Jiyukenkyu (Independent Research)

Jiyukenkyu is an elective program that helps broaden a student’s horizons and interests. Students choose a course to pursue at the beginning of the year and build on Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills to learn a new topic. Students from grades 6 to 8 will have an opportunity to use the MYP inquiry cycle to plan their projects. Throughout the project, students will gather evidence and reflect on their learning. Based on the reflections, new areas of inquiry can be discovered and different actions may be taken. This cycle of Inquiry, Action, and Reflection is transferable and can be applied to other subjects. At the end of each year, students present what they learned or show off products they created at the school fair. By the end of Jiyukenkyu, students get familiar with the Personal Project which begins towards the end of the grade 9 year. Some topics in Jiyukenkyu include Calligraphy, Hand Crafts, Gardening, Data Science, and Sustainable Development Goals.