Diploma Programme
CAS Handbook 2017-2019
CREATIVITY ACTIVITY SERVICE
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
IB Mission Statement and ISE Overview The Nature of Creativity, Activity, Service CAS Requirements What Is / Is Not a CAS Experience? Learning Outcomes Your Portfolio: Reflections and Evidence The CAS Project Steps to Planning a(n) Activity / Project Planning your Experiences (Creativity / Activity)
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Planning your Experiences (Service) Staff Advisor List
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IB MISSION STATEMENT
The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
International School of Estonia
The International School of Estonia provides the highest quality internationally accredited and inspected curriculum for children aged 3 to 19. Its curriculum is based on the programs of the International Baccalaureate Organization and is taught in the English Language.
Our Mission ● ● ● ●
Develop inquirers, communicators, risk-takers and leaders Provide an environment of creativity, innovation and care Foster intercultural understanding and respect Empower students to implement positive change in the face of future challenges
Core Values In all that we do, we value: 1. Personal attention with care and compassion 2. Skills for future success 3. Inquiry based learning 4. Student action to make positive change
Vision ISE is internationally recognized as a school that develops and empowers future innovators and leaders 5
The International Baccalaureate Programme Model
IB Learner Profile
As IB Learners at ISE we strive to be Inquirers Knowledgeable Thinkers Communicators Principled
Open-minded Caring Risk-takers Balanced Reflective
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NATURE OF CAS Creativity, Activity & Service (CAS), at the heart of the IB Diploma Programme (DP), is one of the three essential elements that every student must complete (along with the Extended Essay [EE] and Theory of Knowledge [TOK]), and involves students in a range of activities alongside their academic studies throughout the Programme. CAS is organized around the three strands of creativity, activity, and service, defined as follows.
Strands Creativity: exploring and extending ideas leading to an original or interpretive product or performance Activity: physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle Service: collaborative and reciprocal engagement with the community in response to an authentic need CAS enables students to demonstrate attributes of the IB learner profile in real and practical ways, and to enhance their personal and interpersonal development through experiential learning. Students will develop skills, attitudes and dispositions through a variety of individual and group experiences that will provide them with opportunities to explore their interests and express their passions, personalities, and perspectives. At the same time, CAS provides an important counterbalance to the academic pressures of the rest of the Diploma Programme. One’s CAS experience should be both challenging and enjoyable - a personal journey of self-discovery. Each student has a different starting point and different needs and goals, but for many, their CAS experiences will be profound and life-changing.
Guidelines to CAS Experiences Every CAS Experience (Activity/Project) MUST: ●
fit within one or more of the CAS strands
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be based on a personal interest, skill, talent, or opportunity for growth
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provide opportunities to develop the attributes of the IB learner profile
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not be used or included in one’s Diploma course requirements (although they may be associated with the IB subject groups)
The following questions may be useful for students to consider: ●
Will the experience be enjoyable?
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Does the experience allow for development of personal interests, skills and/or talents?
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What new possibilities or challenges could the experience provide?
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What might be the possible consequences of the CAS experience for the student, others, and the environment? Which CAS learning outcomes may be addressed?
Upon completion of the CAS programme, students will be required to present evidence demonstrating achievement of all CAS learning outcomes.
Successful completion of CAS is a requirement for the award of the IB diploma. 7
CAS Stages The five CAS stages are as follows: 1. Investigation: Students identify their interests, skills and talents to be used in considering opportunities for CAS experiences, as well as areas for personal growth and development. Students investigate what they want to do and determine the purpose for their CAS experience. In the case of service, students identify a need they want to address. 2. Preparation: Students clarify roles and responsibilities, develop a plan of actions to be taken, identify specified resources and timelines, and acquire any skills as needed to engage in the CAS experience. 3. Action: Students implement their idea or plan. This often requires decision-making and problem-solving. Students may work individually, with partners, or in groups. 4. Reflection: Students describe what happened, express feelings, generate ideas, and raise questions. Reflection can occur at any time during CAS to further understanding, to assist with revising plans, to learn from the experience, and to make explicit connections between their growth, accomplishments, and the learning outcomes for personal awareness. Reflection may lead to new action. 5. Demonstration: Students make explicit what and how they learned and what they have accomplished, for example, by sharing their CAS experience through their CAS portfolio or with others in an informal or formal manner. Through demonstration and communication, students solidify their understanding and evoke response from others. The CAS stages provide a framework that enables students to: ✓ increase self-awareness ✓ learn about learning ✓ explore new and unfamiliar challenges ✓ employ different learning styles ✓ develop their ability to communicate and collaborate with others ✓ experience and recognize personal development ✓ develop attributes of the IB learner profile. For singular CAS experiences, students may begin with investigation, preparation, or action. For ongoing CAS experiences, beginning with investigation is advised. In these ongoing experiences, the action stage may lead students back to investigation or preparation as they further develop, expand and implement new or related ideas.
