IB CAS (Creativity.. Action.. Service)
Creativity, action, service (CAS) is at the heart of the Diploma programme. It is one of the three essential elements in every student’s Diploma Programme experience. It involves students in a range of activities alongside their academic studies throughout the Diploma Programme. The three strands of CAS, which are often interwoven with particular activities, are characterized as follows.
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.
Aims
The CAS programme aims to develop students who are:
- Reflective thinkers – they understand
their own strengths and limitations, identify goals and devise strategies 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 – they enjoy and find significance in a range of activities involving intellectual, physical creative and emotional experiences.
Learning outcomes
As a result of their CAS experience as a whole, including their reflections, there 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
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) 0r approximately 150 hours in total, with a reasonable balance between creativity, action and service. “Hour counting”, however is not encouraged.
Responsibilities of the student
Students should choose activities each semester from the range offered by the school in afternoon activities. Students should try to balance a range of activities to include Creativity, Action and Service.
All students must select one Community Service project each semester up to at least the end of the first semester in IB2. The Community Service programme is particularly strong at ISL with a focus on working with orphans and vulnerable children. Examples of projects include teaching in orphanages, art projects in shelters for abused children, sport with physically handicapped adolescents and a preventative health project with local doctors.
A very popular optional activity is the International Award at bronze level. Large numbers of students regularly go to Ndubaluba Outdoor Centre to train and qualify in overnight self sufficient expeditions in the bush.
Students are also encouraged to choose activities from outside those offered by the school. Sometimes students will initiate new activities where appropriate.
Some examples of CAS activities
- Coaching a sports team (action, service)
- Teaching guitar to a younger class (creativity, service)
- Writing for the MUN or another school newspaper (creativity, service)
- Working with abandoned children to paint murals in their care centre (creativity, service)
- Teaching basic literacy in a community school or orpanage (service)
- Training and playing in a sports team (action)
- Doing a fitness programme in a gym (action)
- Taking part in expeditions as part of the International Award (action)
- Designing back drops and sets for a drama production (creativity, service)
- Being on the Secretariat for MUN (creativity, service)
- Writing computer programmes (creativity)
- Gardening to produce food for a local orphanage (action, service)
- There are many other things you can do apart from this short list of examples.
The CAS programme is central to the IB Diploma and ISL IB graduation certificates. Students must meet all CAS requirements for award of the Diploma or Certificate and ISL Graduation.
Adapted in part from the IBO Diploma Programme/Creativity, Action Service/for candidates graduating in 2010 and thereafter
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The International School of Lusaka
6945 Nangwenya RoadPO Box 50121, Ridgeway Lusaka, Zambia
int.school.lusaka@gmail.com
Tel: +260-1-252291/253959 Fax: +260-1-252865/250351
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