My grand wall by John Cannings https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx Made with the help of a typing monkey CAS experiences from Geography en-us 2017-07-17 15:58:41 UTC 2025-08-22 18:07:09 UTC hello@padlet.com One of my CAS student's Service Project Proposal form. His project related to the Geography topic of Population Flows. It involved organising with the Head of a school in Sydney for himself and some friends to meet with some recent refugee boys of his own age. The first part of the day involved listening to each boy's story. He told me it was very confronting to hear the sad circumstances around each boy's arrival in Sydney. Next they swapped stories about school. Petro provided afternoon tea for them all and then they played football together. https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179246521 Alison]]> 2017-07-23 10:43:22 UTC https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179246521 One of my CAS student's Service Experience in Central Australia related to the Geography topic of Development Opportunities. Jarrah worked for an NGO helping to build better housing for Indigenous Australians, many of whom live in unendurable conditions. https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179246665 Over the Term 2 holidays I travelled to Central Australia with a group of 20 peers. For two days we worked on the property of a local indigenous man, named John Liddle. Over the two days, we helped out in a variety of ways, including:
• Digging a trench for a retaining wall
•  Filling the trench with cement to act as a retainer wall
• Installing piping for a bathroom
• Laying a cement slab for the bathroom
• Gyprocking
• Establishing a fence for a bush tomato garden


Alison

]]> 2017-07-23 10:52:03 UTC https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179246665 Daniel's Ideas https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179336314
One of my big interests in education outside of teaching Geography is Outdoor Education. I'm a keen kayaker, cyclist and climber and have previously done a lot of work on the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award, thus I can see many potential links between Geography and CAS. My thoughts relating to this are below...


I can see 'activities' such as hillwalking and camping, in which students set out to plan and organise a multi-day expedition as something which can be explicitly linked to lots of geographical skills in the IBDP. Obviously, map skills and the use of GIS could come into this when planning out routes. Students would also need to consider weather forecasts and could perhaps use climate data to consider what would be required for their trip. They could make cross curricular links to biology in terms of bringing the correct amount of calories for each member of the team. 

I really like the idea of running a big CAS 'event', based on an expedition in which students can fulfil multiple elements (creativity, activity and service). I think the concept of running CAS as an expedition can really lend itself to engaging students as they have to be involved from the planning stage and ensure that they use a framework to develop their own ideas. Any one have any thoughts on this?]]> 2017-07-24 19:15:06 UTC https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179336314 In terms of Activity, almost anything that involves being in the "great outdoors" is a good fit for geography - hill walking, rock-climbing, orienteering would all entail some degree of good geographical skills. I like Alison's idea of students planning expeditions top fulfil all of the CAS elements. I think this would work well with a Duke of Edinburgh programme which a lot of UK schools are into, which as well as the expedition side of things has a strong ethos of public service. https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179340691
In terms of Service I like the idea of working with disadvantaged/marginalised groups in local communities, particularly migrant communities.  In Cambridge they used to be quite an active forum for the various communities which I was involved with for a time which tried to get various projects working, including practicalities such as advice but also tried to promote the different cultures to each other and more widely to the indigenous/more settled populations.

Voluntary work for NGOs with international focus (eg Amnesty International, Friends of the Earth etc could also be possibilities.]]> 2017-07-24 20:48:16 UTC https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179340691 No doubt the geography can and should be explored in the activities of the CAS, I think it could carry out work with Haitian refugees, my city received more than 3,000 refugees from Haiti after the earthquake of 2010 that destroyed the country. 7 years later this population is integrated into the local culture but they still suffer from prejudice because they are foreigners. The rescue of Haitian culture allied to services that can effectively help this population can provide a good job for IB students, combining creativity, action and service. Here is also an example that also in geography of the population that happens in my school. https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179457941
One of the recurrent projects that the CAS students do is in a elderly house in our city. The institution is supported by the government and private donations. 

The interns are people from families that don't have a good enough income to be able to afford private care, and/or don't have family to take care of them.

