South Iredell High School

South Iredell High School

International Studies Programme

CAS Handbook

2011-2012

Table of Contents
International Studies Mission Statement / 2
Learner Profile / 2
The Nature of Creativity, Action and Service / 3
Aims of CAS / 3
Eight Learning Outcomes / 4
Responsibilities of the Student / 5
Choosing an Activity / 5
What Cannot be Counted as CAS? / 8
Reflection / 8
Recording and Reporting / 9
Evaluation / 9
Non-Compliance with CAS / 10
Safety / 10
A Final Word / 10

International Studies Mission Statement

The International Studies Programme aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

Learner Profile

International Studies Learners strive to be:

·  Inquirers They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.

·  Knowledgeable They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.

·  Thinkers They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.

·  Communicators They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.

·  Principled They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.

·  Open-minded They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.

·  Caring They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.

·  Risk-takers They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.

·  Balanced They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.

·  Reflective They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.

The Nature of Creativity, Action and Service

Along with the Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge, Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) is an integral part of the International Studies Programme’s core. The purpose of CAS is to nurture the whole student through experiential learning in a range of activities. CAS is designed to provide students with a counterbalance to the rigors of academic study.

The three components 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 International Studies 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.

All proposed CAS activities must involve:

·  Real, purposeful activities, with significant outcomes

·  A 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

It is essential that CAS activities do not replicate other parts of the student’s International Studies work. In order to meet the CAS requirement, students must actively participate in CAS over the course of 18 months until February of the senior year. Students must document their activities and provide evidence that they have achieved eight key learning outcomes (page 4). Additionally, each student’s CAS programme must include a balance between the three components (creativity, action and service). Students who do not fulfill the CAS requirements will not be eligible to graduate with the International Studies Diploma.

Aims of CAS

Within the International Studies Programme, CAS provides the main opportunity to develop many of the attributes described in the learner profile.

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.

Eight Learning Outcomes

In order to meet the CAS requirement, students must achieve each of the following learning outcomes. The student’s CAS Advisor and the CAS Coordinator will determine whether the learning outcomes have been met.

During the 18 months of the CAS programme, students should provide evidence, including reflections, showing that they have:

·  Increased their awareness of their own strengths and areas for growth

o  They are able to see themselves as individuals with various skills and abilities, some more developed than others, and understand that they can make choices about how they wish to move forward.

·  Undertaken new challenges

o  A new challenge may be an unfamiliar activity, or an extension to an existing one.

·  Planned and initiated activities

o  Planning and initiation will often be in collaboration with others. It can be shown in activities that are part of larger projects, for example, ongoing school activities in the local community, as well as in small student-led activities.

·  Worked collaboratively with others

o  Collaboration can be shown in many different activities, such as team sports, playing music in a band, or helping in a kindergarten. At least one project, involving collaboration and the integration of at least two of creativity, action and service, is required.

·  Shown perseverance and commitment in their activities

o  At a minimum, this implies attending regularly and accepting a share of the responsibility for dealing with problems that arise in the course of activities.

·  Engaged with issues of global importance

o  Students may be involved in international projects, but there are many global issues that can be acted upon locally or nationally (for example, environmental concerns, caring for the elderly).

·  Considered the ethical implications of their actions

o  Ethical decisions arise in almost any CAS activity (for example, on the sports field, in musical composition, in relationships with others involved in service activities). Evidence of thinking about ethical issues can be shown in various ways, including journal entries and conversations with CAS advisors.

·  Developed new skills

o  As with new challenges, new skills may be shown in activities that the student has not previously undertaken, or in increased expertise in an established area.

All eight outcomes must be achieved 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, with a reasonable balance between creativity, action and service. Hour counting is not required nor encouraged for CAS.

Responsibilities of the Student

It is the student’s responsibility to plan and initiate his or her CAS programme. However, CAS Advisors will be available to mentor students during the school day on a weekly basis.

Students are required to:

·  Self-review at the beginning of the CAS experience and set personal goals for what they hope to achieve through their CAS programme – Time will be provided for self-review and goal-setting during an advisory period early in the academic school year.

