CAS Intro Meeting

1. CAS Intro Meeting

2. Agenda • Team Builder led by Mr. Braman • CAS: what is it? • TOK Style Discussion: Why CAS? • Managebac and how to use it

3. What is CAS? • Experiential learning component of the Diploma Program • Creates balance by making sure you are counterbalancing the academic pressures of school with creative, active, and service activities • Should be challenging and enjoyable, a personal journey of self-discovery for you

4. 3 Strands of CAS • Creativity: arts and other experiences involving creative thinking (robotics, JSA, etc.) • Action: physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle (on your own or with a team) • Service: Unpaid and voluntary exchange that has a learning benefit for you • Some activities will involve more than one strand.

5. ALL proposed activities must meet these 4 criteria…. • Real, purposefulwith significant outcomes • Personal challenge: should be achievable but extend you • Thoughtful consideration: planning, reviewing progress, reporting • Reflection on outcomes and personal learning

6. Duration of CAS • Begins now • Continues in some form until March of senior year

7. What do You Need To Do? • Document your activities. • A minimum of 2 pieces of evidence for each activity. Evidence could be…. • Photos • Video • Flyer • Chart • Map • Document • Etc.

8. What do You Need To Do? • Complete half of your CAS requirements by June

9. By the time you are done, you must provide Evidence of the 8 Learning Outcomes 1. Increased your awareness of your strengths and areas for growth 2. Undertaken new challenges: could be an unfamiliar activity, or an extension to an existing one 3. Planned and initiated activities: this can be in collaboration with others 4. Worked collaboratively with others 5. Shown perseverance and commitment 6. Engaged with issues of global importance (could be an international project, or a local project relation to a global issue such as education, environmental concerns, eldercare, etc.) 7. Considered the ethical implications of your actions: evidence of this can be shown in journal entries or conversations with CAS advisors 8. Developed new skills (can include increased expertise in an established area, or a skill in a new activity)

10. All 8 must be present in some measure • Completion requires only that there is SOME evidence for every outcome…some may be demonstrated many times and some not as often

11. Hours • 150 hours total of CAS over two years is a guideline which comes to an average of ca. 3-4 hours per school week

12. Role of the CAS Advisor • Provide personal advice and support to you… • Approve your activities on Managebac or respond and give you feedback about what would be an appropriate activity • Meet with you at CAS check-in sessions, twice during junior year and once during senior year

13. For Each Activity… Step One: • Plan: Add your CAS activity on Managebac • Number of hours you think you will spend • Start and end dates • Supervisor (must be an adult.) If activity has no supervisor, list the IB Coordinator or a parent • Describe activity thoughtfully and identify your goals (your goals can be related to the 2 or 3 learning outcomes you want to meet). 4-5 sentences minimum. • Select your CAS Learning Outcomes (2-3 per activity)

14. Step Two: • Do • Participate in the activity and collect evidence (photos, videos, flyers, artifacts, etc.)

15. Step Three: • Reflect. • Complete your reflections shortly after you complete the activity • For a longer activity or CAS project, complete reflections every 2-3 months or at the end of each semester • Your reflections should be tied directly to the learning outcomes you selected

16. Step Four: • Request Supervisor Review • Once your supervisor has completed the review, the activity is complete

17. Ongoing… • Communication between you and your CAS Advisor takes place through Managebac(in the Notes section) • When your Advisor contacts you, get back to them as soon as possible

18. The CAS Project • At least one of your activities must be a CASproject. • involves teamwork • of significant duration • integrates 2 things: • creativity and action; • action and service; • service and creativity; • creativity and service

19. Creativity • These activities should have a definite goal/outcome. They should extend you and be achievable. • So, say you play the viola. What is an activity that would stretch you as a violist? How will you plan it? What steps will you take in the process? • Maybe you could learn a very difficult piece, or a different style of playing, in order to perform for an audience.

20. Action • Say you are an athlete. Bringing CAS into your athletics means setting a goal, planning, and reflecting on your achievement. Or maybe you’ll try a new sport or something new within your sport. • Action could mean just challenging yourself physically by hiking, or doing something you’ve been afraid to try like rock-climbing or sailing. • Or maybe you get involved in an action activity involving service, like Relay for Life.

21. Service • Must have a learning benefit for you. • Must be unpaid and voluntary. • Good if you are taking on some responsibility.

22. CAS Handbook Goal Managebac CAS Vocab CAS Protocol: the Steps A summary of responsibilities

23. Questions?