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CAS REQUIREMENTS ● ● ●
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CAS is a requirement for the DP. Failure to complete CAS successfully will impact a student’s ability to complete the DP. It is required that all DP students (grades 11 and 12) begin their CAS experiences at the beginning of grade 11 and complete 18 months of CAS experiences, in total. All CAS experiences should be goal-oriented. Goals should be set using the following SMART Goal criteria: ○ S - Specific: Expectations and achievement goals should not be vague ○ M - Measurable: It should be apparent when a student is approaching or reaching his/her goal ○ A - Attainable: The Learning Outcomes (LO) should be challenging, but not impossible ○ R - Relevant: The experience should be both helpful and interesting to the student (possibly helpful also, to others) ○ T - Timed: The timeline of each experience should have a defined beginning and end - a timeline. This timeline may be flexible, if a student eventually finds that the original end-date was unreasonable, but an end-date should still be set at the start during the planning of the experience (as stated in St. Paul’s Co-Educational College CAS Handbook) Before beginning any CAS experience, students must check in with the CAS Coordinator to discuss the viability of the experience and to discuss and review the CAS faculty advisor options. Once the student has asked a faculty member to act as advisor, the student is to write and submit a CAS proposal (in ManageBac) and meet once again with the CAS Coordinator to review the proposal and have the experience officially approved. All Learning Outcomes (see page 12) should be met at least once over the course of 18 months A balance should be achieved among the Creative, Active, and Service experiences, over the course of the 18 months
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WHAT IS A CAS EXPERIENCE? CAS is any creative, active, and/or service experience that interests an individual student. The idea is that a CAS experience will offer students an opportunity to expand their horizons. To that end, it is suggested that students choose experiences that are new to them - an experience that they might not otherwise feel that they had the time to try. A NEW CAS experience is an experience that allows for growth in one or more of the CAS Strands, as well as the Learning Outcomes (see page 12). Involvement in new experiences could look like the following: ●
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Creativity: Participating in a new (no prior experience) form of creative expression, such as learning to play a new musical instrument, acting in a play, or learning a new art technique Activity: Taking up a new (no prior experience) sport or other physical skill Service: Participating in a new (no prior experience) community service, such as serving food in a food kitchen, tutoring in an after-school program, or volunteering at an animal shelter
An EXTENDED CAS experience is an experience with which the student might have prior or current experience, but which allows for growth in one or more of the CAS Strands, as well as the Learning Outcomes (see page 12). Involvement in extended experiences could look like the following (Note that extended experiences can often meet the criteria of more than one Strand, including the Service Strand): ●
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Creativity: Planning and executing a community mural; tutoring younger/less proficient students in a musical instrument; designing and setting up a web page for a charity organization Action: Creating and implementing a skills improvement plan for the school volleyball team; planning and leading a basketball clinic for elementary students; choreographing and performing an original dance Service: Planning and implementing a community awareness campaign, drive, or fund-raiser for a chosen cause/charity; recruiting, coordinating, and supporting new volunteers for a cause/charity; identifying and making improvements to an existing community service program
WHAT IS NOT A CAS EXPERIENCE? Any routine, required, repetitive, or passive experience Determining the kind of activity that is valid for CAS can be confusing. For some students, devoting 4 hours a week to football is a CAS experience, while for other students, devoting 10 hours a week to football is not a CAS experience… Firstly, CAS is designed to involve students in new roles. Appropriate CAS experiences are not merely “more of the same” - more practice, more hours, etc. For a student who is new to football, learning to play is a CAS experience. For a student who already plays football, perhaps on a team, this is not a CAS experience. If this student were to choose to coach a group of younger or less experienced students - this would become a CAS experience. 10
Secondly, CAS emphasizes learning by doing real (meaningful) tasks that have real (meaningful) consequences (for the students and others) and then reflecting on these experiences over time. This excludes, for example, already routine sports practice; it isn’t a meaningful activity since it is usually required, repetitive, and doesn’t warrant reflection over time. However, this does not exclude experiences the student already practices and enjoys, as these can be “extended” by developing a plan or program, as mentioned above. Thirdly, it is essential that service activities have learning benefits for the student. This rules out mundane, repetitive, and passive activities, as well as “service” without real responsibility. Passive pursuits, such as visits to a museum, the theatre, an art exhibition, a concert, or a sports event are not experiences that require sustained inquiry or experiential learning on the student’s part. They may inspire, strengthen, or complement an experience, but are not, in and of themselves, holistic CAS experiences. Volunteer experiences that require the student to perform simple, repetitious, and inconsequential tasks (e.g., parking cars, cleaning lab equipment, distributing fliers) and/or that have no meaningful learning impact for the student or benefit for the recipient will not count as a CAS experience.
