Student Choice
| PPP's are designed to allow
students to study a topic of their choice. This student-direction is vital, and it must
extend throughout the selection, planning, research, construction, and presentation of the
project. Research activities that do not include this choice, are not Personal Performance
Projects. Student-directed research is not the same as direction-less work, and the answer to the often-posed question "Does that mean kids can do just anything they want?" is "No." Personal Performance Projects are proposed to students as the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in pre-defined areas. In Vermont, the Vital Results (Communication, Problem-Solving, Personal Development, and Civic and Social Responsibility) are frequently used to provide structure to PPP's. Assessment of projects is defined in terms of these pre-defined skills, and guidance is given throughout to ensure students are documenting and understanding their progress in these areas. In brief, the vital point on topic selection and other decisions about personal performance projects: If there is no student-choice, there is no PPP.
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