EEeeeeeeee!

The day had finally arrived; On Monday, October 8, the final draft of the Extended Essay for the class of 2019 was due. Seniors watched as the time drew closer to the deadline of 8:00 pm. Some had finished their EE weeks in advance; others were scrambling as the clock ticked down to the last minute. But what is this “Extended Essay” that these seniors are so panicked about?

The Extended Essay is “an independent, self-directed piece of research, finishing with a 4,000-word paper.” (IBO) Seniors choose an area of study, whether it be math, physics, or literature, and a topic that interests them, and deliver a 4,000 word essay that summarizes their findings. The EE is a required part of the IB Diploma, and doing well on it in addition to TOK can result in 3 bonus points to your IB score. We sat down with Mr. Kelly and Ms. Canobie to find out more about this year’s EE.

What do you think went well with the EE’s this year?

Canobie: We’re in the second year where students have to write reflections, and I think we’re more confident in that, we know what we’re doing. In terms of what’s going well, we’re being more strict with deadlines, wouldn’t you say Mr. Kelly?

Kelly: We’re trying to be, yes. I think also, sometimes the students work out what went well later. When they have a university project, they realise “Oh, hold on, I’ve done a little bit of this before”. So the realization of the benefits of the EE, what went well from the EE, can sometimes be felt in a year from now. I’d like to think that students are better researchers, and better communicators, and better project managers as a result.

ISB is in the second year of reflections. What is the value of the reflections for the EE?

Canobie: I think any time you ask students to stop, and think, that forces people to go deeper into what’s working for them, and how do they move forward, and I think that’s what the reflections are trying to do with the EE, with the research process, knowing that research is messy, so you have to have those times to stop and think.

What do you think can be improved for the juniors next year?

Kelly: Well, I think there’s going to be more mini-deadlines; we’re going to harness the power of Google Classroom and use it like an online learning course. [The juniors] have already had some homework, and I’m giving them guidance on what the next step is. I think little bite-size parts of the EE, clearly communicated, will make the grade 11’s manage their project in a better way.

Canobie: And starting earlier, having those smaller chunks, getting students to think much earlier is going to be really helpful.

Kelly: Yes, I think some students previously thought they needed a research question now, straight away; yet we’re not collecting that for a couple of months. We’re letting the ideas grow, and they need to come back, research read, come back, improve, talk. There’s a whole new discussion about forming a research question instead of panicking into one later.

What pieces of advice would you give the juniors?

Canobie: Keep an open mind, but think about what they like to do, a passion. If they’re not sure, talk to people. Talk to teachers about what’s possible. Sometimes, kids would come to me and say “I want to do an Extended Essay in chemistry, but I don’t know what to do”. So we do this whole brainstorming thing where I’ll give you one minute to write down everything, anything that you’re thinking about. From that, they can say “Hey, this looks interesting,” whether it be tobacco, nail polish, whatever, and then they can steer it towards an economics EE, or a chemistry EE. But following something that they want to learn something about is important.

Kelly: I’d agree that’s very important. In fact, I’ve thought about this question because we launched the EE recently: the grade 11’s have had their first assembly about it, and though I had many pieces of advice, I think pursuing your passion is number 1. Number 2 is realizing that we’re giving students a year for the project, and you can’t squeeze high quality work into a month, or a week. If you want to do it well, it needs a little bit of love and care every week, regularly. I think that knowledge and recognition that this needs attention will help students enjoy it more as well. There’s a planning tool called an Eisenhower matrix, where you put things into categories, whether it’s urgent or important, and for a long time the EE is important, but not necessarily urgent. It keeps getting pushed back by a day, or a week, and then all of a sudden, it becomes urgent, and that’s when the pressure arrives. Again, it’s linked into making a timeline, and small work every week will help.

Canobie: I think the Extended Essay is the most important task that the IB has to prepare students for university. It really has all of the skills that students are expected to do every two weeks once they get to university. It’s also something to be proud of.

Kelly: Absolutely. There’s a poster around at the moment, which is a bit cheesy I guess, but it calls it a journey, not a destination. The 4000 words is fine, but it’s really about the skills you learn, that you can take forward. Even if you do them badly, it means you’re learning from it, so really focus on skills and how to be a better researcher.

Thank you Ms. Canobie and Mr. Kelly for the wise words on the Extended Essay. We hope all you juniors out there are getting prepared for the large, but ultimately rewarding task of writing an EE. The EE is tough, but not impossible, and is one more stop on your path to getting your IB Diploma.