Prior knowledge

Here is my prior knowledge that I’ve gained throughout the MYP program.

Subject: Individuals and Societies

In Individuals and Societies, we’ve learnt about the effects of climate change in terms of geography and also the effects that this will have on society as well as the humanitarian impact. The stand out impact of Climate Change is the mass displacement it will cause. This is related to the Information & Media literacy ATL, this is the ability to digest information and fully understand it. These ATL skills will need to be applied during the upcoming research phase of my project. There is a lot of information available on Climate Change, but I need to be able to understand the information and condense it.

Subject: English

In English we have learnt how we can present information to captivate the audience. We’ve also learnt the effects of langague on the audience. We’ve learnt this through essay writing and presentation. This related to the Communication ATL, as we are using this knowledge to communicate a message to an audience. My final product will tell a story, it will show the effects of climate change and to have an impact it must captivate it’s audience. As the story is short it will need to be a compact message that fits in all of the intended points.

Subject: Science

In Science, we’ve learnt to reflect on the impacts of science and have reflected on the impact of our technological advancements on the climate. Through this we have learnt about the science behind climate change as well as it’s impact similar to Individuals and Societies. This is related to the Critical thinking ATL, we not only have to take in information but we then have to analyze that information and form an opinion. This ATL will also need to be applied during my research as I must then look at my source and evaluate them. I will also have to evaluate how important each piece of information is.

Subject: Design

During design, I have learnt about the product design cycle and how to structure the creation of a product. I have also learnt specific manufacturing techniques such as laser cutting and 3D printing. The first piece of knowledge is related to the organisation ATL, by learning it I better know how to structure my process. The second piece of information is related to the creative thinking ATL, as I’ve used creative methods to manufacture products with the available resources. I will need to be organised during the process as it is a large project that I am undertaking with strict deadlines. Applying my organisation skills will allow me to stay on to top of the task. I will have to apply creative thinking to come up with a unique product that people find interesting.

Subject: Music

In Music, we have learnt about creating immersive sound experiences and matching the sounds to the surroundings. This is related to the ATL of Transfer, as it involves transferring my musical knowledge and applying it to build on top of a project. I will need to use this ATL a lot during this process as the knowledge that I will be applying will come from many different subjects so bringing them together cohesively will be important.

External learning

Topic: Programming

I have built quite a few pieces of software, including hardware projects with the Raspberry Pi and Arduino. I can apply my knowledge of programming in Python to creating the desired product. This requires a lot of organisation, as you need to keep your code organised to allow yourself to continue coding. It also requires a lot of creative thinking as you have to come up with solutions to issues you face and problem solve. I will likely be working with a massive code base that consists of a lot of different files running on different machines, it will be important to keep this organised. I will also likely face a lot of bugs in my code, face problems I’ve never solved before and for this I will need to think of creative solutions.

Topic: Multimedia

I have experience creating long form and short form multimedia content. When creating the video aspect of my project I can apply this knowledge to create an impressive video. This relates to the communication ATL, I have to ask the question of how do we tell a story with visuals? Each frame communicates something and its important that that message is perfect. As the video will be the center piece I will have to be very detailed with my approach, making a clear plan on what I want the audience to take away from the experience.

Topic: MUN

I have previously served on a committee focused on Climate Change in MUN at my old school. I had to do a lot of research into the topic. I learnt the economic costs of turning around climate change, why we should take a lot of action and why we shouldn’t. I was able to see both sides of the argument. This is related to critical thinking, I had to weigh up arguments and come to a justified conclusion. I think it will be important for me to look at how certain advances that are affecting the environment are also helping people massively in the short term. Throughout this, I will have to weigh up the pros and cons of each topic discussed.