GFA offers these special programs of more extended study to qualified Juniors and Seniors ready to undertake ambitious projects and exploration.
Individual Independent Study
Any student in grades 10-12 who wishes to pursue a special area of study not offered as a specific course is, under special circumstances, able to create an Independent Study with an instructor. The student must present a well-defined plan for the study, including goals and a syllabus, which are then refined by the instructor and student together. Permission from the department head and Director of Studies is required, and a completed Independent Study Application signed by the student, instructor, department head and Director of Studies must be submitted in the spring prior to the year of study. Independent Studies must meet a minimum of two to three periods per week for either the full year or for a semester, depending on the intensity of the study and its culminating requirement. (1⁄2 credit; full year or either semester)
Team Independent Study in the Sciences
This program follows all the criteria and descriptors of Independent Study (above), with the exception that application is by a team of 2-4 students who, working with a member of the science program, meets together with a common project and goal in mind, as might be the case in Engineering or Environmental Science, for example. Teams will often submit work for competition. Completion of the Research and Experimental Design course is a prerequisite. (1⁄2 credit; full year or either semester)
The 20/20 Program
The 20/20 Program is an opportunity devised by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), for teams of students from its member schools to collaborate with schools outside the United States. Partner schools engage in the mutual solution to one of twenty identified global problems, such as deforestation, terrorism, trade rights, etc. This program is offered as a 1⁄2 credit, year-long elective to a team of 3-4 seniors. The application process begins in the junior year when interested students apply as teams by jointly identifying five potential global problems of interest and co-writing a piece on the team’s research intentions. Applications are read by the Coordinator of GFA Global and the Director of Studies. The accepted team begins its research over the summer while it waits for partnering through NAIS. Over the course of the year, students are responsible for creating a website to document and share their work; the course culminates in a presentation at the end of the year to peers and evaluators. (1⁄2 credit; full year)
Senior Directed Study (SDS)
The SDS Program offers to Seniors, who are selected through an application process in the Junior year, an alternative and powerful culminating experience to the GFA academic program. The program is based upon the notion that able Seniors should have the opportunity to research independently a topic of engaging personal interest by finding resources beyond the walls of the school and using both independent and collaborative work as ways of enhancing how they learn. Participants will have their competency assessed in a variety of ways, including a major research paper during the first semester followed by field work and a panel presentation in the second semester. The program is taken as a full-year course and distinguishes itself from the Independent Study program in its emphasis on student-driven research, off-campus mentoring, and oral presentation. Each student works with the Program Director; weekly “class” alternates between group and individual meetings. The first semester work receives traditional grades whereas second semester work is graded as Pass with Distinction, Pass, or Fail. Over the course of the first semester, the Program Director assists students in refining their topics of interest and honing their research skills. Other components include conducting intensive research using a variety of sources, locating and securing a mentor, and writing a substantial research paper. At the start of the second semester, students submit a field-work proposal that designates field sites, methodologies, additional off-campus mentors if applicable, and a weekly schedule to the Program Director and the Director of Studies. Once approved, students begin the second phase of their research, which, depending on time, schedule, and willingness may range from internships to surveys, interviews, site visits, observations, lab-work, etc. Students maintain frequent contact with their mentor and keep a comprehensive journal to document their work. The program culminates in the submission of a portfolio of research and an oral presentation in front of a panel. The panel is comprised of a specialist in the student’s field of study, a peer in the program, and two additional members of the faculty or administration. (1 credit; full year)