Beyond the Classroom

Galileo supports our learners through a curriculum that prepares each for the global economy. This is through projects, inquiry-based learning, collaborative work, student internships, global and community empathy — learning that goes well beyond the classroom. Below are just a couple ways our learners explore beyond the classroom.

Each spring, learners have the opportunity to participate in a language immersion trip, where they travel to a different country, are immersed in the culture, take language courses, and work on a culminating project. Everyone in the group will conduct research on the destination country in the months leading up to their departure, identify a topic(s) they want to explore further in collaborative groups, will formulate essential questions, and will plan their final project.

The final project will include interviews, field excursions, videos, research, and other relevant information. Students are required to keep a travel journal and do journal entries regularly, record important aspects of their trip, interview people are part of their research, and gather artifacts/real materials from the country as part of the final presentation. Parents and friends are invited to these presentations and advisors and mentors are involved in supporting students with these. They are also part of learner-led conferences.

Beginning fall of 2024, the Galileo School of Fine Arts will offer an opportunity for theater and art learners to experience each respective genre in person in New York City by attending Broadway plays, interacting with actors, stage management, makeup artists, and dancers; meeting contemporary artists, touring art galleries, and visiting the ever changing art instillations of New York City. Advisors will coordinate experiential learning experiences with Galileo families for credit.

As another example, Galileo high school students have the opportunity to be immersed in the Spanish language while participating in wildlife conservation either as a volunteer or intern focused on research, career, or core in Costa Rica. As a career intern, for example, in between work on the ground, you might work with the Coastal Jaguar Conservation group to develop an effective social media strategy to increase brand awareness for jaguar conservation projects. Learners may discuss signing up with their advisors for trips as early as fall 2024 in increments as short as one week. Self-designed senior projects/electives may include internships in one or more of the focus areas.