The Round Square Discovery
Framework – A Trojan Horse for
Character Education
By Rachael Westgarth on 15/03/2017
“I see it as the foremost task of education to ensure the survival of these qualities: an
enterprising curiosity, an undefeatable spirit, tenacity in pursuit, readiness for sensible
self-denial, and above all, compassion” – Kurt Hahn.
A visionary in his time, and the inspiration behind Round Square, Kurt Hahn regularly
spoke of the need to educate for character and compassion above all else.
In Germany in the 1920s, Hahn’s views certainly weren’t mainstream, but today
character education and the acquisition of “soft skills” are widely acknowledged to be
essential in the development of well-rounded, active and informed global citizens.
That said, whilst it is now a rare thing to find a public statement on education that
describes its main purpose in terms of students’ academic success alone, it is still the
case that the vast-majority of time spent in the vast-majority of schools focuses primarily
on this area.
Arguably driven by pressure to demonstrate academic ability for university entrance or
employment, we’re stuck in a catch-22: So long as employers and university admissions
focus on exam grades, many schools will continue to feel compelled to promote
academic attainment as a singular exercise above all else. Whilst this continues in
education, employers and universities will continue to feel compelled to set the first
measure of potential by exam grades.
“It is always an interesting exercise to read the abundance of articles, on Social Media
and in the mainstream press, on the topic of education and how we should be changing
it. What is even more interesting is to see the hundreds and thousands of ‘likes’ on each
of these, and yet very little seems to change.” says Craig Carolan, Headmaster of
Stanford Lake College in South Africa in his recent article ‘Stretching Ourselves
Beyond the Ordinary’.
“Don’t get me wrong. When the end of year results come out I am the first one skimming
through my school’s results to make sure we maintain our stellar record,” says Carolan,
“but unfortunately this only serves to progress the current notion that an individual’s
ability to contribute to a successful society can only be measured by how well they do in
a set of standardised examinations.”
This is a sentiment echoed across the Round Square network of schools, whose shared
belief in the benefits of a values-based, experiential approach to learning led to the
creation of the Round Square Discovery Framework.
Developed collaboratively by an international writing group of Heads, Teachers and
Curriculum Directors from Round Square schools, the Round Square Discovery
Framework captures and describes the spirit of a Round Square learner who develops
and exhibits competencies and attitudes in relation to each of the six RS IDEALS
(Internationalism, Democracy, Environmentalism, Adventure, Leadership and Service).
The framework connects the spirit of the RS IDEALS with twelve Discoveries that
students make on their learning journey (inquisitiveness, tenacity, courage, compassion,
inventiveness, ability to solve problems, self-awareness, sense of responsibility,
appreciation for diversity, commitment to sustainability, communication and teamworking skills). The framework is designed to support the integration of these
Discoveries into curriculum programming, and signpost to ways in which they can be
given tangible value in an academic context… It’s essentially a friendly Trojan Horse.
"Using the Round Square Discovery Framework, a growing number of schools are
finding new ways to embed character education into the curriculum, focusing on values
rather than activities; the 'being' rather than the 'doing'." Says Round Square Chairman,
Rod Fraser "A simple example would be service learning. Traditionally cast as an extracurricular activity, a school's community service programme might include volunteering,
civic engagement, charity fundraising, perhaps an overseas service project. All are
valuable learning experiences, but once you draw out the spirit of those activities, and
look for inventiveness, empathy, compassion, the ability to solve problems, appreciation
for diversity... it's easier then to see how you might build the development of those
qualities into your curriculum programming."
Stanford Lake College implemented the Round Square Discovery Framework
throughout Year 8, starting in 2016 as part of a global pilot programme. Initially they
established a Curriculum Committee and invested time communicating and engaging
with Faculty and the Parent Community. Lesson plans mapped to the RSDF followed,
and a cycle of implementation and reflection. The June 2016 exam papers included
RSDF focus questions which asked students to explain, with examples, scenarios in
which they have developed and explored RSDF Discoveries such as problem solving,
tenacity, courage, inventiveness.
