These Q&As should be taken as guidance only. One of the beauties of CAS is that it is a very personal and individual program, therefore your circumstances may dictate different answers for some of these questions.
How often should I reflect? When should I reflect?
You will be reflecting regularly in Advisory. You should reflect on each experience at the beginning, middle and end of that experience, though singular experiences may only merit reflections once you've finished. It is not a bad idea to get in the habit of reflecting on a regular basis, such as once a week or once a 10-day cycle, so that you remember to do it.
How many reflections do I need?
IB dictates no set number of required reflections. You should accumulate enough evidence and reflection to document what you have done and what you have learned. A rule of thumb is that you should reflect on each experience at the beginning, middle and end, and you should reflect on each outcome once or twice a semester. That would mean 3 reflections per experience and 2-4 reflections per outcome in a year. Quality is much more important than quantity, however, and multiple reflection entries that don't actually say anything meaningful are not at all useful.
What should I write?
There are two kinds of entries you should provide in your portfolio. The first is evidence of your experience. This may be files, photos, descriptions, etc. The second is evidence of your learning. This typically takes the form of a reflection, and should use some of the suggested prompts found here.
Where should I put reflections?
All reflections and evidence should be uploaded to Toddle under the appropriate experience. If you are not sure where they go, please ask your CAS advisor to show you.
Do I have to write them?
Reflections and evidence may take any form, including prose, poetry, audio or video recordings, photos and drawings.
How long do they have to be?
Quality is the most important factor. Each entry should be long enough to serve as supporting evidence or your learning. Length does not guarantee quality! However, most students neglect to be specific enough in their entries, so be sure to include enough detail.