A brightly colored classroom with a rainbow handprint pattern rug, wooden shelving units, posters on the wall about standards of excellence, SMART goals, and scientific method, a monitor, a table with a travel mug and books, and a window with blinds showing an outdoor scene with trees, grass, and a parking lot.

Discover Studio

Our Discover Studio is for children in Grades 6-8. The Discover Studio builds upon the foundation established in our Elementary Studios and provides our learners with additional responsibilities, opportunities, and resources to promote continued growth and development. In the Discover Studio, learners begin to research and schedule apprenticeships to facilitate exploration of industries and careers, exercise autonomy in creating their daily schedule, and take full ownership of studio-wide Socratically-led discussions. Learners are granted increasing independence in preparation for the Upper School Studio, progression through which is based on reaching academic and socioemotional milestones. Our Discover learners have multiple places to work throughout our Learning Center, including their dedicated group work space pictured here.

  • Our Discover Studio goes outside three times per day (weather permitting). Often, our Discover learners lead games for younger learners, participate in pick-up soccer or frisbee, or enjoy free time to draw.

  • Our Discover learners have freedom within their daily schedule to determine when they work on certain subjects. If they would prefer to start with math one day and ELA the next, they can do so! Our Discover Guide works with learners to track their work in each subject to ensure progress goals are met.

    We have a self-paced curriculum here at GPA, which means that we encourage learners to work on course material at a pace that feels right to them. For some learners, this may mean that math progress outpaces reading progress. For other learners, this may mean a slowed or accelerated progression through all course material.

    While we believe that there is no “right” place for a learner to be at with his/her learning at a given time, we do look for indicators of steady progression through coursework. Tracking program progress over time is the most helpful way to know if a learner is making steady progress in their learning.