Doepark Nooterhof

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Originally uploaded by jmmcdgll

As part of our planning meeting, we visite the Noterhof in Zwolle. We had a guided tour of the Earthship, and of the gardens, including the Celtic calendar, a ring of trees, each species representing particular periods in the year. We also experimented with the various water lifing exhibits, such as an Archimdedes screw and a shaduf. we held a good meeting in the conference facility, helped by coffee and delicious apple pie

Scoping the Project-1

On Monday 8th and Tuesday 9th Novemeber, we spent a lot of time brainstorming ideas, with a view to scoping the project. We all agreed that it should focus on sustainability. Four core themes were identified, each of which could be developed over a two year period, going from specific and local, to a more general and global consideration.

Food-meat, then looking more widely at food production, transportation
Water-our own consumption, and the management of water
Energy-domestic and school consumption, moving to national patterns of energy use
Waste-its disposal and impact.

So, we are moving from the pupils' observation and experience of each issue, to coming up with more general conclusions. First we examine the local and specific before considering global and general. We aim for pupils to get a real insight into the concept and the reality of sustainability. We hope to enhance their political literacy, too.

Old Wall in Zwolle

Old Wall in Zwolle
Originally uploaded by jmmcdgll

I liked this faded and peeling advert on a old wall in the centre of Zwolle. Zwolle is a lovely town, the capital of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, some120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. It has about 115,000 citizens

Initial meeting-8th-9th November 2010

The first meeting of the proposed Comenius parnership took place in Zwolle, hosted by colleagues at Van der Capellen school in Zwolle. A full 2 day agenda was prepared, which gave us time to brainstorm ideas, as well as visit some places of interest. During the course of the two days, we had full discussions about aims, timescale, methodology and likely visits. These will be outlined in the next post.

First of all here is some information about Comenius himself, taken from YouTube: