Home Educational insightsRenaissance International School, Saigon: Implementing the Discovery Framework

Renaissance International School, Saigon: Implementing the Discovery Framework

Posted: 03 January 2019

The Deputy Head first heard about the Discovery Framework at a Round Square regional rep meeting. He recognised the value of having a common language to talk about character attributes uniting the vocabulary already used in the IB, EYFDP and IPC. This prompted him to find out more and attend the Discovery Framework workshop in Hong Kong. He was accompanied at the workshop by a diverse group of staff from the school: representatives from the primary and secondary schools, the curriculum co-ordinator and our school’s Vietnamese language specialist. The workshop enabled this group to understand the Discovery Framework and gather information on the different ways that the Framework was being implemented in other schools.

Author: Jennifer Longmuir, RS Rep and Year 4 teacher

Planning

At the end of school year inset, we consulted the wider faculty on whether we should introduce the Discovery Framework. We took two full days to do this and made it clear that our adoption of the Discovery Framework would not be mandated, it was up to staff to decide, which gave real value to the discussions and helped the staff engage authentically.

We began by considering the 12 Discoveries in the context of the Renaissance learner then discussed the advantages of introducing the Framework, the possible challenges (and how they might be overcome), and views on whether the school should adopt the Discovery Framework. A few things ensured that the discussion proceeded positively.

First, by having a wider representation of staff attend the Discovery Framework workshop, we were able to utilise advocates with knowledge and understanding of the Discovery Framework and how it would impact their area of the school. We also configured the discussion groups to include staff from different areas of the school, which encouraged staff to be more open-minded. Immersing the Vietnamese language lead in the purpose and terminology of the Discovery Framework also helped her to communicate this to staff with Vietnamese as their first language, decreasing the likelihood that important aspects would be lost in translation.

Staff began to make connections with the Discovery Framework right away and because the discussion groups were mixed, the discussion was positive and open. The decision on whether to adopt the Discovery Framework was a resounding ‘yes’ and staff recognised the value of the Discovery Framework in acting as an umbrella for other programmes. We reassured staff that using the Discovery Framework didn’t require a separate lesson plan and considered ways to arm them with simple resources

After agreeing to adopt the Discovery Framework, the question arose as to whether we should adapt it. We recognised that if we changed the Discovery Framework, we would be on our own: we couldn’t use the global materials. We also questioned whether we should use all 12 Discoveries, but concluded that if we had less, it would be difficult to identify which Discoveries should be removed. We resolved to keep the Discovery Framework as it is, but not introduce the Discoveries all at once: the process should be one of evolution, not revolution.

The conversation continued with some experiential tasks that got staff excited about the concept of the Discovery Framework. We did a series of workshops to immerse the staff in the Discoveries to help them to make connections to the language as well as understand how to easily incorporate them into their lessons. One activity which everyone enjoyed was a collective musical challenge we saw work well in Germany called Pitch Piper. In this task, staff were given a pitch pipe to explore. This gave them the opportunity to be inquisitive about this piece of pipe and try and figure out what it was and what it could be used for. Once it was revealed to be a musical instrument, staff soon realised that the colour of their pipe related to a musical pitch. From there, staff were challenged to decode a song together and guess which song they were playing. We treated this inset opportunity like a student class, finding ways to explore the Discovery Framework and engage staff further.

In planning the roll out of the Discovery Framework, we looked at the school calendar and where certain Discoveries would fit naturally to make it easier for teachers to link the Discovery to their curriculum, so everyone had an opportunity to experience that Discovery. We decided to focus on two Discoveries each term and found that the Discoveries fitted well together in pairs.

Students were introduced to the Discovery Framework in a special assembly attended by the teachers. In that assembly, the students learned about the Discovery meanings, were set the Pitch Pipes challenge, and asked to write their first reflection on how they had used a certain Discovery.

Activity

At the start of the term, the Discovery pairs are introduced in assembly either by myself, the students or another teacher. When the students return to their classrooms, they then discuss the definition of the Discoveries in more detail and write a personal statement explaining how they are going to display those Discoveries (“I can” statements). Throughout the term, the relevant Discovery symbols are very visible appearing on flipcharts and classroom screens. This helps the teachers refer to it naturally in their subjects and allows the students to make the connections. Once a week, in assembly, every class shares what they have learned about the themed Discoveries, so students can make the connections with their own lives and goals.

As we gained in confidence in using the Discovery Framework, we began to extend its use into the curriculum. A number of approaches were used across a variety of curriculum subjects: to follow are some examples.

To explore the value of inquisitiveness, Year 6 Science students were given a giant piece of paper and instructed to show what they knew about the construct of the human body by making a human body out of any material to hand (for example, a skeleton made out of Q-Tips). We found that there are easy ways to integrate the Discovery Framework into existing topics by using it to form the learning challenge and explicitly telling the students: we’re working on learning about the human body and our inquisitiveness.

Physical Education teachers use the language when dealing with the everyday situations that occur in team sports. They talk to the students about the value of teamwork in forging a team’s success, but also the importance of supporting your team when the result doesn’t go your way. Students are encouraged to be self-aware about their role in the team and apply this in competitive situations, for example, should they take the shot or pass to another team member who might have a better chance of scoring?

