Year 11 IB Library Workshop

This week, our focus has been on research. Or more specifically, on how we can support the senior boys with their latest research projects. Our HSC students are currently working on their Depth Studies across all four sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Earth and Environmental Science), while the Year 11 IB Diploma Programme cohort are gearing up to start their 4000-word Extended Essays next term.

For their Depth Studies, students design a question to guide and respond to their independent research into a topic of their choosing. They then submit an annotated bibliography that outlines the sources that they used in their research and attend a Viva Voce where they discuss their findings with their teacher.

The Library ran sessions on how to refine a research question; where to find Academic Journal articles; how to search within databases; and how to write an annotated bibliography. These are exactly the kinds of skills that these students will need at University and beyond as independent research starts to play a bigger and bigger part in their learning.

The same is true for the Year 11 IB Diploma Programme students, who will start deciding on their Extended Essay topics early next term. To help them to understand what is expected of them, the Library ran a series of workshops on Thinking Skills to help the boys understand how their thinking is made visible and assessed within the IB.

“Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open up windows to the world and inspire us to explore and achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life.” – Sidney Sheldon