Core Topics (EE_TOK_CAS)

EXTENDED ESSAY

1.Course description and aims

The extended essay is a compulsory, externally assessed piece of inde­pendent research into a topic chosen by the student and presented as a formal piece of academic writing. The extended essay is intended to promote high-level research and writing skills, intellectual discovery and creativity while engaging students in personal research. This leads to a major piece of formally presented, structured writing of up to 4,000 words in which ideas and findings are communicated in a reasoned, coherent and appropriate manner.

Students are guided through the process of research and writing by an assigned supervisor (a teacher in the school). All students undertake three mandatory reflection sessions with their supervisor, including a short interview, or viva voce, following the completion of the extended essay.

Extended essay topics may be chosen from a list of approved DP sub­jects—normally one of the student’s six chosen subjects for the IB diploma or the world studies option. World studies provides students with the opportunity to carry out an in-depth interdisciplinary study of an issue of contemporary global significance, using two IB disciplines.

The aims of the extended essay are to provide students with the oppor­tunity to:

• engage in independent research with intellectual initiative and rigour
• develop research, thinking, self-management and communication skills
• reflect on what has been learned throughout the research and writ­ing process.

TOK

I.Course description and aims

Theory of knowledge (TOK) is a course about critical thinking and inquiring into the process of knowing, rather than about learning a specific body of knowledge. It plays a special role in the DP by providing an opportunity for students to reflect on the nature of knowledge, to make connections between areas of knowledge and to become aware of their own perspectives and those of the various groups whose knowledge they share. It is a core element undertaken by all DP students, and schools are required to devote at least 100 hours of class time to the course. The overall aim of TOK is to encourage students to formulate answers to the question “how do you know?” in a variety of contexts, and to see the value of that question. This allows students to develop an enduring fascination with the richness of knowledge.

The aims of the TOK course are to:

• make connections between a critical approach to the construction of knowledge, the academic disciplines and the wider world
• develop an awareness of how individuals and communities construct knowledge and how this is critically examined
• develop an interest in the diversity and richness of cultural perspectives and an awareness of personal and ideological assumptions
• critically reflect on their own beliefs and assumptions, leading to more thoughtful, responsible and purposeful lives
• understand that knowledge brings responsibility which leads to commitment and action.

CAS

I.Description and aims

Creativity, activity, service (CAS) is at the heart of the DP. With its holistic approach, CAS is designed to strengthen and extend students’ personal and interpersonal learning.CAS is organized around the three strands of creativity, activity and service defined as follows.

• Creativity—exploring and extending ideas leading to an original or interpretive product or performance.
• Activity—physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle.
• Service—collaborative and reciprocal engagement with the community in response to an authentic need.

CAS aims to develop students who:

• enjoy and find significance in a range of CAS experiences
• purposefully reflect upon their experiences
• identify goals, develop strategies and determine further actions for personal growth
• explore new possibilities, embrace new challenges and adapt to new roles
• actively participate in planned, sustained and collaborative CAS projects
• understand they are members of local and global communities with responsibilities towards each other and the environment.

A CAS experience is a specific event in which the student engages with one or more of the three CAS strands. It can be a single event or an extended series of events. A CAS project is a collaborative series of sequential CAS experiences lasting at least one month. Typically, a student’s CAS programme combines planned/unplanned singular and ongoing experiences. All are valuable and may lead to personal development. However, a meaningful CAS programme must be more than just a series of unplanned/singular experiences. Students must be involved in at least one CAS project during the programme.