|
Creativity, Activity and Service
CAS Co-ordinator: Ms Helen Tachas
P: +61 3 9816 1495 E: helen.tachas@carey.com.au
Course Description and Aims
Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) is at the heart of the IB. With its holistic approach, CAS is designed to strengthen and extend the student’s personal and interpersonal learning.
CAS is organised around the three strands of Creativity, Activity and Service defined as follows:
- 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 aims to develop students who:
- enjoy and find significance in a range of CAS experiences;
- purposefully reflect upon their experiences;
- identify goals, develop strategies and determine further actions for personal growth;
- explore new possibilities, embrace new challenges and adapt to new roles;
- actively participate in planned, sustained and collaborative CAS projects;
- understand they are members of local and global communities with responsibilities towards each other and the environment.
A CAS experience is a specific event in which the student engages with one or more of the three CAS strands. It can be a single event or an extended series of events.
A CAS project is a collaborative series of sequential CAS experiences lasting at least one month.
Typically, a student’s CAS program combines planned/unplanned singular and ongoing experiences. All are valuable and may lead to personal development. However, a meaningful CAS program must be more than just a series of unplanned/singular experiences. Students must be involved in at least one CAS project during the program. Program Overview
The CAS program formally begins at the start of the IB Diploma and continues regularly for at least 18 months with a reasonable balance between creativity, activity and service.
A CAS experience must:
- fit within one or more of the CAS strands;
- be based on a personal interest, skill, talent or opportunity for growth;
- provide opportunities to develop the attributes of the IB learner profile.
CAS students have guidance at the school level through a variety of resources including the School’s CAS handbook, information sessions and meetings. In addition, students have three formal interviews with the school’s CAS co-ordinator/adviser.
Typically, the student’s service experiences involve the following stages:
- Investigation, preparation and action that meets an identified need.
- Reflection on significant experiences throughout to inform problem-solving and choices.
- Demonstration allowing for sharing of what has taken place.
All CAS students are expected to maintain and complete a CAS e-portfolio (using the ManageBac software) as evidence of their engagement with CAS. The CAS portfolio is a collection of evidence that showcases CAS experiences and student reflections.
A school’s CAS program is evaluated as part of the school’s regular program evaluation and self-study process that assesses the overall implementation of the IB Diploma. Learning Outcomes
Completion of CAS is based on student achievement of the seven CAS learning outcomes. Through their CAS portfolio, students provide the School with evidence demonstrating achievement of each learning outcome. Some learning outcomes may be achieved many times, while others may be achieved less frequently. In their CAS portfolio, students provide the School with evidence of having achieved each learning outcome at least once through their CAS program.
|
Learning Outcome
|
Descriptor
|
|
Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth.
|
Students are able to see themselves as individuals with various abilities and skills, of which some are more developed than others.
|
|
Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process.
|
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 new experiences or through increased expertise in an established area.
|
|
Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience.
|
Students can articulate the stages from conceiving an idea to executing a plan for individual or collaborative CAS experiences. Students may show their knowledge and awareness by building on a previous experience or by launching a new idea or process.
|
|
Show commitment to, and perseverance in, CAS experiences.
|
Students demonstrate regular involvement and active engagement in CAS.
|
|
Demonstrate the skills and recognise the benefits of working collaboratively.
|
Students are able to identify, demonstrate and critically discuss the benefits and challenges of collaboration gained through CAS experiences.
|
|
Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance.
|
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.
|
|
Recognise and consider the ethics of choices and actions.
|
Students show awareness of the consequences of choices and actions in planning and carrying out CAS experiences.
|
Sample Projects
- Creativity: a student group plans, designs and creates a mural.
- Activity: students organise 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.
- Service and activity: students plan and participate in the planting and maintenance of a garden with members of the local community.
- Creativity, activity and service: students rehearse and perform a dance production for a community retirement home.
|
