Group 4 Science Projects

From May 18 to 20, the IB Year Science classes participated in the Group 4 Project - a group investigation that requires the collaboration of the various IB Science disciplines including Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Environmental Systems. This year, the theme was colour, and each group set out to investigate an interdisciplinary aspect of this theme. Research questions varied from "How does colour affect the environment?" to "How does colour vision vary in different species?"

After a brainstorming session, each group of students developed a research question that directly related to their specific scientific discipline. For example, in a group that asked the question "How does colour affect the environment?", a biology student could investigate how different coloured lights affect a plant's photosynthetic rate.

The Group 4 project contributes a significant proportion of lab hours required for the IB Internal Assessment.  In the final session every student presented their investigations to an audience of peers and faculty. Overall, the student reaction to the Group 4 Project was positive. The students enjoyed working creatively with students from other science disciplines and being given the opportunity to contribute to investigations that were not specific to their IB science class.

Although, the Group 4 project is a tool used by the IB to assess a student's personal skills such as self-motivation, teamwork and self-reflection, the students thoroughly enjoyed the experience of sharing concepts and perceptions across all disciplines and investigating their individualized questions. As a result, the Group 4 project 2011 was an overwhelming success.