Creativity 

Creativity in CAS provides students with the opportunity to explore their own sense of original thinking and expression. Creativity will come from the student’s talents, interests, passions, emotional responses, and imagination; the form of expression is limitless. This may include visual and performing arts, digital design, writing, film, culinary arts, crafts and composition. Students are encouraged to engage in creative endeavours that move them beyond the familiar, broadening their scope from conventional to unconventional thinking.

(Source: IB CAS guide)

Approaches to creativity

Ongoing creativity 

A student may already be engaged in creativity as part of a school group or club, or through some other form of sustained creativity. Students may continue in this as part of their creativity; however, students could also be encouraged to further extend and develop their participation if appropriate.

School-based creativity

Students are encouraged to participate in meaningful creativity and to explore their own sense of original thinking and expression. In school, there may well be appropriate creativity opportunities in which the students can engage. These creativity experiences could be part of the school’s service CAS projects, a school club, timetabled creativity sessions, or other opportunities.

Community-based creativity

Participating in creativity within the local community advances student awareness and understanding of interpersonal relationships with others, particularly if the creativity experience involves the local community. Creativity experiences best occur with a regularity that builds and sustains relationships while allowing the growth of students’ talents, interests, passions, emotional responses, and imagination. For example, students could be encouraged to join a community-based theatre group, contribute towards a community art gallery, create a sculpture for the community park, take cooking classes, or other opportunities.

Individual creativity

Students may decide that they wish to engage in solitary creativity experiences such as composing music, developing a website, writing a compilation of short fiction stories, designing furniture, creating arts and crafts, or painting a series of portraits. Such creativity experiences are of most benefit when they take place over an extended duration of time. Students can be encouraged to set personal goals and work towards these in a sustained manner. Risk assessment of such solitary creativity experiences should be conducted with the student beforehand if applicable.