Students participate in everyday activities with the elderly, help on the maintenance of the place and organize donation campaigns that will benefit the institution. The activities usually envolve Creativity, Activity and Service. 

The population of the developed and developing countries are living more frequently with the issue of aging populations. The longer the population lives, the higher are the pension and care costs for the governments and the economically active population


Allan


]]> 2017-07-26 02:04:15 UTC https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179457941 Hi Alison cannae40 https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179482238 Some great examples here of CAS. The work with the refugees and building a garden for John Liddle are super projects. Geography's best links with CAS come from either a CAS project or as you suggest a project.
The links you put here with population and development are good ones.
A long time ago I ran a small project in Tanzania which was to support a secondary school for girls who otherwise would not get a chance to go to school. It linked well with many geographic topics including development.
John]]> 2017-07-26 07:39:56 UTC https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179482238 Allan cannae40 https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179482442 Thank you for sharing these examples from your school and also the photos of them in action. Both the projects are excellent in terms of CAS as they are clear and real projects.

Ageing populations are a problem that all countries will face in the future. They are an important part of discussion for IB students as it is a problem that is going to impact in their life through both tax and family obligations.

Thanks for sharing this
John]]> 2017-07-26 07:44:45 UTC https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179482442 Kieth cannae40 https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179482623 Thanks for sharing your thoughts. The Duke of Edinburgh award is compatible with and can form part of CAS. The skills learnt and expeditions all make good CAS experiences.
Your own experience of working with migrant groups could provide some opportunities for CAS students. 
The issues of human rights that you mention are ones explored in the HL extension on threats and resilience (Unit 6). The opportunity to belong to Amnesty International would serve as a CAS service.
John]]> 2017-07-26 07:48:53 UTC https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179482623 Hi Daniel cannae40 https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179482896
Thanks for your thoughts. Outdoor Education and CAS go hand in hand I think. The possibility of trekking, climbing, rafting or kayaking all help students to understand their physical environment well and link with the topics on freshwater, extreme environments and potentially geophysical hazards well.

Your idea about planned expeditions being a part of CAS is an excellent one. I had several of my own students plan hikes over passes and also bike journeys across Switzerland which they enjoyed. 

John

]]> 2017-07-26 07:54:34 UTC https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179482896 Overall some great ideas for linking CAS with Geography here! cannae40 https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179483173 Thanks for sharing them
John]]> 2017-07-26 07:59:01 UTC https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179483173 Hi, John tangmin0321 https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179584900 I am planning one CAS activity which is related to geography. The activity is to collect locations of social services like banks, nursing home and orphanage in Ming Hang District, Shanghai. This CAS activity requires a Garmin and a PC for each team. Using the Garmin, the team can collect the longitude and latitude for the social services. Transform the location information into the PC. Download the map of Ming Hang district, present it and social services using the software ArcGIS. By the toolbox, the team can analyze if they want to add any kind of banks, nursing home and orphanage, where is the best location. And the result can be provided as a suggestion for the government.

Nicole]]> 2017-07-27 14:58:06 UTC https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179584900 Xu Qiong https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179612945 Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I am planning one CAS activity about learning geography with GIS.  The activity includes three parts. Firstly,  open data source and community survey are used to collect locations of local social services(banks, stores et al., ).  Then the data will be transformed into ArcGIS  software.  The third step is to apply overlay analysis and network analysis tools to calculate the availability  and sustainability of these social services.  Thus, the integrating GIS works into upper secondary school geography curricula.]]> 2017-07-28 00:36:02 UTC https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179612945 Hi Jane cannae40 https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179673721 A great effort. It sounds like a a good use of ArcGIS. One of my colleagues used the software to build a map of child friendly restaurants and coffee shops in Zurich. She also used it to find recycling spots around the city. We call this sort of service-service learning.
Thanks 
John]]> 2017-07-29 05:23:53 UTC https://padlet.com/cannae40/z705hste5nmx/wish/179673721