Religious Experience The general rule for CAS is that religious devotion, and any experience that can be interpreted as proselytizing, may not count as CAS. Some relevant guiding principles are that CAS experiences should enlarge students’ experiences, encourage them towards greater understanding of people from different social or cultural backgrounds, and include specific goals. By these criteria, work done by a religious group in the wider community, provided that the objectives are clearly secular, may qualify as CAS. If a religious activity addresses learning outcomes (such as some summer mission trips), those outcomes are the focus: the parts of the trip that involve serving the community are CAS; the parts of the trip that involve proselytizing are not CAS. If the experience is singing religious songs, either during the service or to religious groups, this is not CAS, even if a new skill is being explored. If at any time a student would like to incorporate a religious activity into CAS, this will have to be explored very carefully in collaboration with the CAS Coordinator.
Political Experience A CAS experience may not be something that inherently causes division between people. Experiences that support a specific political party or candidate may not count as CAS (e.g., volunteering for political campaigns). However, experiences that are non-partisan and not candidate-specific (e.g., volunteering at a local elections office to promote voter registration) may count as CAS.
Paid / Compensated Experience Any experience for which a student receives payment, trade, or any other form of compensation may not count as CAS.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES
Completion of CAS is based on a student’s development of the necessary skills, attributes and understandings to achieve the seven CAS learning outcomes over a period of 18 months. Some learning outcomes may be achieved many times, while others may be achieved less frequently - and not all CAS experiences will necessarily lead to a CAS learning outcome. Students will be asked to provide the CAS Coordinator with evidence in their CAS portfolio (see page 13) of having achieved each learning outcome at least once during the CAS programme. The student must reach agreement with his/her advisor and the CAS coordinator as to what evidence is necessary to demonstrate achievement of each CAS learning outcome. This evidence of achieving the seven CAS learning outcomes will generally be included in ongoing reflections.
In CAS there are seven learning outcomes (LO): (as stated in IB CAS Guide 2015) 1
Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
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Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process
Students are able to see themselves as individuals with various abilities and skills, of which some are more developed than others.
A new challenge may be an unfamiliar experience or an extension of an existing one. The newly acquired or developed skills may be shown through experiences that the student has not previously undertaken or through increased expertise in an established area.
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Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience
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Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences
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Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively
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Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance
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Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions
Students can articulate the stages from conceiving an idea to executing a plan for a CAS experience or series of CAS experiences. This may be accomplished in collaboration with other participants. Students may show their knowledge and awareness by building on a previous experience, or by launching a new idea or process.
Students demonstrate regular involvement and active engagement in CAS.
Students are able to identify, demonstrate and critically discuss the benefits and challenges of collaboration gained through CAS experiences.
Students are able to identify and demonstrate their understanding of global issues, make responsible decisions, and take appropriate action in response to the issue either locally, nationally or internationally. Students show awareness of the consequences of choices and actions in planning and carrying out CAS experiences.
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THE CAS PORTFOLIO: REFLECTIONS AND EVIDENCE (in ManageBac) The CAS Portfolio
Students are expected to maintain and complete a CAS Portfolio as evidence of engagement with CAS. This portfolio is a collection of evidence that showcases CAS experiences, in addition to reflections which showcase the growth that the student has made, through these experiences. Although not formally assessed, it is a requirement for an IB diploma. As students accumulate activities and projects, the CAS portfolio grows. Students are to ensure that they upload evidence of each experience on an ongoing basis. It is important to complete the reflection for each step of an experience within one week. The reflection will then most effectively reflect any and all growth throughout the experience.
