Dr. Robin Ann Martin is an assistant professor at the Bilkent Graduate School of Education in Ankara, Turkey. She teaches educators and serves as coordinator of the Graduate School’s International Baccalaureate Certificate in Teaching and Learning. From 2006 to 2009, Dr. Martin taught and supervised teacher trainees in The Sultanate of Oman. She has also worked as administrator, instructional designer, teacher, and researcher in small private schools in California, Oregon, and Washington, and in Japan. Her current professional interests include social and emotional learning among adolescents, along with research on positive youth development through the Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) programs within the IB schools of Turkey. She earned her doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Iowa State University.

Co-Researchers:

Dr. Manolya Tanyu is a senior researcher at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) in Washington, D.C. Her area of expertise lies in program evaluation and expands across youth development and social emotional learning and relevant interventions as part school improvement strategies and out-of school time. She is currently managing an evaluation of a mentoring initiative funded by the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Program. Prior to joining AIR, Dr. Tanyu worked with the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning at the University of Illinois–Chicago. She earned a doctoral degree in community psychology and prevention research from the University of Illinois–Chicago.

Stirling Perry is a DP teacher of English and Theory of Knowledge at Özel Bilkent Lisesi in Ankara, Turkey. He has an MA in English from the University of Pittsburgh (2005) and is currently completing an MA in Curriculum and Instruction at Bilkent University. He has taught at international schools in Taiwan, Ecuador, Columbia, and Japan. In addition, he holds teaching certificates from the University of Texas at Arlington (2008) in English Language Arts and Reading 8-12, Social Studies 8-12, and History 8-12.

Presentation 1
Title:  Implementing CAS programs in Turkey: Key findings from a qualitative study

The Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) programme is considered by the International Baccalaureate as one of the three core curricula of its Diploma Programme. As a team of three researchers, we have analyzed focus groups and interviews about the implementation of CAS from six schools in Turkey. This presentation will summarize our key findings about the commonalities and unique features of CAS programs in Turkey, including how the program is commonly organized, supported, and monitored. We will also discuss barriers that may prevent CAS from blossoming more in schools, as well organizational assets that help schools to implement and strengthen CAS in ways that promote better learning outcomes.

Presentation 2:  A panel discussion about next steps for improving CAS
Title:  Ideas for moving forward with CAS to enhance student outcomes

We would like to invite the CAS Coordinators from select schools to discuss how they might use the research findings from a study for helping to improve the implementation of CAS programs. What ideas from research about CAS programs in Turkey have been especially helpful? Given the experiential nature of CAS, what steps are they taking to improve the reflection process in a way that supports student learning? What are some of the practical limitations that each school continues to face? We would also like to use the opportunity to gather CAS coordinators’ ideas about future research on CAS in Turkish schools.