Creativity, Action, Service

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Creativity, Action, Service

• CAS and the IB

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CAS An Introduction

• The CAS programme is one of the three core
  requirements of the IB DP.
• The CAS Programme and the learner profile are
  closely linked.
• It is through CAS that you get a chance to make
  many of the learner profile connections

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CAS An Introduction

• CAS is another place for experiential learning.
• You dont study CAS, you do CAS. You have a
  chance to challenge yourself in a completely
  different way.
• Many IB graduates will tell you that their CAS
  experiences provided some of the most memorable
  moments in their IB journey. Why?
• Because they had a chance to make a difference -
  locally, nationally or internationally, and they
  challenged themselves in new ways.

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Group 1 English HL
Group 3 History HL
Group 2 French B SL or Self Taught Language
Extended Essay TOK Creativity, Action Service
Group 5 Mathematics SL
Group 4 Biology HL
Group 6 Visual Arts or an elective
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CAS Things You Should Know

• You need to spend approximately 150 hours over
  two years on their CAS
• Hour counting is not encouraged, or required, but
  you should have a balance
• Try to work CAS into your existing activities
  you probably do a lot of extra-curricular things
  already!

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CAS Things You Should Know

• You cant count CAS activities that are already
  part of your IB programme
• Steps need to be taken BEFORE you do any CAS
  activity so dont start an activity before
  getting your ducks in a row
• You need to initiate some activities on your own.
  Others can be initiated by the school

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Definitions - Creativity

• Arts and other experiences that involve creative
  thinking
• It is not only about the arts
• Creativity can be a planning exercise such as
  organizing a fund raiser, or a fun run, or a
  sporting event for underprivileged kids

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Definitions - Action

• Physical exertion contributing to a healthy
  lifestyle, complementing academic work elsewhere
  in the Diploma Programme
• Work up a sweat
• Can include trying a new sport, training for an
  event, changing your training in an existing
  sport, etc

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Definition - Service

• An unpaid and voluntary exchange that has a
  learning benefit to the student. The rights,
  dignity and autonomy of all those involved are
  respected
• Unpaid volunteer hours

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Where Do You Start?

• You need to consider TWO things before doing ANY
  CAS activity
• FIRST
• Does your activity meet the FOUR criteria
• SECOND
• Which The Learning Outcomes will you address

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The FOUR Criteria for CAS

• This is the starting point for determining any
  CAS activity.
• If the activity does not meet all four criteria,
  it cannot be counted as a CAS activity

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The FOUR Criteria for CAS

• For student development to occur, CAS should
  involve
• Real, purposeful activities with significant
  outcomes
• Personal challenge task must extend the student
  and be achievable in scope
• Thoughtful consideration, such as planning,
  reviewing progress, reporting
• Reflection on outcomes and personal learning

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1. Real Purposeful Activities with Significant
Outcomes

• You should try to find/choose activities that
  have meaning
• Sometimes a planned activity does not turn into a
  purposeful activity even though you plan it that
  way it is important to note this in your
  reflection
• An activity should meet at least one of the eight
  CAS learning outcomes

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2. Personal Challenge task must extend the
student and be achievable in scope

• The key here is extending yourself
• If you have been playing soccer for 9 years, what
  can you do to make it a challenge?
• You can ask yourself the same question about
  trumpet playing, or swimming, or anything that
  you do right now!

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2. Personal Challenge task must extend the
student and be achievable in scope

• Is there something you have always wanted to
  learn or try?
• Extending yourself also means undertaking a new
  challenge

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2. Personal Challenge task must extend the
student and be achievable in scope

• Achievable in scope is also important
• You do not want to make plans that are not
  possible
• If you do plan something, but it ends up being
  too difficult to achieve, you can reflect on it

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3. Thoughtful consideration, such as planning,
reviewing progress, reporting

• This part of CAS is embedded in the process.
• You are asked to plan your activity before you do
  it
• There is an interview process that takes place
  throughout your CAS program
• You reflect on your CAS experiences as you do them

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4. Reflection on outcomes and personal learning

• Each CAS activity starts with a plan a purpose
  and intended learning experience.
• Each CAS activity ends with reflection
• What did I learn?
• Did I meet my goals? If not, why?
• Where do I go from here? Can I apply this
  elsewhere?

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After the Four Criteria The Eight Learning
Outcomes

• Once you have determined that your proposed CAS
  activity will meet the four criteria, you have to
  determine which Learning Outcome(s) you plan to
  address

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CAS Learning Outcomes

• CAS requires students to show evidence of eight
  learning outcomes
• You can have evidence of any given learning
  outcome more than once, but you have to have all
  eight at least once.
• The evidence can be in a variety of forms and we
  will come to this later

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CAS Learning Outcome 1

• Increased their awareness of their own strengths
  and areas for growth
• They are able to see themselves as individuals
  with various skills and abilities, some more
  developed than others, and understand that they
  can make choices about how they wish to move
  forward

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CAS Learning Outcome 2

• Undertaken new challenges
• A new challenge may be an unfamiliar activity or
  an extension to an existing one.

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CAS Learning Outcome 3

• Planned an initiated activities
• Planning and initiation will often be in
  collaboration with others. It can be shown in
  activities that are part of a larger projects,
  for example, ongoing school activities in the
  local community, as well as in small student-led
  activities

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CAS Learning Outcome 4

• Worked collaboratively with others
• Collaboration can be shown in many different
  activities, such as team sports, playing music in
  a band, or helping in a kindergarten. At least
  one project, involving collaboration and the
  integration of at least two of creativity, action
  and service, is required.

