Recently our school took the initiative of giving us an exposure to exploring different forms of literature across different continents as well as an opportunity to study their cultures as a part of our language and literature curriculum. Each one of us was asked to choose a continent as well a position we would like to take up. To make the process of allocating students into different groups based on their continents easier we were asked to fill out a form, stating our preferences. I was given a chance to be a participant in the continent of Europe.

Here are the following learning outcomes met while conducting this CAS activity.

LO 1- Identify own strengths and develop areas of growth.

It is important to identify one’s strengths and weaknesses before beginning any CAS activity so that one’s strengths can be incorporated into the activity effectively and strategies could be made to overcome weaknesses.  Having Research Skills was one of the main requirements for being able to put up a good performance because countries like Croatia do not have a wide scope of research in literature since literature is something which is still at a developing stage in these countries. Being an IB student we are supposed to do a lot of research-based assignments because of which research skills are already developed in us thus I was able to extract information not only from the internet but also from books easily. I was also aware of various tools which helped in sorting information as per one’s needs which further avoided time being wasted in reading unnecessary and unwanted information. Good research also enabled me to come up with creative ideas that could be incorporated in the performance. I possessed good communication skills which helped me in understanding the ideas proposed by my team leaders better, It also helped me in communicating my ideas to them and helped us in understanding each other’s expectations.

LO 2- Demonstrate challenge have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process.

Challenges are part of every activity and dealing with these challenges helps us in developing new skills. Since I am not a tech savvy person one of the main challenges that I faced was making a video representing the culture of Croatia. Even though I tried various tools and looked up several tutorial videos on youtube  I was unsuccessful at doing my task. However with the help of my group members as well my supervisor I was successfully able to complete my task, In this process, I was able to develop technical skills by observing and trying things that my team members taught me. I also learned a few shortcuts which would definitely help me in near future. I also became a more patient learner as well as a patient listener in this process. It was also difficult for me to make a connection between the information that I found with language and context. So I used to book slots with my supervisor to resolve my queries this further helped me learn how to make connect of all the information with the main aim( role of context in language). Since we were not doing any work in the school there was a lot of work to be completed at home and due to so many submissions there were times when we were failing to meet the deadlines but with constant reminders by our team members, we could finish our task. I also made internal deadlines to assess my progress and this helped in developing time management skill.

LO 5- Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

Working in a group was a huge advantage because it allowed us to get to know various perspectives which broadened my vision as well as provided us with an opportunity of using various text types like making a travel guide, pamphlet, posters etc to represent the culture of our continent as well its famous literary works. We were also able to incorporate fun activities like making waffles( a famous dish of Belgium, Europe)  and spinning the wheel of luck which we wouldn’t have been able to do if it were an individual task. Being in a group allowed us to divide work between each other based on our skills which made responsibilities clearer and avoided conflicts. We were able to give and receive help to and from our fellow teammates for example I was facing difficulty in making the video so one of my group members with good technical skills helped me finish my task. We also reminded each other of the deadlines which helped in avoiding delay in the process. On the day of the event if one of our group members really got tired of pressing then the other member would take up his or her responsibility while the other member is taking a break and visa versa. Being in a group helped me stay motivated and committed to the task. All, in All working collaboratively helped us put up a fantastic performance.

LO 7- Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and action.

As we were only relying on secondary information it was important for us to ensure all the facts mentioned and sited accurately. We had to ensure that facts were not manipulated for the sake of achieving our aim  and also that the use of language is accurate and that it does not hurt the sentiments of any culture

evidence

 https://quik.gopro.com/v/ynFPn3iS5x/