Extended Project Session 2 – Planning & Research

A. Project planning and Project Management Why make a Plan? Long term plan is a requirement of the assessment objective AO1 Manage

Why is it important? Two problems: finding enough time and using it effectively Time management helps you… Work more efficiently Maximise academic performance Minimise stress Avoid under-working or over-working Balanced life: academic work, part-time work, leisure

Critical Path Analysis Most tasks are made up of series of actions The order in which you do them makes a big difference to how successful you will be Some tasks cannot be started until others have been finished Planning will help you to: Break down tasks into smaller chunks Work out a critical path for your project Plan for periods of intense activity Allow you to monitor your progress against clear time specific objectives.

Think about Exactly what you need to achieve? How much time is available? How long might each task and Sub Task take to achieve? The resources available? Dependences – Who or what else you rely on before you can complete a task.

Timelines and Milestones Creating a plan for your project is essential. Without it you won’t know what you have achieved, or how to monitor progress. This document will be included in your final submission. A Gantt Chart is one methodology used to plan your timeline or you may prefer a Planning Table

Task 1 - Project plan Download a template for a gantt chart or project plan from the website, or create your own. Make a list of all the tasks you will need to do in order to complete your project Order the tasks under sub headings (you should have at least 5 tasks under each subheading) School Dates and Deadlines Research phase Essay writing Review and re draft Planning my presentation Refection and evaluation

B. Bibliography You must also create a bibliography to record your research and use of different resources. You should also reflect on your findings and consider where your research will lead next. Types of resources: books journals articles websites documentaries gallery/museum visits What others can you think of? Types of resources: books journals articles websites documentaries gallery/museum visits What others can you think of?

The Accuracy/reliability of sources When reflecting on your resources you should be considering the following: How reliable are sources? Who is writing these? (do you need to do more research?) What about the newspaper they come from, who makes up the editorial board? Is the article balanced? Do you “trust” the author? Just because you don’t trust the author does that mean it is automatically wrong? Does it “fit in” with your own knowledge? When you research your project, you must be careful and critical of the sources of information you use. Sometimes it is quite easy, but at other times it can be very difficult.

How to approach your material and create a meaningful bibliography Paraphrase your information and record your page reference and cite your source fully (write down the URL or book title author publisher and publication date) Highlight quotations make sure they are accurate and you know where to find them. Accuracy matters – not just your quotations but insist that your notes are spelt and punctuated correctly Summarise what your source says

Task 2 - Starting your research Download the bibliography template from the website, or create your own similar document. Spend minutes finding initial suitable source materials for your project Google scholar Ted talks BBC news The guardian/Times/telegraph

Task 3 – Reflect & Feedback How useful has your initial search been? What are the contentious issues surrounding your project, where people might have a bias? Make sure that you record these findings and opinions in your bibliography.

C. Logging your research & progress It is important to keep a diary of your research and progress as you are doing your project. You will be able to use this to help you complete important sections in your production log and it will help you to keep your research, thoughts and ideas organised. This can be particularly useful if you are producing an artefact. You might do this is any number of ways: Notebook/diary Word document Online blog Podcasts

Task 4 - Logging your research Download the research diary template from the website, or create your own way of documenting your research/progress Use this as you progress through your project.

It is important!! Key assessment Criteria:

Summer Homework If you have not already done so, your production log with page 1 and 5 completed to: Create a project plan Create a research diary and log your progress Create a bibliography and add a minimum of 5 resources that you research over the summer Navigate your way around the website – more will be added: charterepq.weebly.com SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER!

DateCompletedMeetingForm This weekInitial Ideas Research diary (started) Project plan (started) Bibliography (started) Introduction sessionRecord of initial planning September 2015Project plan Bibliography research Project Proposal and planning review Project Proposal Part A Planning Review Friday 6 th November 2015 Research First Draft of essay Mid ProjectMid Project Review Friday 18 th December 2015 Written Project Completed End ProjectEnd Project Review February 2016PresentationsReflection