What is SOLE?

In 1999 Sugata Mitra, the founder of SOLE/School in the Cloud, pioneered “Hole in the Wall” experiments to help bring the potential of self-organized learning to the public’s attention. Since then, research continued to support his startling conclusion that groups of children, with access to the Internet, can learn almost anything by themselves.

The aim of School in the Cloud is to spark creativity, curiosity and wonder in students and inspire them to take control of their own learning. We call spaces that make this happen Self Organized Learning Environments (SOLEs).

SOLEs can be created by anyone, anywhere, be it educators, parents, or communities. Its simply somewhere students are encouraged to work together to answer Big Questions using the Internet. These places are fuelled by self-discovery, sharing and spontaneity.

A Self Organised Learning Environment, or SOLE, is a simple, free, and fun way of to help children learn.

They can exist anywhere and be conducted virtually or in person. All that is required is a computer, internet connection and students who are willing to learn. An educator then poses a big question which can be related to a subject or not and students form small groups to find an answer.

During SOLE sessions students are free to move around, change groups and share information at any time. Towards the end of a session, they have the opportunity to share what they learned with the whole group. SOLE sessions are characterised by discovery, sharing, spontaneity and limited teacher intervention.

An important point to note is that SOLE sessions can be delivered in any language, including Welsh and English, which is perfect for schools in Wales and for lessons learning other languages.

Check out this presentation for more information and share it with your schools, friends, colleagues and anyone who may be interested: School in the Cloud SOLE Presentation