The evening of Wednesday, May 20th marked an important, conclusive moment in the high school careers of our graduating students. Friends, family, faculty, and judges gathered in the Hawthorn atrium to listen to the students’ oral presentations of their Master Discourse Project (MDP), a substantial interdisciplinary project developed throughout the course of their final year of high school. The MDP entails a number of components, beginning by scoping out a thesis topic linking content from Grade 12 English and Philosophy with that of at least one other Grade 12 course. Students then research, write, and present their thesis (6 to 10 minutes) to a panel at which time they are expected to defend their position orally. Successful completion of this project grants an Ontario Secondary School course credit in Interdisciplinary Studies (IDC4U).
The MDP is designed to encourage students’ improvement in:
- Critical thinking, including the ability to make interdisciplinary linkages between and across different courses, connecting and integrating them to obtain deeper insights;
- Ability to scope out a meaningful and relevant research topic based on this interdisciplinary thinking;
- Research skills, by investigating a topic, applying a rigorous research methodology;
- Analytical skills, by critically examining relevant information, applying logical thinking to take a position on their topic;
- Writing skills, by summarizing findings in a strong, logical, succinct, persuasive paper;
- Presentation and public speaking skills, by sharing findings and defending their position in front of a panel and audience.
This experience is intended to facilitate students’ transition to post-secondary education.
The evening’s program included:
- Presentations: Grade 12s presented their MDP presentations with a discussion/question period right after each presentation.
- Short Break: Judges convened in the deliberation room to prepare feedback for each candidate.
- General feedback: Judges presented their constructive feedback about the presentations related to topics, progression of arguments, and presentation effectiveness.
- A social: Guests and graduates gathered for light refreshments and celebration in honour of the Grade 12s’ MDP achievements. Cheers!
This year’s projects included the following titles:
Reclaiming Purpose in an Age of Meaninglessness (Isabella)
The Modern Cure-All? A Multidisciplinary Analysis of NSAID Overuse (Victoria)
Creator Mundi (Madeleine)
The Canadian Downfall (Michaela)
Opening Horizons Through Colourful Hues (Zakiyah)
Influence in Frames (Viktoria)
Classical Music, Beauty, and Psychology (Chiara)
Special thanks to Grade 12 teachers Ann Francis (Philosophy) and Miriam Helmers (English) for guiding our graduates throughout the MDP process this year, and to our guest judges, Robin D’Souza, Janet Heidker, and Sandra Nelson, for asking questions and providing personalized feedback to our confident, articulate, thoughtful presenters. And to our graduates, congratulations on your strong, lively oral presentations and defences of your theses. Brava!
