Gerard Foley - Character Education

How do the Round Square IDEALS help shape young people of character? In the latest Talking Heads Podcast, Gerard Foley, Principal of Ivanhoe Grammar School, explores the connection between character education and the Round Square framework. 

Drawing on examples from outdoor education, global learning, service initiatives, international experiences, and First Nations partnerships, Gerard reflects on how he believes  purposeful opportunities can help students grow into thoughtful and principled leaders. Listen to how at Ivanhoe Grammar School this approach remains central to preparing young people for lives of purpose, contribution, and leadership. 

Transcript

Hello everyone, and welcome to this podcast, a podcast focused on character being at the heart of an Ivanhoe education, and importantly, the Round Square connection. Today, I'd like to explore the powerful connection between character education and the Round Square IDEALS at Ivanhoe Grammar School. Round Square's philosophy, as you know, is built around six IDEALS, Internationalism, Democracy, Environmentalism, Adventure, Leadership, and Service. And at Ivanhoe, these are not simply programs or activities. They provide a lens through which we develop character. In fact, this connection was recognized when Ivanhoe Grammar School became the first school in Australia to be recognized by character.org as a school of character. At the center of our approach are seven key character attributes: courageous, innovative, balanced, collaborative, ethical, reflective, and compassionate. These attributes guide everything we do. When we review programs, we don't simply ask, what are our students doing? But rather we ask, who are they becoming? Take outdoor education. While it clearly aligns within the round square ideal of adventure, our focus is on the character outcomes. Are students developing courage? Are they developing collaboration, reflection,resilience? Adventure is the vehicle, character is the destiny. nation. The same applies to our international experiences, where the students are participating in our Cambodia service project, travelling on arts tours, visiting the battlefields of France, or competing on sporting tours in England and Japan. We are always asking how are these experiences developing compassion, ethical understanding, collaboration, and global awareness. One of the most important insights we gain from viewing the school through a round-square lens was recognizing that internationalism needed to reach every student, not just those who traveled overseas. As a result, we developed global education as a compulsory subject for all students from year seven to nine. Students explore global challenges such as climate change, sustainability, inequality, and cultural understanding. This curriculum exists because we challenged ourselves to ensure that internationalism was embedded across the school, not confined to a few select opportunities. The same thinking applied to our commitment to First Nations education and service. Our First Nations scholarship program enriches our community by creating deeper opportunities for understanding, respect, and engagement with First Nations perspectives. Through this work, students develop compassion, reflection, and ethical understanding. Our Tuesday Afternoon IDEALS program is expanding these opportunities further with Reservoir East Primary School. We are also exploring a service-focused partnership with the First Nations community in Western Australia. While still in development, this initiative reflects our belief that meaningful service begins with listening, learning, and building authentic relationships. So what character are we developing? The founder of Round Square, Kurt Hahn, believed education should focus not only on intellectual growth, but also on the development of character. At Ivanhoe, we share that belief wholeheartedly. The Round Square IDEALS provides that framework. Our character attributes provide the language. Together, they guide every aspect of school life and help us prepare young people, not simply for academic success, but for lives of purpose, contribution, and leadership. Because ultimately, whether we are talking about Internationalism, Adventure, Democracy, Leadership, Environmentalism, or Service, our goal is the same. That goal is to develop young people of character. Young people who are courageous, innovative, balanced, collaborative, ethical, reflective, and compassionate. Young people of character. Thank you for listening.