This year, Stanford Lake has used the Discovery Framework to introduce a new
Homework structure that aims to instil a growth mindset and broaden general
knowledge. “After working with the RSDF, we have started to realise more and more that
in our junior years, we need to move away from content and provide our pupils with
more time to develop skills.” Says Sam Venter, Head of Teaching & Learning at Stanford
Lake “We felt that turning homework into ‘prep’ whereby they prepare for classes the
next day by reading or carrying out projects would be much more beneficial.”
As Carolan explains “Teachers design lesson plans with the ‘Discoveries’ at the heart of
their lesson. Although the content delivered is still very similar and in most cases
identical to what was done previously, it is the development of these ‘skills’ which is the
priority. Over the two-year programme subject teachers aim to move a child along a
continuum from less skilled to highly skilled in each of the 12 Discoveries. By doing so
we believe that each child will develop higher levels of self-efficacy in each of these
areas and that this self-efficacy will reap academic rewards across all the subjects they
learn, as well as producing Ethical, Compassionate, Globally aware young people.”
Launched initially as a pilot in 2015, the Round Square Discovery Framework is gaining
momentum. As schools test its capacity to make meaningful connections between
academic, ethical, emotional and social development, the Framework is beginning to
reveal its potential to bridge gaps and promote positive change.
"What the Round Square Discovery Framework made us do was to examine and reevaluate how we provide Global Citizenship Education to all members of the IGS
community" says Gerard Foley, Principal of Ivanhoe Grammar School in Melbourne,
Australia. "Building on the Framework with our Global Citizenship Program we aim to
provide an authentic learning experience that we believe will develop self-aware,
inquisitive, compassionate, and innovative global citizens who are equipped to take
action that will positively impact their local communities and the wider world."
Ivanhoe Grammar School began its journey with the RS Discovery Framework through a
comprehensive audit, surveys, and the creation of staff action groups. "Faculty
engagement is essential in embedding the framework successfully from the start," says
Foley. "It builds ownership, and in our case created a sense of excitement that we were
on to something new, something different and potentially game-changing." Ivanhoe is in
the process of updating curriculum documents, mapping them to the Discoveries, and
has tested the Framework's application through adapting existing initiatives such as the
'Night of the Notables' in which Year 8 Humanities students research and present on an
individual that inspires them, now identifying which IDEALS Spirits from the framework
are exemplified by their 'Notable'.
A new pastoral program in the Senior Years has been launched, with each student in
Y10-12 now supported by a Futures Mentor, closely involved in guiding their personal,
academic, and future planning with students reflecting on their journey with each of the
discoveries. A new co-ordinated sequence and scope has been developed for Ivanhoe's
Wellbeing program with Pastoral, HPE, FEA (faith, ethics attitude) departments. Most
recently, Ivanhoe has introduced RSDF Ambassadors in years 7 and 8.
"The impact so far has been hugely positive." says Foley "The Round Square Discovery
Framework provides a great structure within which to reassess, reorganise and give
tangible value to the range of great initiatives and activities that exist in a school. It really
supports the creation of a cohesive programme, but with the flexibility to ensure that the
school's ethos, approach and practices continue to be infused throughout."
At Appleby College in Canada, work has begun to re-frame the school’s residential life
curriculum around the 12 Discoveries. “As we began integrating the framework into the
school, it’s become clear that it fits in very well with our values” says Matthew Rudisi, “It
was immediately clear that our current program and the RS Discovery Framework were
highly compatible, which added value by clearly structuring the outcomes we were
looking for in our boarders,” says Matt. “It also allowed for consistent vocabulary with
other programming areas that we are developing using the framework such as our 8 th
grade Presentations of Learning (POL) initiative.” Appleby’s POL is an academic
initiative in which 8th grade students prepare and deliver a presentation on their
preparedness for 9th grade and how their learning has impacted their lives. This June, in
making their presentations, the students will blend three of Appleby’s pillars of strength
with two of the Round Square Discoveries. “Not only has this begun making students
aware of the framework,” says Matt, “but it has offered a fantastic way to get students
thinking about skills and qualities that they are developing. We have high expectations
that the framework will bring an added depth to these presentations of
learning.”
