The teacher explains that you have to submit a proposal for your thesis demonstrating that you have a clear research path through a clearly worded thesis statement and an introductory annotated bibliography. You breath a bit of a sigh of relief knowing that you won't get too far down the path with your desired topic and then find out that you need to switch things up.
About a week in to the unit, you submit your proposal and go over it with the teacher. He likes your direction. He tells you that it is unique and that it does a nice job of blending your interests with what the course curriculum demands. You are excited by this and run off to continue your research. You spend a fair amount of time over the coming weeks reading books and journal articles, and watching videos on your topic. Some of the class time is dedicated to larger group work looking at aspects of the broader topic and you find these useful to provide another level of perspective on your research. Your notes are getting pretty thick and you know that you'll have plenty to write about. Your Learning Log, an online forum where the teacher asks you to record your progress at regular intervals, is filling up with plenty of ideas and reflection. You begin working on the outline.
As you start to write the actual paper, you realize that your biggest problem will be that it might be too long. You'll have to be careful to stay focused on your thesis and keep your writing tight. It takes you a couple of weeks to get the paper written and drafts proofed, but you end up with what you think is one of the better papers that you've ever written and you hand it in with a smile on your face.
The check in point described here as a proposal process is crucial. It provides an opportunity for both the student and teacher to establish that the student is on the right track and for them to have a discussion about the specifics of the topic that would not be of much use or interest to the whole class. The fact that the student takes the opportunity to explore something of genuine interest allows for deep engagement and meaningful learning. This is certainly a win-win!