First of all, we wanted to show our students that school is more than a learning factory and create authentic learning opportunities to bring the outside world into the classroom and vice versa. We wanted students to step out of their bubble and show them how others live and think about the chosen topics. By studying and processing the themes, we also wanted to stimulate the students' study, presentation and processing skills (necessary after the lock-downs). Collaborating on an assignment in particular was a priority after a period of lockdowns. Through this short-term project, we also wanted to boost the internationalization of education and thus get more attention from the school management. We also wanted to increase parental involvement, so that parents will have more reasons to come to school other than a report interview.
The Hervormd Lyceum Zuid is a havo/vwo school in Amsterdam. We teach students aged 12-18 years old in four different learning programs and subject areas: culture & society, economy & society, nature & technology, nature & health, of which E&M is dominant in profile choices. We also have a vwo+ program, "Universalis" in the lower years. These students start their day with an hour of PE and subjects are linked according to the PBL method. They train their team skills and can therefore work more focused and goal-oriented. Many of our students choose economics further education Because many students have economics and geography, our project focuses on the importance of EU membership for NL, especially for port cities such as A'dam and R'dam. In addition, NL is inextricably linked to the sea and Amsterdam is a port city. The 2nd project looks at marine heritage and marine conservation.