meditatio at the water's edge

London's Guardian posted this article (via Chris Curtis) entitled, "20 Big Ideas," citing, "the next 12 months promises to bring a revolution in the way we work, rest and play."

One of the ideas was this:
14. Notschool
Meaning?
A school for kids who don't fit into the mainstream

In other words...
Children who are bullied, excluded, disaffected, chronically ill, phobic or under police protection all meet the admissions criteria of Notschool, an online learning environment piloted by Ultralab, the IT and education innovators at Anglia Polytechnic University.

Pupils are called 'researchers' because the ways in which they like to learn inform the website's non-hierarchical, signposted design. Teachers are 'mentors' and Notschool-leavers stay online as 'buddies' to the new kids.

'We are providing a safe learning environment for young people who have nowhere else to go,' says Jean Johnson, Notschool's project director. 'And we reawaken their desire to learn.' The initial pilot intake of 100 Notschoolers has recently been upped to 600 in 17 local education authorities and new Notschools are planned for New Zealand, Australia and the Netherlands. And after Notschool? Well, there's another Ultralab invention - Ultraversity.


Wondering if this might shed some light on a bit of what we're about with regards to the church in West Michigan? What do you think? I especially like the bit about "we reawaken their desire to learn."

Notchurch? Huh.