Everyone in the school tries to do their best to bring the Discovery Framework language to the work they are already doing. Our librarian, for example, will often profile books that link to a Discovery theme.

The Discoveries can also be woven into the curriculum with the simple addition of a Discovery Framework related question. So, at the end of a Year 5 topic on polar regions and the Shackleton expedition, the students were asked how the Shackleton team drew upon the skills of teamwork and self-awareness and what impact this had on their experience.

Once a term, our students plan a week of events focusing on a Discovery. During ‘Compassion Week’, our students prepared packages for every teacher which they could use to promote compassion to their class. The package included random acts of kindness challenges that they had devised (such as saying ‘hello’ to someone new) and each pupil was encouraged to try a compassion challenge each day.

The students also organised activities at breaktimes. A ‘Giving Tree’ displayed in the school allowed students to add notes with positive comments about their peers. This simple idea had a huge impact on the school community and was also uplifting for parents to see. We also enjoyed a giant game of tag involving 150 pupils to underline the point that students can show compassion by being open to playing with each other.

The Discovery Framework also weaved its way into our residential trips programme. Students in Years 4 to 10 already participate in trips linked to the IDEALS; all we had to do was add the Discoveries. To achieve this, I met with the organising company to request that they change the activities to allow students opportunities to explore their capabilities in the Discovery skills. I also helped the organisers understand the language of the Discoveries so they would share our vision on what we were trying to achieve, and instructed them to add the Discovery symbols to the trip literature.

Adapting our residential programme has had a ripple effect across the city as every school that works with the same trip provider is now involved in similar activities, which means that many more students are benefitting from experiences to develop their character.

Our Early Years teachers were keen to get involved but found that the students in this age group struggled to understand the concepts and language. They took a different approach and instead, focused on just a few of the Discoveries and simplified the language to words that the students would be more familiar with: compassion became kindness, for example. To ensure that students could develop their understanding we ensured that we always used the Discovery symbols. This would help students associate the symbols with the meaning when they encountered the Framework again.

The activities used were simple but effective. Students were introduced to a Discovery in assembly and listened to a story or sang a song relating to that Discovery. The teachers also established a Star of the Week to award students who had achieved something linked to a Discovery.

Challenges

As is shown with the Early Years illustration, implementing the Discovery Framework was not without its challenges. We had to learn what worked and adapt if needed. I would try and catch-up with my colleagues once a month to have honest conversations about how it was all going and troubleshoot any problems.

At the end of the school year, we took the opportunity to formally review the implementation of the Discovery Framework. It was helpful to capture what went well, what was less successful and how we could move forward. Part of this review highlighted the challenge in rolling out the Discovery Framework to the Secondary school and achieving buy-in from the staff. We decided to back-up a little and give the Discovery Framework some time to build momentum in the Primary years but with the expectation that we needed to build the Secondary school teachers’ engagement with it. To achieve this, we tasked them with trying one activity in their form and a subject class linked to the Discovery Framework before the end of term. Having a target has helped extend the use of the Discovery Framework in a way that seems manageable and achievable for staff.

To achieve the greatest impact, we recognised that we had to help students understand the Discovery Framework in the context of their life outside school, and this meant getting the parents onboard too. Initially, parents were confused about why their child’s homework focused on an act of kindness rather than Maths. It required a change of mindset and shift in their thinking. But once they saw what the children were doing and achieving, they were able to make the connections. I’m fortunate in having a TV at the front of the school dedicated to Round Square which allows me to show photos and videos capturing all that the children are doing and this showreel makes the benefits of the Discovery Framework tangible and explicit to parents.

Impact

Students in Key Stage 1 have been encouraged to think about how they have used a Discovery by drawing a picture in their Discovery Framework Passport and writing a reflective sentence about how they have used that Discovery. This is then verified by a teacher with a Discovery Framework stamp. Copies of these pictures and reflections have been added to the class display board.

Key Stage 2 students are asked to write a reflective paragraph on what they have achieved providing two independent examples of how they have met that Discovery skill. To make efficient use of the space in the Passport, this passage is written elsewhere. If the class teacher on reviewing their written reflection concurs, the student receives a stamp in their passport. The student then adds a one sentence explanation of what the stamp was for and the date of those achievements. Copies of the comments and pictures are added to class display boards and cited in a showcase video shown on the Round Square promotional TV.

The Discovery Framework has had a positive impact on the whole school. It’s given us a common language to talk about character education in the context of real life situations. The students can identify when they are using a skill, their competency in that attribute and reflect on how that has supported them in a given situation.

At the end of each term, we celebrate what each class has achieved in their development of the Discovery skills. This can be in the form of photos, videos or even through a skit.

The future

Our long-term goal is that by the end of Key Stage 1, students will have been introduced to all 12 Discoveries. We hope to extend the Discovery Framework’s use to all curriculum areas, align our extra-curricular activities to it, and recognise students who have gone above and beyond in a certain Discovery through our reward schemes.

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