the Duke of Edinburgh Award programme in 1956 in which students across the UK could challenge themselves through service and physical adventure .
Continuing to see that the only way to change the future was by changing the schooling of young people , Hahn became part of a greater movement that was changing the face of education worldwide . Having seen the benefits of cross-cultural collaboration in the NATO war colleges , Hahn went on to develop the United World Colleges , a group of schools founded in 1962 whose mission is to unite people , nations and cultures for a sustainable future . In 1966 , he founded the Round Square network of like-minded schools to hold international conferences , exchanges and service projects for young people . A few years later , he joined a team of other education reformers to craft the structure and philosophy of the International Baccalaureate ( IB ) Programme .
Hahn and the International Baccalaureate IB pundits will recognise the similarities between Hahn ’ s models and the instructional approaches used by the International Baccalaureate Organisation in mainstream schools around the world . Both had their origin stories in a Europe reeling from effects of two world wars and the Industrial Revolution . When Hahn joined the team , a group of educators were working to formalise the international school experiences and qualifications of graduates emerging from schools like the International School of Geneva , originally founded for League of Nations employees , and the United Nations School established in New York , along with other international schools emerging under embassy umbrellas .
The educators were influenced by progressive thought leaders who , rather than content , put concepts , the student and the global community at the centre of educational design . Following on from John Dewey ’ s propositions in Experience and
Education ( 1938 ) the IB forebearers also saw schools as the agents of social reform and laid a framework where students would be allowed to experience and interact with the curriculum and take part in directing their own learning . Further influenced by Hahn ’ s positive learning experiences outside of the classroom , IB schools established a balanced approach to academics , extracurricular and personal development . The IB ’ s Creativity , Action and Service programme developed from the four pillars at Gordonstoun . And with these components in their lifeboat , the IB pushed out to unknown challenges and discoveries .
The IB has remained afloat on its journey to change the world through education for 50 years . In IB schools today , students develop the personal , academic and social skills that , when applied to the world outside the classroom , will allow them to thrive in a globalising society characterised by rapid change , complexity and mobility . Student-centered and global-minded at its core , the IB prides itself on developing resilient and reflective individuals who , like Hahn ’ s first graduates , will be prepared for life , not just university .
In familiar terms , an IB education is an education defined by experience . It is not always easy for parents to understand an education based outside the confines of our own familiar memories of school and schooling . Likewise , the language of practice used by the IB can often present a challenging and unfamiliar landscape as parents navigate waters different from their own experience . But much like an outward bound boat sets a compass heading , we can navigate this educational philosophy using Hahn ’ s waypoints : learning is active , learning is challenging , learning is meaningful and learning is collaborative .
Going Outward Bound at LCIS While Hahn ’ s programmes regularly take people outside of their comfort zones to increase their