CAS
CREATIVITY ACTION
SERVICE
IB Diploma Programme Hexagon
WHY CAS?
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
besides…
„…if you believe in something, you must not just think or talk or
write, but must ACT.”
Peterson (2003)
Nature of CAS
Creativity:
•
arts, and other experiences that involve
creative thinking.
Action:
•
physical exertion contributing to a
healthy lifestyle
Service:
•
an unpaid and voluntary exchange that
has a learning benefit for the student.
Creativity
Arts, and other experiences that involve creative thinking like the
design and carrying out of service projects.
Examples:
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Speech and debate
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Model United Nations
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Writing for school magazine
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Designing a CAS website
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New Horizons in Film Education
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Comenius Project products
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Theatre performance
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Art club
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Photography club
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Painting
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Choir
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Rock band
Action
Physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle:
Individual sports Team sports Participation in expeditions
Examples:
- Sports teams
- Dance club
- Outdoor club
- Workout room
- Personal fitness programme
- Horse riding
Extension:
Improving yours skills or passing it to others
Service
Involves interaction, such as building links with individuals or groups in the
community. The community may be the school, the local district or it may
exist on national and international levels.
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Essential that service activities have learning benefits for the student
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It is not only doing things FOR others but also doing things WITH others.
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Student must have real responsibilities
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Must be unpaid and voluntary, not for family
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Must not be mundane, repetitive activities
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The rights, dignity and autonomy of all those involved are respected
Culpepper
Service
Examples:
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Volunteering at an animal shelter, orphanage, children’s home, local hospital
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Habitat for Humanity – building houses for the disadvanteged
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Comenius proejct „Health” – organising events, doing research etc.
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Assisting the elderly, the handicapped, the immigrants
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Assisting victims of natural disasters
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Teaching a language to peers or children
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Peer tutoring/Coaching younger children
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Designing or constructing message boards
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Creating and managing a CAS website
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Establishing or coaching a team
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Student Council service projects
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Raising funds for worthy causes
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Environment Protection Club
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Human Rights Club
Examples of combined activites
One activity may cover more than one category,
in fact, these are often the best projects.
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Painting murals at a local hospital – creativity, service
•
Public speech – creativity, service
•
Community garbage clean-up – action, service
•
Working with younger students on a play – creativity, action,
service
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Recycling- creativity (planning of the programme), action,
service
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Comenius project „Health”– creativity, service
What is the Purpose of CAS?
To develop students who are:

Reflective thinkers – know their strengths and limitations
and can set themselves goals for personal growth

Willing to accept new challenges and new roles

Aware of themselves as members of communities with
responsibilities towards each other and the environment

Active participants in sustained, collaborative projects

Balanced – enjoy a range of activities involving whole
person
Experiential Learning
Experiential learning
•
You must plan your activity and state goals that you hope to achieve and outcomes
you hope to meet
•
All students should be involved in some CAS activities that they have initiated
themselves. Students should „own” their CAS programme and be autonomous.
•
Simple, mundane, one time tasks will not count - tasks must extend the student not
merely be “more of the same” (more practice, more competition), you’re either to
achieve an even higher level of a given skill or undertake new roles
•
Activities should vary in length and in the amount of commitment required from the
student, but none should be trivial.
•
Reflection must be real and meaningful
Learning Outcomes
As a result of their CAS experience, there must be evidence that a student has:
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Increased their awareness of their own strengths and areas for
growth
Undertaken new challenges
Planned and initiated activities
Worked collaboratively with others
Shown perseverance and commitment in their activities
Engaged with issues of global importance
Considered the ethical implications of their actions
Developed new skills
All eight outcomes must be present for a student to complete
the CAS requirement.
How will you successfully complete CAS?
…by participating in:
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•
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Real
Purposeful
New
Varied
Outside-your-comfort-zone
Challenging
…activities, with significant outcomes
…by planning, reviewing progress, reporting.
…by reflecting on outcomes and personal learning.
How does CAS benefit me?

CAS enables students to enhance their personal and interpersonal
development through experiential learning.

CAS provides an important counterbalance to the academic
pressures of the rest of the Diploma Programme.

CAS should be challenging and enjoyable and a personal journey of
self-discovery.

CAS helps realise student’s potential and develop a caring and
compassionate attitude, respectful of other people emotions and
feelings.