·  Plan activities – Students must complete an activity proposal form (available on the CAS website) before beginning any activities. Student activities must show a balance between the three components, creativity, action and service.

·  Carry out activities – Students will be working extensively outside of school to complete their activities. Students must actively participate in CAS for 18 months (until February of the senior year).

·  Reflect on what they have learned – Students are required to reflect at least three times per activity. Reflections should be uploaded to ManageBac.com at least once every two weeks.

·  Communicate with the CAS Advisor and CAS Coordinator throughout the 18 months of the programme – Students should discuss their plans and progress at least monthly either through ManageBac.com or during the scheduled CAS advisory time.

·  Undertake an interim review and a final review with their CAS Advisor – During the interim review, the CAS Advisor and CAS Coordinator will assess the student’s progress and provide formative feedback. The final review will determine whether the student has met the CAS requirements.

·  Take part in a range of activities, including at least one long-term project, some of which they have initiated themselves – The long-term project must be sustained over a period of at least two months. It should be a collaborative effort with other students, and it should also include at least two of the three CAS components (creativity, action and service).

·  Keep records of their activities and achievements, including a list of the principal activities undertaken – All record-keeping will be take place on ManageBac.com.

·  Show evidence of achievement of the eight key learning outcomes – Evidence must also be uploaded to ManageBac.com. All evidence must be in a digital format.

Choosing an Activity

When choosing CAS activities, students should bear in mind that CAS is more than just volunteering. All activities must provide opportunities to learn new skills or meet new challenges. The following is a list of possible project ideas:

Creativity

·  Creating a Public History Club to create living history labs including:

o  A Medieval Village that demonstrates the skills of artisans

o  Displays of the archives kept by Miss Alice Lee, the wife of a local Civil Rights leader.

·  Designing video games or websites to help prepare traditional students for state exams

·  Creating documentary films based on:

o  How to approach CAS

o  CAS projects done by classmates

o  Personal Projects done by Middle Years Programme (MYP) Level 5’s

o  The early years of implementing the Diploma Programme (DP)

o  Tips for how and where to apply for university

·  Creating and staffing a college lab to assist students with university selection, application and interview preparation, essay writing and college-readiness

·  Doing things “the old fashioned way” by making use of the rural surroundings to use little or no technology to make soap, churn butter, launder on a washboard or make pottery.

·  Building circuit-boards, chips or whole computers

·  Creating local science projects that examine drought, water quality or other issues driven by or affecting demographics

·  Skyping with students in IB programmes in other countries and establishing sibling schools to document similarities and differences in teenage lives around the world

·  Establishing or participating in competitive clubs, including:

o  Odyssey of the Mind

o  Science Olympiad

o  Model United Nations

o  Robotics

·  Writing, designing or photographing

·  Creating class curricula for new classes to be offered as non-International Studies electives

·  Learning to play new musical instruments or challenging musical pieces

·  Partnering with native speakers for in-depth language study or acquiring a language not taught at South Iredell

·  Producing videos based on student interpretations of the International Studies Programme’s mission statement or learner profile

·  Planning a large service project

·  Planning an international dinner, dance or talent show night

·  Creating posters to raise awareness about international issues and posting them around the school or community

·  Creating recycling bins for classrooms

·  Creating an organic food garden to donate to local organizations

·  Designing poverty meals to raise awareness about hunger

Action

·  Participating in Ultimate Frisbee competitions

·  Taking part in a 5K, half-marathon, Relay for Life or March of Dimes

·  Learning or teaching yoga, aerobics or martial arts

·  Increasing one’s area of expertise in individual or team sports already played

·  Attempting new sports such as hiking, rafting, canoeing, climbing, spelunking, snowboarding or skiing

·  Using copious campus space to design a course for Frisbee golf

·  Landscaping public spaces on campus and in the community

·  Teaching dance to younger student groups, such as Head Start

·  Becoming certified to teach classes on lifeguarding or scuba

·  Running on-campus obstacle courses of cultural significance such as scaling the Seven Wonders of the World

·  Biking the Virginia Creeper Trail

·  Improving weight-lifting strength or speed in races

·  Learning a new form of dance

·  Starting a weekly running routine

Service