CRITERIA A: Prior Learning and Subject Specific Knowledge
Growing up, I have travelled to Thailand many times. I have been exposed to traditional Thai culture, and seen all sorts of food preparations, from street vendors all the way to chefs in fancy restaurants. During these visits, I have also observed how the native Thai people prepare their food and learned about the traditional Thai ingredients they use. Furthermore, my favorite cuisine is Thai, so, due to my own personal interest and observation, my knowledge about their cuisine is very high. From taking my MYP subjects, I have gained a vast array of prior knowledge that I will apply to my Personal Project. Firstly, in my biology class, I have learned about how reactions are affected by the different conditions they are exposed to, the catalysts of these reactions, and the fundamental molecules and how they react to each other. In art, I have learned about the color theory, and how to mix colors together to make it visually pleasing for the audience. I am aware that the color scheme in food is a crucial element in making the dish look attractive for the consumer. These topics are very important for my project because I am going to explore with different colors in my dishes, as well as different ingredients that have to complement each other. Furthermore, my English classes, I have learned how to correctly structure different types of text, including books. I have practiced writing paragraphs and effective descriptions which will help me in writing both my report and project when I have to describe the ingredients and recipe of each dish in my cookbook.
PROCESS JOURNAL: SELECTING MY PROJECT IDEA In the month of September 2020, I underwent the process of selecting the final idea from my personal project and associating it with an appropriate and effective global context. Firstly, I created a brainstorm of all the ideas and associated subtopics that were of particular interest to me personally. The ideas included: Cookbook (Danish or Thai Cuisine?), Make-up where I would create a book about the whole make-up industry and then putting QR-Codes inside the book to scan (Where there would be small clips of different things related to make-up), The environment/ Global warming/ Climate change and lastly Fashion (writing a book about all the styles throughout the time and creating different looks). Initially, I was keen on choosing Fashion since it’s one of my biggest passions, but I also knew that I wouldn’t be challenged enough so therefore I went with writing a cookbook about the Thai cuisine. I was also debating whether to create a fun YouTube channel so it would be easy to access for all ages or to write a book. I came to the conclusion that I wanted to write a book. This was quite a difficult choice, and I was wondering whether it would be too challenging for me, but I knew that as an IB learner and with all the support I have been offered my peers and my teachers I will be able to complete this. I am happy with my final choice because it links to the global context, Personal and cultural expression.