Reflections Reflection is central to building a deep and rich experience in CAS. It is important to think of the reflection not as an outcome of, but as part of the journey within, one’s experiences. The overarching intention of reflection in CAS includes opportunities for students to (among other things): ✓ consider the relevance of one’s experiences ✓ explore personal and group values ✓ identify strengths and areas for development ✓ gain a greater understanding of oneself and others ✓ place one’s experience(s) in a larger context ✓ generate relevant ideas and questions ✓ consider improvements in choices and actions ✓ transfer prior learning to new situations The reflection should also address, when appropriate, the learning outcomes (LO) that are targeted with each experience. There are four Elements of Reflection which assist in the CAS reflective process. The first two form the foundation of reflection, while the following two add greater depth and expand one’s perspective: 1. Describing what happened: Retell one’s memorable moments, identifying what is/was important/influential, what went well or was difficult, any obstacles and successes. 2. Expressing feelings: Articulating one’s emotional responses to one’s experiences. 3. Generating ideas: Rethinking or re-examining one’s choices and actions can increase awareness of oneself and the situation. 4. Asking questions: Questions about people, processes or issues prompt further thinking and ongoing inquiry. Qualities of a Good Reflection: ● Clearly relates to at least one learning outcome (LO) ● Are specific but don’t focus only on what happened ● Include the student’s thoughts, emotions, and progression on the issue 13
Some things that students might like to consider/include in their reflections: ● What did I do? (Explain the process of completing the project/activity in detail) ● Why did I do it? What does this experience mean to me - and why? What value(s) do(es) the experience have? ● What did I learn from this experience, and how might I extrapolate from this to apply any lesson to my life, more generally? ● What question(s) do I still have about it? What might I do differently in the future? One could also consider the ethical aspects of a service experience / project: ● What is service? ● Why is service to the family not considered as a service? ● Am I trying to help or empower people with this service (what is my goal)? ● What obligation do I have to the person/people who is/are being served? ● How do I end a service relationship? ● What do I do if the person/people doesn’t/don’t want my service?
Evidence Evidence must be able to be submitted through ManageBac, and can take the form of photos/images, spreadsheets or other documents, links to websites, letters written or received from individuals/organizations, and anything else that can be submitted through ManageBac.
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THE CAS PROJECT A CAS project is a collaborative, well-considered series of sequential CAS experiences, engaging students in one or more of the CAS strands of creativity, activity, and service. CAS students must be involved in at least one CAS project during their CAS programme. The primary purpose of the CAS project is to ensure participation in a sustained collaboration and a mutual exchange of ideas and abilities. A CAS project involves collaboration between a group of students or with members of the wider community. Students work as part of a team, with all members being contributors. A project offers students the opportunity to be responsible for, or to initiate, a part of or the entire CAS project. A CAS project can address any single strand of CAS, or combine two or all three strands. The following examples are provided to help generate further ideas without limiting the scope and direction of a CAS project. ● Creativity: A student group plans, designs, and creates a mural ● Activity: Students organize and participate in a sports team, including training sessions and matches against other teams ● Service: Students set up and conduct tutoring for people in need ● Creativity and Activity: Students choreograph a routine for their marching band ● Service and Activity: Students plan and participate in the planting and maintenance of a garden with members of the local community ● Service and Creativity: Students identify that children at a local school need backpacks and subsequently design and make the backpacks out of recycled materials ● Creativity, Activity, and Service: Students rehearse and perform a dance production for a community retirement home All CAS projects are designed with a defined purpose and goals. Individual students identify one or more Learning Outcome (LO) to further guide their role and responsibilities in the CAS project. Students will likely identify more outcomes or modify expected Outcomes during the CAS project and/or at its completion. NB: A minimum of one month is recommended for a CAS project, from planning to completion.
(as stated in the IB’s Creativity, Activity, Service guide)
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STEPS TO PLANNING A(N) ACTIVITY / PROJECT 1 st
Planning Before beginning any CAS experience, students should plan it. The following steps will be very helpful: 1. Use the “Planning Your Experiences” guide on the following pages. This is where students should plan the experience. 2. Speak with the CAS Coordinator about the experience. (S)he can help you to find your focus, if you feel you need help with this. 3. Choose a staff member at school as your advisor (use the Staff Advisor List, found on page 20 of this handbook). This is the name that you will submit in ManageBac under “Supervisor.” 4. Go to ManageBac and Add CAS Activity (for additional help in adding CAS experiences, visit the ManageBac Support Manual: http://help.ManageBac.com/support?manual_id=studentguide). Using the information you compiled in the “Planning Your Experiences,” complete your project proposal. 5. Meet again with the CAS Coordinator to review and discuss your proposal. Once your proposal has officially been approved, you will be able to add reflections and evidence in ManageBac.