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CAS Learning Outcome 5

• Shown perseverance and commitment in their
  activities
• At a minimum, this implies attending regularly
  and accepting a share of the responsibility for
  dealing with problems that arise in the course of
  activities.

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CAS Learning Outcome 6

• Engaged with issues of global importance
• Students may be involved in international
  projects but there are many global issues that
  can be acted upon locally or nationally (for
  example, environmental concerns, caring for the
  elderly)

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CAS Learning Outcome 7

• Considered the ethical implications of their
  actions
• Ethical decisions arise in almost any CAS
  activity (for example, on the sports field, in
  musical competition, in relationships with others
  involved in service activities). Evidence of
  thinking about ethical issues can be shown in
  various ways, including journal entries and
  conversations with CAS advisers.

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CAS Learning Outcome 8

• Developed new skills
• As with new challenges, new skills may be shown
  in activities that the student has not previously
  undertaken, or in increased expertise in an
  established area.

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Completing the CAS requirement

• Again, all eight outcomes must be present for a
  student to complete the CAS requirement. Some
  may be demonstrated many times, in a variety of
  activities, but completion requires only that
  there is some evidence for every outcome.
  (Creativity, action, service guide, p5-6)
• It is CASs contribution to your development that
  is most important!

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Student Responsibilities

• Self review at the beginning of your CAS
  experience and set personal goals for what you
  want to achieve through your CAS programme
• Plan, do and reflect (plan activities, carry them
  out and reflect on what you have learned)

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Student Responsibilities

• Undertake at least one interim interview and a
  final interview with their CAS advisor/coordinator
  
• Take part in a range of activities, including at
  least one project, some of which they have
  initiated themselves
• The project involves teamwork that integrates
  two or more of creativity, action and service,
  and is of significant duration.

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Student Responsibilities

• Keep records of their activities and
  achievements, including a list of the principal
  activities undertaken
• Show evidence of achievement of the eight CAS
  learning outcomes

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Experiential Learning
APPLY LEARNING IN NEW SITUATIONS

• Identify goals
• Decide how (using previous experience and
  knowledge)

Use knowledge gained for new experiences

• Real tasks
• Concrete Experiences

• Identify achievements and outstanding issues,
  personal strengths and challenges
• Evaluate actions
• Synthesize new understandings

• Think about feelings and interactions
• Analyze perceptions

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What is the CAS Coordinator Role?

• In my role, I will
• Make sure that everyone who is involved with your
  CAS programme knows their responsibility
• Make sure that staff, parents and other students
  are informed about CAS
• Publicize your achievements
• Make sure that you are ready to handle the
  challenges that you will face in your chosen
  activities

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What is the CAS Coordinator Role?

• And
• Contact outside agencies who are involved with
  CAS
• Consider safety issues involved with CAS
  activities
• Keep records as required by the IB for CAS
• Help students identify personal and social goals
• Monitor the range and balance of your activities
• Help you develop your powers of reflection
  through group and individual discussion

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What is the CAS Coordinator Role?

• And
• Support students in any ethical concerns they
  might face in their CAS activities
• Read and respond to your diaries/journals
• Help you to make connections (CAS activities to
  subject activities, local activities to global
  activities) and to look for general
  understandings
• Report your achievements to the IB

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CAS Supervisor

• Each activity needs to have a supervisor whose
  role is
• Monitoring attendance
• Providing guidance and support related to the
  activity
• Letting me and/or the administration know of any
  problems in your CAS activity
• Reporting on your performance as required

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Providing Evidence

• The way you demonstrate each learning outcome is
  up to you. Examples include
• CAS journals or diaries
• Blogs, e-mails or other electronic communication
• Videos or Photographs
• Scrapbooking, etc.
• I may be required to submit CAS samples, so I
  will be holding on to your CAS materials until
  May 31st of your graduating year

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CAS Pitfalls

• Common CAS problems are
• Not documenting your experiences as you go
• Not checking to make sure an activity can be
  considered CAS before you start
• Not doing an activity that is supervised by
  someone

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A Few Final Words

• Ultimately, you want to reflect on how you are in
  the beginning, how you are in the middle, and how
  you have changed or grown in the end.
• The CAS learning outcomes mean that you either
  get it or you dont, that youve learned it or
  you havent.
• Ask all the time WHICH LEARNING OUTCOME DOES
  THIS ACHIEVE?

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A Group Activity

• Choose one of the following students and set up
  his or her CAS plan
• Include the activity
• Address all 8 learning outcomes
• Indicate the type of reflection
• Be prepared to justify the activity according to
  the four criteria

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The students

• Joe Shy
• A student who is a bit of an introvert. He is
  not athletic. He spends much of his free time on
  his computer playing games and programming. He
  works hard to keep his grades up because he would
  rather play video games.
• Jane Athletic
• Jane is a super athlete. She plays soccer, rugby
  and tennis. She doesnt have a musical bone in
  her body, but she does like to go to school
  dances. Jane is a good student because she needs
  to keep her marks up to stay on the school teams.

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The students

• Joe Overachiever
• Joe does a bit of everything. He is president
  of the student council, the KEY club, is vice
  president of the SADD chapter, plays basketball
  and takes piano lessons. He is a top grade
  earner and works hard to keep his marks up.
• Jane Typical
• Jane is a typical high school student. She
  doesnt play organized sports, but does could if
  she wanted to. She is a good student with
  average to above average marks. She works part
  time at a local fast food restaurant (about 15
  hours per week).