CAS raises social, intercultural and environmental awareness and
helps active citizenship
When and how much?
At
the end of their CAS program, students should have
completed approximately 150 hours with a reasonable balance
between creativity, action and service. This means roughly 4
hours per week.
CAS must take place throughout the two years (min. 18
months) with a balanced, regular commitment in the three
areas.
One long-term project involving teamwork that integrates two
or more of creativity, action, service and is of significant
duration is required.
Attitude
Just as important as hours, if not more so, is the attitude with
which you approach your CAS activities, and the variety of
activities since CAS emphasizes more on sharing your talents and
working together.
Therefore:
• Do a mixture of activities in some try to limit yourself to about 20
hours while in other activities commit yourself for a longer period
of time
Ideally, at least two-thirds of your CAS requirement
should be fulfilled by the start of DP2
That’s not CAS!!!
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Any class, activity, or project that is already part of the IB
Diploma Programme
Any work or activity where the student is rewarded financially
or with a grade
Simple, tedious, repetitive work (i.e. photocopying, shelving
books, family duties)
Any activity where there is no responsible adult present to
supervise/evaluate the activity
A passive pursuit (i.e. visiting a museum, attending a sporting
event or concert, etc.) except when you follow up with a
presentation/article of your own
Religious worship but work done by a religious group in the
wider community is
Reflection
• public or private
• individual or shared
• objective or subjective
• written or oral
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Written Reflection Book
Electronic Journaling
Blogs
Website
Articles for the school magazine
Video/PowerPoint Presentations
Electronic Picture Scrapbook
Illustrated displays
Oral presentations to peers, parents or outsiders
Developing reflection
Think about each stage of activity:
before
during
after
Ask questions:
How do I feel?
What have I perceived?
What do I think about the activity?
What does this activity mean to me?
What is the value of the activity?
What have I learnt about myself and others?
How have I changed?
More reflective questions

What you hoped to accomplish?

How successful were you in achieving your goals?

What were difficulties & how did you overcome them?

What abilities, attitudes & values have you developed?

How did this activity/project benefit others?

What might you do differently next time to improve?

Can you apply what you learned elsewhere?
CAS responsibilities
Students are required to:
• Self-review at the beginning of their CAS experience and set
personal goals for what they hope to achieve through their CAS
programme
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Plan, do and reflect: plan activities, carry them out and reflect on
what they have learned
•
Undertake regular reviews and a final review with their CAS
coordinator
•
Take part in a range of activities, including at least one project,
some of which they have initiated themselves
•
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
CAS Planning Worksheet
Proposed Activity
What is the timeline?
What are my goals?
C
Student Name:
Student Signature:
Parent Signature:
Date:
Date:
A
S
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CAS: activity/project self-evaluation form
International Baccalaureate
5. Did anyone help you to think about your learning during this activity/project? If so, who helped
CAS Form A
…...................................................................................................................................................................................
and how did they help?
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CAS: activity/project self-evaluation form
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6. How did this activity/project benefit others?
SUBMIT TO: ACTIVITY/PROJECT LEADER
…..................................................................................................................................................................................
SCHOOL NUMBER:....................................................................................................................................................
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SCHOOL NAME:.........................................................................................................................................................
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SESSION:.....................................................................................................................................................................
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7. What might you do differently next time to improve?
CANDIDATE SELF-EVALUATION
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CANDIDATE NAME:.................................................................................................................................................
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CANDIDATE SESSION NUMBER:..........................................................................................................................
8. How can you apply what you have learned in other life situations?
NAME OF ACTIVITY/PROJECT:.............................................................................................................................
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NO OF HOURS:...........................................................................................................................................................
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1. Summarise what you did in this activity/project and how you interacted with others
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Candidate's signature: …....................................... Date: …..............................
2. Explain what you hoped to accomplish through this activity/project.
…...................................................................................................................................................................................
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To be completed by the activity/project leader
The activity/project was (circle the desired response):
.......................................................................................................................................................................................
3. How successful were you achieving your goals? What difficulties did you encounter and how did
you overcome them?
…...................................................................................................................................................................................
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Satisfactorily completed
Not satisfactorily completed
Comments:
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4. What did you learn about yourself and others through this activity/project? What abilities,
attitudes and values have you developed?
Activity/project leader's name:......................................................................................................................................
…...................................................................................................................................................................................
Activity/project leader's signature:................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................................................
The CAS coordinator's name:........................................................................................................................................
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The CAS coordinator's signature:...................................................................................................................
Learning Outcomes Form: Year 1/2
Learning Outcome
Increased your awareness of your own strengths and areas for
growth
Undertaken new challenges
Planned and initiated activities
Worked collaboratively with others
Shown perseverance and commitment in their activities
Engaged with issues of global importance
Considered the ethical implications of their actions
Developed new skills
Name of CAS Coordinator:
CAS Coordinator’s Signature:
Date:
Achieved
(√)
Nature of Evidence
CAS Log
Date(s)
Activity
Signature of supervisor with contact
information
Student Signature:
Date:
Parent Signature:
Date:
No of Hours
(approximate)
C
A
S
Important CAS Terminology
CAS Coordinator
Handles the overall functioning of the CAS
component for the IB Diploma Programme.
CAS Advisor
Provides personal advice and support to
individual students. Your home room tutors are
CAS advisors.
Supervisor
Adult present when a student is completing
their CAS activity. Completes a review of the
student’s involvement in the CAS activity after it
has been completed.
Questions?
Consult:
Creativity,
action service guide in the library
CAS
student handbook
CAS
coordinator: joannapillans@op.pl
CAS
advisor: your home tutor
IB
Diploma Coordinator