CAS Reflection

Reflection

Introduction

Being reflective is one attribute of the IB learner profile: “We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development.”

Reflection is central to building a deep and rich experience in CAS. Developing a culture of reflection helps students recognize and understand how to be reflective as well as deciding the best methods and appropriate timing. Student learning is enhanced by reflection on choices and actions. This enables students to grow in their ability to explore skills, strengths, limitations and areas for further development. Through reflection students examine ideas and consider how they might use prior learning in new contexts. Reflection leads to improved problem-solving, higher cognitive processes and greater depth of understanding in addition to exploring how CAS experiences may influence future possibilities.

The thinking skills category of the approaches to learning in the Diploma Programme highlights the need to explicitly teach students to reflect in different situations. For reflection in CAS to be meaningful, schools must plan how to engage students in reflection as a learned process. The development of reflective skills is best when explicitly taught across the curriculum, leading students to reflect independently as a valued process.

The overarching intention of reflection in CAS includes the opportunity for students to:

• deepen learning
• consider relevance of experience
• explore personal and group values
• recognize the application of knowledge, skills, and attributes
• identify strengths and areas for development
• gain a greater understanding of self and others
• place experience in a larger context
• generate relevant ideas and questions
• consider improvements in individual and collective choices and actions
• transfer prior learning to new situations
• generate and receive constructive feedback
• develop the ongoing habit of thoughtful, reflective practice.

Elements of reflection

Reflection is a dynamic means for self-knowing, learning and decision-making. Four elements assist in the CAS reflective process. The first two elements form the foundation of reflection.

• Describing what happened: Students retell their memorable moments, identifying what was important or influential, what went well or was difficult, obstacles and successes.
• Expressing feelings: Students articulate emotional responses to their experiences.

The following two elements add greater depth and expand perspectives.

• Generating ideas: Rethinking or re-examining choices and actions increases awareness about self and situations.
• Asking questions: Questions about people, processes or issues prompt further thinking and ongoing inquiry.

Extending reflection

Having established an effective understanding of the four elements of reflection, students develop higher-order thinking skills by critically examining thoughts, feelings and actions, thereby synthesizing their learning. The theory of knowledge (TOK) course provides students with critical thinking skills to develop and extend their reflections. For example, during TOK (ways of knowing) they consider their emotions, ability to reason and how to use language.

Students can be encouraged to move forward through deeper questions. For example:

What did I do? could become:

• Why did I make this particular choice?
• How did this experience reflect my personal ideas and values?
• In what ways am I being challenged to think differently about myself and others?

How did I feel? could become:

• How did I feel about the challenges?
• What happened that prompted particular feelings?
• What choices might have resulted in different feelings and outcomes?

Following reflection, feedback from the CAS coordinator and/or adviser is beneficial and necessary as is peer feedback. Feedback provides acknowledgment, confirmation or clarification of students’ understanding and insight, and opportunities for further development. Feedback can take many forms such as part of an informal or formal discussion, as a written response to a blog posting, during group discussion or paired peer conversation. Students may also advise on their preferred method for feedback.

Time for reflection

Purposeful reflection is about quality rather than quantity. The appropriate occasion, amount and method is the student’s decision. Students are not expected to reflect on every CAS experience; they should identify moments worthy of reflection. Reflection is most meaningful when recognized as a personal choice. If the emphasis is on quantity with a required number of reflections or with a requirement such as “students must complete a reflection for every CAS experience”, reflection becomes an obligation, which is contrary to the purpose of reflection in CAS.

The preferred emphasis is for the student to determine key moments during CAS experiences that inspire reflection. The following approaches may be helpful.

• Students choose significant moments as the basis for reflection, for example when:
  • a moment of discovery is happening
  • a skill is mastered
  • a challenge is confronted
  • emotions are provoked
  • achievement deserves celebration.
• Students reflect during or at the end of a CAS experience or series of CAS experiences, to identify important moments, discuss a possible learning outcome, recognize personal growth and achievements, and plan for their next CAS experience.
• Students engage in group reflection with their peers to discover shared insights.
• Students reflect at the beginning, during, and at the end of a series of CAS experiences. This enables students to deliberate on such elements as planning, opportunities, expectations, challenges, progress, and personal growth.

Reflection offers students opportunities to understand the concept, process and value of CAS experiences. With experiences that add meaning and self-knowledge, students can adapt, adopt and integrate reflection into a lifelong practice.

Forms of reflection

During CAS, the form of reflection must take into account student choice. When overly prescribed, students may perceive the act of reflection as a requirement to fulfill another’s expectations. Students may then aim to complete “a reflection” quickly since the value is unrealized. By contrast, the student who understands the purpose and process of reflection would choose the appropriate moment, select the method and decide on the amount of time needed. With this greater sense of autonomy and responsibility, the student may be encouraged to be more honest, forthcoming and expressive, and develop insights including those related to the learning outcomes. The ultimate intention is for students to be independently reflective.

Reflection can appear in countless forms. CAS students should be able to identify forms of expression that have personal meaning and best enable them to explore their experiences. For example:

• A student might take photographs while hiking and use these to reflect in writing.
• Two students could compose a song describing how they helped children.
• A student might dramatize a poem to capture a feeling of creative endeavour.
• A student could produce a short video summarizing a CAS experience.
• A group of students create a poster highlighting aspects of a shared experience.

By encouraging students to choose forms of reflection that are personal and enjoyable, reflection becomes a means for self-discovery. Students make connections, develop awareness of choices and consequences, and acquire sensitivity to the experiences of self and others.

Student reflection may be expressed through a paragraph, a dialogue, a poem, a comic strip, a dramatic performance, a letter, a photograph, a dance, or other forms of expression. Students find greater value and purpose when they apply their own interests, skills and talents when reflecting. They discover that reflection can be internal and private or external and shared.

It is possible students may wish to keep private certain reflections. As such, it is recommended that students decide which reflections will be placed in their CAS portfolio. Students should include reflections in their CAS portfolio that give evidence to achieving each of the seven CAS learning outcomes.

Understanding reflection

One way to explain reflection is to clarify what reflection is and what it is not. A helpful way to initiate discussion of the reflective process is for students to collaborate with their peers and draw up their own comparison table. This chart shows examples of what students may list and discuss.

Your CAS coordinator guides students in how to reflect by doing the following.

• Defining reflection: This can include clarifying what reflection is and is not, showing integral elements of reflection and giving examples.
• Modelling reflection: CAS coordinators can share ways they reflect. The emphasis is on providing examples of what reflection can look like and ways it can occur.
• Leading reflection: Engage students in diverse reflective practices that cater for different learning styles.
• Sharing reflections: Current and past student reflections are shared (with the student’s permission).
• Provoking reflection: Provide a series of questions, statements or experiences that elicit thoughtful response.

Reflection and the CAS learning outcomes

Reflection is the primary evidence used by CAS coordinators to determine whether students have successfully attained the seven CAS learning outcomes. However, it is important to note that not all reflections should or must discuss learning outcomes.

During CAS, students benefit from both structured and informal reflection when gathering evidence of the learning outcomes. For personal knowledge and growth as IB lifelong learners, best practice balances:

• structured and guided opportunities for students to reflect on their CAS experiences
• diverse informal ways for students to reflect on their CAS experiences.

The Creativity, activity, service teacher support material offers an assortment of resources and strategies to assist with student understanding of the reflection process.

(IBO.org)