow it through from conception to completion. En route the pupil will need to plan and research, learn to evaluate and re-evaluate their work, develop new skills, begin analysis and critical thinking, and finally be able to stand up and give a presentation in front of their peers and be questioned upon it.
Each pupil is assigned their own individual assessor to guide them on their way.
In the course of the Project the student is beginning to develop those necessary key skills required for life at university and beyond. It is no surprise therefore that the Extended Project is keenly welcomed by the Russell Group of universities, and it will clearly be beneficial on both the UCAS personal statement and at university interview.
The Project itself can be taken from any area of study and can take the form of either:
1) Dissertation – Research question –eg Humanities subject.
2) Investigation/field study – Research question/hypothesis – eg scientific laboratory work, geography field studies, mathematical theorem.
3) Performance – Drama/Sport/Music.
4) Design an Artefact – DT/ IT website/Photography or Art.
Dr. Paul Smith, the Extended Project Co-ordinator at Christ College said: “The Project is an extra stand-alone qualification graded A*-E and worth up to 70 UCAS points (akin to an AS level). As such it requires an equivalent length and depth of study over the course of a whole year. It is envisaged that it entails 120 hrs of student time, only one third of which will be teacher contact and with the remaining 80 hours made up of independent student research/work.”
This year’s Extended Project candidates included:
Student – Area of Study – Assessor
Catrin Williams – What is normal? – Miss Sally Jones
Georgia Davis – To execute and manage a night full of fashion and live entertainment – Dr Paul Smith
Megan Gee – Did Queen Victoria’s political influence diminish throughout her reign – Dr Dominic Phelps
Rebecca Elliott – The journey of an aspiring recording artist – Dr Dominic Phelps
James Sweeney – Event Management: Organising a Fundraising Dinner
– Mr Noel Thomas
Elizabeth Davis – De-institutionalisation – Liberation or Abdication? – Dr Dominic Phelps
Abbie Dickson-Davies – Fashion: Factors that cause it to evolve – Mrs Liz McLean
He added: “Each Project involves a very extensive piece of work. It will not be for the faint-hearted, but for those students with the drive and commitment to see it through to the end it will represent a real sense of purpose and achievement.”
Photo: The 2012/13 Extended Project candidates