2nd Discussion and Reflection
Preparation for the second discussion
Between the first and second reflection session, students can engage in informal conversations with other people, such as subject teachers, the extended essay coordinator, the librarian or their supervisor. They must also ensure that they are progressing with their research plan.
In preparation for the interim reflection session, students should have:
Completing the second formal discussion
This session is a continuation of the dialogue between supervisor and student in which the student must demonstrate the progress they have made in their research. They must also be able to discuss any challenges they have encountered, offer their own potential solutions and seek advice as necessary.
During this session the supervisor might discuss:
Following this second discussion, the student is required to complete the second section of the Reflections on planning and progress form. This is on ManageBac, and should not be more than 150 words. Once completed it is dated and signed off by the supervisor.
Possible guiding questions for your second discussion:
1. Are you still interested in your topic?
2. Is your topic too narrow? Not narrow enough?
3. Is your research question still effective?
4. How has your research question changed?
5. Do you think you have collected sufficient data?
6. Have you modified the methodology used to collect the data? What is the rationale of doing that?
7. Does it cover something which is too advanced that you need to spend pages to explain the prerequisites? Is there a high chance that you will exceed the word limit of 4000?
8. Do you have enough data/research at this point?
9. Are you on track? If not, why not? Be honest! If yes, how do you know?
10. Discussion on what you have seen from the student. Graph, sources data. Raise any potential problems you may seen.
11. What I hear is this?
12. How can you solve this problem?
13. I didn’t notice that you did not have…. I am glad you noticed this and I agree with your solution.
14. Is there any gaps?
15. Are you worried about the biased in your work?
16. There is always the risk with … (this is to describe generally issues and give the chance to students to reflect on possibilities)
17. If you were the teacher, what would you be skeptical (concerned, advising to, reflecting)?
18. I would like to focus on what you said about …. why have you highlighted that as an issue/point/? What about …?
19. Is there anything new emerging from the new data/reading/reflection etc?
20. When you go away what sort of things you are going to think/reflect/write about?
21. Are you happy with… ? Do you think it addresses your research question?
22. I know we are halfway in the process, What can you learn from this (Or what have you learn this?
23. Summarise back or give student the questions ahead of the meeting. (differentiation)
24. What are you arguing?
25. Are you making any assumptions?
26. Which writers, researchers disagree with your point and which ones agree?
27. If you were the EE supervisor what would you tell yourself?
28. If you were doing the initial research again what would you do differently?
29. How have you as a learner changed?
30. What have you learnt about yourself?
31. What is missing from your work currently?
32. When you project forward to completing the final product, tell me what it will look like.
Additional Questions and Resources for your 2nd Reflection
Evidence for your RRS
Preparation for the second discussion
Between the first and second reflection session, students can engage in informal conversations with other people, such as subject teachers, the extended essay coordinator, the librarian or their supervisor. They must also ensure that they are progressing with their research plan.
In preparation for the interim reflection session, students should have:
- attempted to refine a focused and appropriate research question
- significantly deepened their research and recorded pertinent evidence, information or data in theResearcher’s reflection space
- reviewed and consolidated the methodologies they are using
- formulated arguments based on the evidence that they have collected
- added to the working bibliography for their research.
Completing the second formal discussion
This session is a continuation of the dialogue between supervisor and student in which the student must demonstrate the progress they have made in their research. They must also be able to discuss any challenges they have encountered, offer their own potential solutions and seek advice as necessary.
During this session the supervisor might discuss:
- a completed piece of sustained writing from the student in order to ensure that they understand the academic writing requirements, including referencing formats
- whether an appropriate range of sources has been accessed and how the student is critically evaluating the origin of those sources
- what the student now has to do in order to produce the full draft of their essay, and ways and means of breaking down the task into manageable steps.
- a clear and refined research question
- a viable argument on which to base the essay
- a sufficient range of appropriate sources
- a clear vision for the final steps in the writing process.
Following this second discussion, the student is required to complete the second section of the Reflections on planning and progress form. This is on ManageBac, and should not be more than 150 words. Once completed it is dated and signed off by the supervisor.
Possible guiding questions for your second discussion:
1. Are you still interested in your topic?
2. Is your topic too narrow? Not narrow enough?
3. Is your research question still effective?
4. How has your research question changed?
5. Do you think you have collected sufficient data?
6. Have you modified the methodology used to collect the data? What is the rationale of doing that?
7. Does it cover something which is too advanced that you need to spend pages to explain the prerequisites? Is there a high chance that you will exceed the word limit of 4000?
8. Do you have enough data/research at this point?
9. Are you on track? If not, why not? Be honest! If yes, how do you know?
10. Discussion on what you have seen from the student. Graph, sources data. Raise any potential problems you may seen.
11. What I hear is this?
12. How can you solve this problem?
13. I didn’t notice that you did not have…. I am glad you noticed this and I agree with your solution.
14. Is there any gaps?
15. Are you worried about the biased in your work?
16. There is always the risk with … (this is to describe generally issues and give the chance to students to reflect on possibilities)
17. If you were the teacher, what would you be skeptical (concerned, advising to, reflecting)?
18. I would like to focus on what you said about …. why have you highlighted that as an issue/point/? What about …?
19. Is there anything new emerging from the new data/reading/reflection etc?
20. When you go away what sort of things you are going to think/reflect/write about?
21. Are you happy with… ? Do you think it addresses your research question?
22. I know we are halfway in the process, What can you learn from this (Or what have you learn this?
23. Summarise back or give student the questions ahead of the meeting. (differentiation)
24. What are you arguing?
25. Are you making any assumptions?
26. Which writers, researchers disagree with your point and which ones agree?
27. If you were the EE supervisor what would you tell yourself?
28. If you were doing the initial research again what would you do differently?
29. How have you as a learner changed?
30. What have you learnt about yourself?
31. What is missing from your work currently?
32. When you project forward to completing the final product, tell me what it will look like.
Additional Questions and Resources for your 2nd Reflection
- To what extent does the data/information I have relate to my proposed research question?
- If I do not have sufficient data/information, how will I go about resolving this? Can it be resolved?
- Given the data/information I have collected, do I need to reformulate my research question?
- Has the data/information collected taken me in an unexpected direction?
- Are there still questions/issues that I am unclear how to resolve?
- Do I have a reasoned argument that can be sustained throughout the essay?
- Am I able to make coherent links between different points made and the evidence presented?
- To what extent have I answered my research question?
- What reasons may have affected my ability to answer my research question?
- If I have been selective in the evidence presented in my essay, can I justify my choices?
- Is there a clear summative conclusion, and does this reflect the discussion that has taken place?
- To what extent do I think I have fulfilled the expectations of the extended essay as a task?
- Has my research resulted in me changing my perspective or views on the topic in question?
- What strategies have I employed that have worked particularly well at this stage of the process?
Evidence for your RRS
- Introduction of the essay
- Annotated sections from books, journals, articles, and so on
- Reworked research question
- Examples of data/information collected from research
- An outline of the main argument
- Timeline
- Working bibliography