The Amman Baccalaureate School in Jordan is piloting the new CIS Accreditation
2016, and will be the first school world-wide to host a synchronized visit with the IB for
this protocol. Work has begun to integrate the RS Discovery Framework fully into all that
ABS does at the school and, in particular, map it against their "Al Tarbiyeh" acronym,
which represents their Guiding Statements, the IB Learner Profile and the requirements
of the new CIS 2016 International Accreditation protocol.
“It’s an interesting experiment for us, and whilst it’s still early days, we are finding the
Round Square Discovery Framework to be really useful in helping us to consider how we
combine the variety of approaches required” says Stuart Bryan, Principal of ABS Jordan.
“It’s important to us as a school that we have a clearly defined, unified, sequential and
transparent approach to teaching and learning, and the Framework is a great support
and guide to us creating that.”
Across the Round Square network the Discovery Framework is being used in
conjunction with a wide variety of Curricula, including in-country national, the IB, and
curricula applied internationally from leading education jurisdictions such as England
and Wales, Australia and the USA. In many cases the Round Square Discovery
Framework is being used to create an overarching structure that links and makes sense
of previously contrasting learner profiles, providing a structure within which a single
teaching and learning approach can fulfill the needs of a variety of different curricula.
“The outcomes of being a Round Square school extend beyond memorable experiences
and into the creation of a deeper awareness and a way of being.” Says Stuart Walls,
Deputy Head of Middle School at Scotch Oakburn College in Tasmania, where the
Round Square Discovery Framework has this year provided a learning framework for the
school’s Year 6 Future Explorers programme “The framework provides an opportunity to
blend character education into any curriculum.”
At The British School New Delhi, students in Years 7-9 are offered an adapted version
of the National Curriculum of England, leading to IGCSE exams with CIE (Cambridge
International Examinations) in years 10-11 and the International Baccalaureate (IB)
Diploma Programme in years 12-13. The Round Square Discovery Framework has been
woven in to the school’s Learner Profile, with the 12 Discoveries forming the component
elements of a rounded character education, and is now being used to draw out
transferrable learning applicable to its multiple curricula from active experiences such as
residential visits.
“The RS Discovery Framework is a great enabler in capturing and transferring back into
the classroom the invaluable benefits of active learning” says Pallavi Jha, a Geography
Teacher and Round Square Rep at the British School, New Delhi.
“When combined with a residential experience the effective benefits and improvements
in social skills reinforce cognitive learning, providing a bridge to higher order learning
and critical thinking” She says. “As educators we know that these experiences develop
an appreciation, respect and sensitivity to a wide range of different environments, they
enable students to develop their understanding of different perspectives on social,
political or ecological issues and they help students to clarify and justify their own values
whilst learning to acknowledge and respect other people’s values. The challenge is to
capture this learning and transfer it back into the classroom in a meaningful way, and
this is where the RS Discovery Framework can really help.”
In embracing the Framework, a growing number of Round Square schools are
discovering their own innovative and creative ways to blend character education with
academic achievement, whether through embedding “soft skills” into the harder lines of
curriculum planning or drawing out the learning from extra-curricular endeavour and
bringing it into the classroom.
Next month in Hong Kong, representatives from Round Square schools will come
together for the first of two workshops on the RS Discovery Framework. The second will
be held in June in the UK. Featuring in-depth and snapshot presentations from Gerard
Foley, Craig Carolan, Pallavi Jha, Stuart Walls, Stuart Bryan, Rod Fraser, and many
others, the workshops will share experiences of the Framework in practice. Delegates
will be invited to collaborate in co-creating approaches, content and activities that can be
implemented in their own schools.