Make it CAS!

Let’s talk about CAS projects, shall we?

A CAS project is a collaborative, well-considered series of sequential CAS experiences, engaging students in one or more of the CAS strands of creativity, activity, and service. CAS students must be involved in at least one CAS project during their CAS programme.

Students use the CAS stages (investigation, preparation, action, reflection, and demonstration) as a framework for the CAS project.

Over the last weeks, our grade 11 have workshopped their ideas in assemblies and tutor time and started working in groups on projects. They have begun the journey to start thinking collaboratively and how they can use the skills they have and skills they are learning to develop their ideas and push the boundaries. Here is a typical conversation that I have with students when they come to discuss a project idea, and how within minutes, they leave the room motivated, excited and ready to start:

-        Sir, for my CAS project I’d like to organize a football tournament.

-        OK

-        Is that a good idea for a CAS project?

-        …

-        Ok I get it, it’s not…

-        I didn’t say that. Anything can be CAS, any idea can be a good idea. A football tournament is a good idea. How can you “make it CAS”?

-        Errr… maybe we do a bake sale to raise money?

-        OK maybe… just saying, I love Chocolate fondant and flapjack…But seriously, who is benefiting from your project? Who are you collaborating with?

-        Oh, maybe we can raise money for a charity, make people pay a fee to play…

-        Yes, that’s great…Any charity?

-        Well, I know Brentford FC does a lot for the community, maybe we could reach out to them and see how they can help?

-        They probably won’t help if you ask for help without telling them what you want and why you want it, don’t you think?

-        Oh, maybe we could ask them if we could invite a player to run a training session?

-        Great idea

-        And we raise money and use it for a charity or something…

-        Again, who would benefit from that? Who would you like to work with and for why?

-        So perhaps we could just contact them and ask if they have a specific charity or a specific area that they need support, and we can ask if they think we could support that.

-        Boom… and just like that, you have just understood the concept of reciprocity. Get started, email them, and let me know how it goes… Great project idea. Let’s see where this takes you.

And just like that, the students have entered their first stage of planning, INVESTIGATION. It is important that they bring their passion, and their interest when they start thinking about a project, and it is equally as important that they share their idea and are open to see how they can “make it CAS”.

The learning there is that students must make connections and see how far they can stretch their ideas, they need to spend time in that investigation stage. I will keep them there for as long as needed so that they are fully prepared and can take action once they have thought about as much detail as possible. I learned that the hard way myself, thanks to my grandfather Charles when I would ask him to help me do things... He used to say (and that one, I understood it very well), he said, “Benoit, if I carried you to the town, you wouldn’t know how far the town was, but I can help you find your shoes”.