Our Grade 12 students from Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Computer Science participated in IBDP Group 4 project as a part of their diploma programme where they successfully did scientific research, collected samples, experiments and data collection. Doing the project helped the students to practice and experience the scientific learning and collaboration with other science subjects and computer science.
The group 4 project is an interdisciplinary activity in which all Diploma Programme science students must participate. The intention is that students from the different group 4 subjects analyse a common topic or problem. The exercise should be a collaborative experience where the emphasis is on the processes involved in, rather than the products of, such an activity.
The group 4 project is a collaborative activity where students from different group 4 subjects work together on a scientific or technological topic, allowing for concepts and perceptions from across the disciplines to be shared to “develop an understanding of the relationships between scientific disciplines and their influence on other areas of knowledge”.
The group 4 project allows students to appreciate the environmental, social and ethical implications of science and technology. It may also allow them to understand the limitations of scientific study, for example, the shortage of appropriate data and/or the lack of resources. The emphasis is on interdisciplinary cooperation and the processes involved in scientific investigation, rather than the products of such investigation.