Self Organized Learning Environments

Using the SOLE approach in regular classrooms

Teacher orientation SHLOK Foundation,

Bangalore 14th Sept. 2015

Dr. Suneeta KulkarniResearch DirectorThe School in the Cloud / The Granny Cloud

www.theschoolinthecloud.org

What are your biggest challenges?

Time to vent!

What are your biggest challenges?

• Too many children?• Uninterested children?• A syllabus that needs to be covered?• Inadequate resources?

? Languages – too many & different ?? ? ? ?Uneducate

d parents

Drop outs / poor attendance

Now, let’s do something about it…

What have you tried so far?

Teacher directed group activities Parent meetings

Remedial teaching / extra classes

Videos from the internet

What else?

Another possibility

Self Organized Learning Environments

How it all began…• Brain child of Prof. Sugata Mitra• Earlier work with Hole-in-the-Wall• SOLEs - adaptation to school settings for

curriculum related learning

Self Organized Learning Environments

The Basis• There are [and always will be] places in the world where good

teachers cannot [or do not want to] go…..• But Good teachers can use it to supplement

classroom experiences

Groups of children, givenfree access to computersand the internet… canteach themselves….

[quite a few things… we are still figuring out the whole list!]

The SOLE approach• Pose an interesting question

• Let children work in groups• ‘teachers’ / ‘adults’ to be ‘invisible• Move around freely• Share what they have found• Arrive at some answers /

conclusions

What does it mean to be happy?

But what if….?Some concerns

• It is chaotic• Children will use ‘technology’ rather than

figuring it out themselves• No ‘discipline’

Counter questions• How far back should we go in time?• What is natural to children and adults?• What is the real purpose of ‘learning’?

Try some ‘Not so Big Questions’…You can start off with easier, more specific ones…

For example:• What is the capital of Myanmar?• Which is the tallest mountain in the world?

And then slightly harder ones…For example:• Which was the first computer game

developed?• How can you get to Vienna from Bangalore?

Back to

‘Question

s’

And you can develop questions from the curriculum…

Think about why you teach your subject..What is the REAL PURPOSE?

EVS

MathsLanguages

A few rules…• 4-5 children to one computer• Let the children make and change their groups

as often as they want• Stand back – be ‘invisible’. DON’T interfere• Encourage sharing of findings • Step back in for Presentations to facilitate

putting ALL the learning together

More details in the ToolKit:https://www.theschoolinthecloud.org/library/resources

• Be tolerant of the noise level. There is serious work going on!

Back to the

SOLE

Approach

3 Key Goals of Education• Reading Fluency & Comprehension• Developing search & information

gathering skills• Developing a rational belief system

Reading with DiscernmentLearning to Search

Understanding the initial process• https://

www.theschoolinthecloud.org/updates/learning-to-search-area-4-pss-phaltan

• https://www.theschoolinthecloud.org/updates/reading-with-discernment

Impact• Independence: finding things out on

their own• Collaboration: working in a team• Involvement in the task• JOY!

Preparing for the futureAn unknown world

Supplement it with

The Granny Cloud

Still interested…?

• Check out our websitewww.theschoolinthecloud.org

If you want to email me:suneeta@theschoolinthecloud.org