What is SOLE?

A question that comes up all the time is “What is SOLE?” SOLE is a way of learning developed by Dr. Sugata Mitra from his experiments with Hole In The Wall in 1999. In his research he discovered that with the following elements in place that students can learn.

• Student-centered.
• The desire to learn about a topic must come from within the students themselves. This places the responsibility for learning about it directly in their hands.

• Education through inquiry
• Students will develop the question they want to follow. Any question will do but with skilled guidance the students will develop a stronger understanding about asking the right questions to get answers. Students will them work in groups of 4 , or alone, to find the answers to the questions.

• Engaged.
• Because the students have bought into the research because of the questions they are asking they feel a strong responsibility for the question. They want the best answer possible. This creates a stronger focus on finding the answer. They know the other groups are coming up with answers that will foster discussion.

• Social and collaborative.
• Because of the nature of working in groups students learn to trust each others ideas and become supportive as they search for their answers. Discussions abound around the topic creating more inquiry and stronger answers. The students learn how to work in groups, sometimes with people who they would rather not work with. Students are encouraged to solve the problems themselves in a positive manner.
• Supported and encouraged.
• The teacher or parent becomes a cheerleader who says all the right things, gives those pats on the back about the work the students are doing and gently pushes students in directions to find the answers.