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Throughout the Activity / Project On a regular basis, visit your “CAS Worksheet” and experience(s) on ManageBac to add reflections and/or evidence (for additional help in adding reflections and evidence, visit the ManageBac Support Manual - see link above). ● Reflections on both your progress and learning and the progress of the activity / project - Reflections can encompass written journals, photos, websites, and videos (see also The CAS Portfolio: Reflections and Evidence on page 13 of this handbook) ● Record of meetings that you have with your advisor (and, if applicable, your on-site supervisor) ● Evidence of progress, in the form of photos, videos, and other digital pieces of evidence Please Note: It is important that your reflections and evidence are added in a timely fashion (within one week, maximum), as this will ensure that you are able to keep a faithful record of your progress. The CAS Coordinator will review your progress periodically, and reflections that are not added in a timely manner may be removed.
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Upon Completion of the Activity / Project ● ● ●
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Ensure that you have uploaded all final pieces of evidence in your ManageBac “Worksheet.” Complete your final reflection for your activity / project. Request your advisor to complete the “Supervisor Review” v ia Managebac ("request supervisor review" button)" which will indicate that you believe the project is finished, with all evidence and reflections complete. Make an appointment with the CAS Coordinator to review the experience.
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PLANNING yOUR EXPERIENCES (CREATIVITY / ACTIVITY)
Creativity or Activity planning questions
Part A - Planning for Creativity OR Activity Use the following questions as part of preparing for your engagement in your CAS experience: 1. What creative/activity pursuit do you wish to undertake? 2. Why have you chosen this experience? 3. How does this CAS experience address the strand of Creativity/Activity? 4. Which of the learning outcomes might this CAS experience address? 5. With which organization, group or individuals, if any, might you collaborate? 6. What is the anticipated timeframe for this CAS experience (when will it begin and when will it end)? 7. What will be the final product of your CAS experience? 8. Who will be your school-based advisor for this CAS experience? Why have you chosen this advisor? 9. Who will be your on-site contact and/or supervisor for this CAS experience? 10.Are there any safety/risk management issues you will need to address? Note: If so, discuss these immediately with your CAS advisor and CAS coordinator Part B – Preparing for your CAS Experience 1. What steps will you first need to take to get involved in your experience? 2. What resources will you need? 3. What timeline would you suggest? 4. What specific skills or knowledge will you need to carry out your experience, and how will you get them?
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PLANNING yOUR EXPERIENCES (SERVICE)
Service planning questions
Part A - Planning for Service Use the following questions as part of preparing for your engagement in your CAS experience. 1. What CAS Service experience do you wish to undertake? 2. Why have you chosen this experience? 3. Does this CAS experience address another strand, in addition to Service? How? 4. Which of the CAS learning outcomes might this activity address? 5. What community need will this CAS experience specifically address? How have you authenticated the need? 6. With which organisations or individuals are you intending to work? 7. Have you familiarised yourself with the context/expectations of the organisation/individuals with which you will be working? 8. Do the values of the organisation or individuals with which you will be working align with the IB Mission Statement? 9. Have any other students in this school worked with this organisation or individuals and if so, have you communicated with them regarding their CAS experience? 10. What are the expected outcomes of this CAS experience? 11. What is the anticipated timeframe for this CAS experience (when will it begin and when will it end)? 12. Who will be your school-based advisor for this CAS experience? Why have you chosen this advisor? 13. Who will be your on-site contact and/or supervisor for this CAS experience? 14. Have you considered any language barriers, and religious or cultural differences that may arise during this CAS experience? 15. Are there any ethical issues you will need to consider? 16. Are there any safety/risk management issues you will need to address? Note: If so, discuss these immediately with your CAS advisor and CAS coordinator 18
Planning your Experiences (Service), cont’d
Part B – Preparing for your CAS Experience 1. What steps will you first need to take to get involved in your experience? 2. What resources will you need? 3. What timeline would you suggest? 4. What specific skills or knowledge will you need to carry out your experience, and how will you get them? Is there any training you will need to do?
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