What to Reflect On (DP IB Extended Essay): Revision Note

What should students reflect on?

Personal growth and development

• Students can reflect on:

  • Evidence of growth, including the development of new skills or a change in a student's perspective during the project

  • Awareness of Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills

    • These are transferable skills that include thinking, research, communication, social and self-management

    • These skills are designed to help students become self-regulated, lifelong learners by teaching them how to learn, not just what to learn

  • Specific successes and the most rewarding aspects of the research process

  • Evidence of self-management—the ability to independently navigate a substantial task, manage timelines and handle workloads

Shifts in perspective

• Shifts in perspective refer to changes in how a student views their topic or the investigative process following their research or challenges they have encountered

• Students can reflect on:

  • The impact of these shifts on their decision-making (including the choices they have made between different research methods or arguments)

  • How they have learned from mistakes to improve their research and writing

Insights gained from the process

• Insights include new understandings regarding the topic, the research process or the student’s own learning identity

• Students can reflect on:

  • The challenges or obstacles encountered during the research

  • The specific strategies used to overcome these hurdles

  • The impact of specific choices made during the inquiry

  • New questions or areas of interest that were revealed by the investigation

Transfer of learning

• Transfer of learning refers to the ability to apply skills and insights gained from one context to future studies or different life situations

• Students can reflect on:

  • How skills like information literacy or critical thinking can be used in university or future careers

    • Information literacy—the ability to find, evaluate and use information effectively and ethically

    • Critical thinking—the skill of analysing and evaluating sources or arguments to form a reasoned judgement

• How the overall EE experience might shape future thinking and actions