Examples of Not-So-Good Reflections

Art class-30 hours, Creative

I was skeptical beforehand. However, the class turned out to be both educational and a lot of fun. I learned to do still life, outdoor scenes, in both pencil and charcoal. While I am generally not very good at artistic expression, I love this craft and hope to continue it on my own.

Tutoring-5 hours, Social Service

I did not plan to spend the first day of the year tutoring my girlfriend. However, after a compromise that we could watch football that evening, I agree. The most challenging part of tutoring was trying to prevent myself from getting frustrated. I quickly learned that our relationship, although fairly casual, made things even more complicated. But most importantly, she received an A on the math test that we prepared for.

Taken from the IB Coordination Level 2 Supplemental workbook by Rick Fernandez

Faithful Friends-5 hours, Social Service

The^-Faithful Friends program is similar to Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Every Monday night from six to nine, I meet at Mount Olivet Church and get together with my friend, Ben. Throughout the year, we do such activities as bowling, swimming and sledding. The look on the little kids’ faces when they succeed at something is special. It is unfortunate that most of the kids live in underprivileged homes. However, on Monday nights, all of that is forgotten.

Editor of Newspaper- 10 hours, Action

In addition to my athletic participation, I demonstrate my knowledge of sports through the school newspaper. As editor of the sports section, it is nice to have license to adjust an article or create a sports quiz if it is necessary. After all, when I am an old man, I will be able to reflect upon how things were in high school, at least in terms of athletics.

Why aren't these reflections very good?

Some of the reflections we receive seem to have been written in one sitting, probably right before the deadline. At this point, students can't usually remember very much of the activity, especially if it lasted just a few hours and took place more than a year ago. The reflections then tend to be poor descriptions of what took place, rather than a serious assessment of how it affected the student. In some cases, a note of cynicism about having to do this at all can be detected. In the case of the Faithful Friend, above, there are inconsistencies too. How could all that happen in five hours? Clearly, this isn't what IB is looking for, and it isn't the sort of experience that is going to do much for you, the student. Please get going right now if you have not been keeping up with your reflections, and really try to remember how it felt and try to determine where this experience finally lodged in you-in your head, in your heart? We will be having informal discussions about your CAS experiences in TOK toward the end of the trimester. Be ready!

Taken from the IB Coordination Level 2 Supplemental workbook by Rick Fernandez

Samples of Final Reflection "Essays"

Aaron

Quite frankly, CAS kept us all sane throughout the term. It got us outside, away from the realm of our desk where our IB homework impatiently lurked. It took our minds for a brief sojourn away from the paperwork, which occupied so much of our time during those two years. At least, that's how we saw it. Little did we know that CAS was actually an integral part of this program that we thought we were taking a break from. CAS functioned as the applications component of our program-it gave us the opportunity to apply the principles synthesized in our Theory of Knowledge course.

CAS is one of the components of the IB program, which sets it apart from other systems of education. Students go from class to class in their program, amassing more and more knowledge with each passing hour. They spend some time each day reflecting on their acquired knowledge, trying to fit it into some sort of framework, which is coherent with, perceived reality. This period of reflection is commonly known as the Theory of Knowledge course. The IB program takes learning one more step ahead by giving its students the opportunity to go out and apply this framework they have developed by partaking in activities in the real world. Personally, I found CAS to be of great benefit both as a stress relief and as an applications-integrator. My CAS activities centered primarily on helping people, but also included a few self-improvement and recreation activities. Much of my work was in tutoring, specifically in Math and French. This I found to be excellent experience, coincidentally in one of my careers of choice teaching. I performed computer science lab assistance for the instructor at my school and also wrote a record-keeping computer program for a local auto dealership. Since both of these activities involved performing a duty involving a computer, they gave me good experience in performing tasks to highly exact specifications. Also under the umbrella of humanitarian work is my volunteer work for a local festival as well as a computer consignment sale. Self ­improvement and recreation activities included taking German language classes every Saturday morning through the term as well as partaking in high school debating during the fall months of 1995. Both activities were enjoyable and enhanced my linguistic capabilities significantly.

CAS was in every respect beneficial to me both as a student and as a person. It was excellent stress relief as well as an excellent integration tool, and meeting the 150-hour requirement came with ease. I would encourage other systems of education to incorporate a component into their programs based on the CAS model.

Christine

My major extracurricular activities include music, a Rehabilitation Centre, the school magazine, and tutoring.

My involvement in music has been both enjoyable and instructive for me. My experience with the symphony orchestra has given me an opportunity to play with a professional group and develop my knowledge of symphonic repertoire.

Not only have I developed my skills as a musician and as an ensemble player, but I have also helped create music that has given pleasure to both an audience and myself. Outside of Symphony, practice, performance, and competition have all furthered my musical development as well as increased my discipline and understanding of dedication. I have derived great pleasure from both playing and listening to music, and have come to regard it as a great way to manage stress.

I started working in Nursing Ward M-5 (geriatrics) of the Rehabilitation Centre this year, and have found it to be a very valuable experience. After talking and visiting with the different patients. I have developed a greater appreciation for things that I used to take for granted, such as my health, youth, independence, and mobility. It also gives me pleasure to give pleasure to the patients that I visit every week.

Taken from the IB Coordination Level 2 Supplemental workbook by Rick Fernandez

Examples of good reflections (from the International School of Panama)

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