Lakeside School

Lakeside School

Department of Science

Guide to Independent Study (ISP) projects in the department

The Curriculum Guide describes Independent Study Projects in this way:

Independent study may be organized by an individual student, or a small group of students, to study a chosen topic under the supervision of a teacher. The requirements in this course must be equivalent to that in a regular course. An independent study course must receive department approval within two weeks after the start of the term in order to be added to the schedule and included in the comment program. Independent study forms are available in the upper school office.

· In the Science Department, ISP’s may be conducted for one semester or one year, although most research-based ISP’s require a full year to adequately conduct.

· ISP’s are conducted on a credit/no credit basis only. Grades will not be assigned for any ISP. Students may only take one credit/no credit course per semester, so be sure that you are not planning to take another class for credit/no credit concurrently.

· ISP’s in the science department may involve directed readings, but more typically they involve directed research.

· If research is conducted, there are 2 final pieces for assessment. First, the ISP concludes with a summary of the experiment – the background of the study, the methods used to investigate the question, the results and an analysis of the results. This does not necessarily have to be a lengthy paper; about 3-4 pages representing a year’s worth of work is typical. Second, a brief (roughly ½ hour) presentation is made summarizing the research. This seminar is open to any student or faculty member who wishes to attend.

· It is also possible to do a directed readings ISP, or some combination of readings and research. These ISPs still require a faculty sponsor, and a proposal for what readings you plan to pursue. The objective of the directed reading must be presented to the department by the student for approval. For example, you may choose to do directed readings and lab exercises in anatomy and physiology if that elective is not offered. If this is the case, you should state what text, lab manuals and/or journals you will be reading over the course of the semester, what topics you plan to cover, and what (if any) lab activities you plan to do. Although there is no final presentation or write up required for directed readings, there may be writing assignments over the course of the year as determined by your faculty sponsor.

· ISPs require a significant commitment, similar to a regularly scheduled science elective. While meetings may be less frequent than three times a week, you should expect to commit time to demanding reading and writing requirements or to conducting out-of-class research.

· ISP’s offered for credit by the science department may only be supervised by members of that department. Adjunct advisors may offer help, assistance or facilities, but will not be involved with grade determination. For example, in the past students have worked with professors or scientists from the UW or the Fred Hutch. They have typically worked in their labs, but the assessment (both in terms of the final paper and presentation as well as the assessment of whether credit was assigned) was done through Lakeside School. Working with an adjunct faculty member or scientist still requires the student to meet regularly with the Lakeside faculty member sponsoring the project.

Getting Approval

Here are some steps to guide you in the process of getting an ISP approved within the department:

You must pick up an Independent Study Project form from the Upper School office, or view the form here and print it. This form requires the signature of several people (faculty sponsor, department head, etc) and must be turned in to Liz Okamura once the project has been approved in order for it to be processed and for you to receive credit.

Talk with a possible science department member who might supervise the ISP. Please remember that ISP’s represent a very significant expenditure of time for a teacher, and teachers may not be able to engage in your proposed study with you. During these initial conversations, if the teacher is willing, you will begin to flesh out the specific nature of the proposal. It helps to come with an idea rather than approaching a department member to solicit ideas. This is due mainly to the timing involved – ISP’s must be approved by the department within two weeks after the start of the term. If you don’t have an idea for a project, much less a general game plan roughed out, it will be difficult to get your project approved in time. It is advisable to approach department members in the spring to discuss ideas the year before you wish to do the project is advisable.

When you have a strong sense of what you will study and with whom, formalize the proposal in writing and submit it to the department. You will then present your proposal to the science department at which time you will summarize your proposal.

Your proposal must include a written description of the project, including a rationale (why do you propose to follow this course of study), a statement of some of the key questions you will investigate, and a broad sense of what you hope to learn.

You should indicate (when appropriate) how you will test your ideas, what equipment you will need, whether you will need to collaborate with an agency or institution outside Lakeside, and specifically what data you plan to collect.

If you are using a text or set of readings to supplement your ISP, state what texts and readings you plan to use.

Your proposal must include specific information about how you be assessed on your inquiry, how many times a week you will meet, and who your faculty supervisor is.

Once you have submitted your proposal, you will be required to make a brief presentation to the science department describing your proposed research. This is mainly an opportunity for the department to ask clarifying questions.

The department will review the proposal, make suggestions and offer advice, and determine whether the proposal meets the standards and is achievable in the time frame.

Once you have received departmental approval, you are set to begin your project.