CAS: Creativity, Activity, and Service

 

What is CAS?

 

Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS) is a central component of the Diploma Programme.  Students’ thoughtfully planned activities and ongoing reflection offer an opportunity for experiential learning that complements students’ IB coursework.  

 

CAS requires students to build new skills and new understanding of self, others, and community. Students complete approximately 150 hours (total) of Creativity, Action, and Service activities over the course of the two year Diploma Programme. Most IB students find that their involvement in activities both in and outside of school lends itself well to meeting this requirement of IB.  The emphasis in CAS, however, is on goal setting, reflection, and the development of new skills beyond studies in the classroom.

 

Community Connections 

Do you have an idea for a local or international service project?  Do you have experience that you’d like to share as a guest speaker?  We invite community members to contact us regarding possible future connections for MXIS students.     

 

At MXIS, students are given opportunity to join the 10-day CAS Programme to the Philippines where they will have the chance to do varied activities and most especially engage in cultural immersion by doing service to the local community. IB students work with the community to increase awareness on global issues. Some activities done by IB students were community feeding, building houses and schools, community teaching, coastal clean-up, and mangrove tree planting.

 

 

CAS LEARNING OUTCOMES

 

Learning outcomes are differentiated from assessment objectives because they are not rated on a scale. The completion decision for the school in relation to each student is, simply, “Have these outcomes been achieved?”As a result of their CAS experience as a whole, including their reflections, there should be evidence that students have:

 

• 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 experi- ences 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 involve- ment and active engagement in CAS.

 

• Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively.

  • Students are able to identify, demonstrate and critically discuss the benefits and chal- lenges of collaboration gained through CAS experiences.

 

• Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance.

  • Students are able to identify and demon- strate their understanding of global issues, make responsible decisions and take appropriate action in response to the issue either locally, nationally or internationally.

 

• ​Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions.

  • Students show awareness of the consequences of choices and actions in plan- ning and carrying out CAS experiences.

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All seven 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.

 

This focus on learning outcomes emphasizes that it is the QUALITY of a CAS activity (its contribution to the student's development) that is of most importance. The guideline for the minimum amount of CAS activity is approximately the equivalent of half a day per school week (three to four hours per week), or approximately 150 hours in total, with a reasonable balance between creativity, action, and service. HOUR COUNTING, however, IS NOT ENCOURAGED.

 

 

CREATIVITY

 

From the IBO CAS manual:

"Creative activities should have a definite goal or outcome. They should be planned and evaluated like all CAS activities. This can present something of a challenge where, for example, a student is a dedicated instrumental musician. It would be artificial to rule that something that is both a pleasure and a passion for the student could not be considered part of their CAS experience.  

Perhaps the instrumental musician can learn a particularly difficult piece, or a different style of playing, in order to perform for an audience. The context might be a fund‑raising activity, or the student might give a talk to younger children about the instrument, with musical illustrations. Appropriate CAS activities are not merely “more of the same”—more practice, more concerts with the school band, and so on."

Students will understand that creativity includes not only the performance of a creative activity, but the initiation and planning of such activities. In fact, it will be emphasized that in the initiation and planning stages are where several of the learning goals will be addressed.

 

 

 

ACTIVITY

 

From the IBO CAS manual:

"Similar considerations apply here. An outstanding athlete will not stop training and practising in order to engage in some arbitrary, invented CAS physical activity. However, modern approaches to sports coaching emphasize the notion of the reflective practitioner, so it is possible for the athletics coach to incorporate relevant CAS principles and practice into training schedules for the benefit of the student. Setting goals, and planning and reflecting on their achievement, is vital. 'Extending' the student may go further, for example, to asking them to pass on some of their skills and knowledge to others. If their chosen sport is entirely individual, perhaps they should try a team game, in order to experience the different pleasures and rewards on offer.

Some excellent 'action' activities are not sporting or competitive but involve physical challenge by demanding endurance (such as long‑distance trekking) or the conquest of personal fears (for example, rock climbing). It is important that schools carefully assess the risks involved in such activities.

Alternatively, a student’s 'action' may be physical exertion as part of a service activity, perhaps in a project as outlined in the section 'Projects, themes, concepts'”.

In planning options in the “action” category, our intent is to have several options for students who do not consider themselves to be athletically inclined. We want students to understand there are number of ways to remain physically active without playing sports. 

 

 

 

SERVICE

 

Service activities are those that benefit others and are unpaid and voluntary for the student performing the service.  These activities must include learning opportunities and personal responsibility.  The service undertaken in the CAS programme will allow the student to interact with others in his or her community or within communities other than one’s own.  In either case it is imperative that the student work collaboratively with a member or members of the community through communication and consultation, ensuring that what the student does for the community is respectful of the needs, autonomy, and dignity of the community, and that the service is in no way harmful, disruptive, or divisive. 

 

 

Link to MXIS-CAS Website

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CAS SUBJECT BRIEF