Creativity, Action, and Service (CAS)

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Creativity, Action, and Service(CAS)

• International Baccalaureate
• Kenmore West High School

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Start with Self
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CAS at the Center
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CAS Defined

• Creativity arts, and other experiences that
  involve creative thinking
• Action physical exertion contributing to a
  healthy lifestyle, complementing academic work
  elsewhere in the Diploma Programme
• Service an unpaid and voluntary exchange that
  has a learning benefit for the student. The
  rights, dignity and autonomy of all those
  involved are respected.

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CAS Program Basics

• The CAS experience, as a whole, should be
  evidence that students have
• 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

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CAS Program Basics

• Creativity, action, service (CAS) should
  involve 
• 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

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Levels of Activities

• Project Large idea, made up of many activities
• Example International Development Trip
• Activity Smaller action that supports the
  overall project, made up of tasks
• Example organizing a garage sale fundraiser
• Task most basic unit that supports the project
• Example working the table at the garage sale

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The CAS Team

• CAS Coordinator oversees the execution of the
  CAS program and organizes the evaluation of
  student progress
• CAS Advisers building-based individuals who
  meets with students (about 10 students per
  adviser)
• CAS Supervisors organization-based individuals
  who works with student directly at the
  task/activity/project

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• Cycle of Experiential Learning

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Reflectiona key component

• The fundamental questions of reflection may be
  basic, but the answers may be quite complex
• What did I plan to do?
• What did I do?
• What were the outcomes for the team, others, and
  me?

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Reflectiona key component

• Beyond the basics, students will consider
• how they felt,
• what they perceived,
• what they thought of the activity,
• what the activity meant to the student,
• what the value of the activity was,
• what they learned from the activity and how this
  learning (e.g. change of perspective) might apply
  more widely.