Transcript C.A.S. - International Baccalaureate

C.A.S.
Creativity, Action, Service
Updates and ManageBac
CAS
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CAS begins on the first day of 11th Grade and
not a minute before.
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Nothing done over the summer between 10th
and 11th Grades count towards CAS.
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It still counts for Bright Futures just not towards
the completion of CAS.
“Concurrency of learning is important in the Diploma Programme.
Therefore, CAS activities should continue on a regular basis for as
long as possible throughout the programme, and certainly for at least
18 months.”
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In theory CAS never ends it should remain part of life.
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CAS
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reference to CAS delete the term “Hours” from
your vocabulary.
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Hours are no longer counted or considered
acceptable
IB does random reviews of school’s CAS programs,
they don’t want to see the word “hours” anywhere.
“How do We Keep Track of What We’re Doing?”
“So How do We Tell You What
We Did?”
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It’s not what you did it’s what you learned or
achieved!
“So how do we show you that?”
Reflection, Reflection, Reflection
The reflection is more important than the
activity.
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The reflection can be done in may ways;
Video, Picture Book, Essay, Email Conversations,
Blog…
 It simply has to be done very well!
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“What Does My Activity Have
to Cover?”
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For student development to occur, CAS should involve:
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real, purposeful activities, with significant outcomes
personal challenge—tasks must extend the student and be
achievable in scope
thoughtful consideration, such as planning, reviewing progress,
reporting
reflection on outcomes and personal learning.
All proposed CAS activities need to meet these four criteria.
It is also essential that they do not replicate other parts of
the student’s Diploma Programme work.
“What should I learn or get out of my CAS
activity?”
As a result of their CAS experience as a whole, including their reflections, there should be evidence that students
have:
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increased their awareness of their own strengths and areas for growth
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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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undertaken new challenges
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planned and initiated activities
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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).
considered the ethical implications of their actions
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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.
engaged with issues of global importance
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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.
shown perseverance and commitment in their activities
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Planning and initiation will often be in collaboration with others. It can be shown in activities that are part of larger
projects, for example, ongoing school activities in the local community, as well as in small student-led activities.
worked collaboratively with others
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A new challenge may be an unfamiliar activity, or an extension to an existing one.
Ethical decisions arise in almost any CAS activity (for example, on the sports field, in musical composition, 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.
developed new skills
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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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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.
“So what do we need to do?”
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Over the 18 months in the program you should be
involved with 10-15 activities, maybe more, maybe
a lot more.
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Of those activities one must be a “project”. The
project must include more than one area of CAS.
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Most good CAS activities include more than one area
of CAS (creative, action, service).
In-order to meet the CAS requirement you will be
expected to reflect on all your activities.
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The reflection on your “project” must be very
detailed: goals, expectations, timelines,
(beginning, middle, end) reflections.
Example Reflections
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Self-Interview: Video
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Yehd9_kNEc
Short Narrative or E-mail
Hospital Volunteer
I am not quite sure how exactly to write this reflection, so I will tell you about the incident that happened while I was
volunteering last week.
Last Saturday, I went to volunteer at the hospital as usual, and I expected to copy and file papers, ask patients if they
need anything, or change beds. However, this Saturday, a nurse asked me to make chicken noodle soup for a
patient. I was excited about making the soup because my work at the hospital is extremely limited and not too
stimulating due to the fact that I am a student without any certification. All I was to do open a can of Campbell’s
Chicken Noodle Soup and put it in the microwave. This was such a simple task if you knew that you were not
supposed to put cans in the microwave. Ignorant of this crucial fact, I put the whole can in the microwave.
Oh my…let’s just say that the poor pregnant lady never got her soup.
Standing in front of the microwave, I had one of the most profound epiphanies. I never realized that I didn’t know
how to do the most practical things, such as using a washing machine or the dish washer. As an IB student, I had
centered my life around studying, not on doing the laundry or washing the dishes. I had always left these “trivial”
things for my mom to do based on the excuse that I needed to study. But as I stood in front of the microwave
realizing that I was not going to get the soup, I realized that practical knowledge was just as important as
trigonometry and English Lit. Never will I put another can in the microwave, and never will I dismiss practical
knowledge as merely trivial.
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Essay
Picture Book
Journal…