Jump on the SOLE Train

Looking for ways to help your students to appreciate the process of learning and not merely the results? Consider SOLE. What is SOLE? SOLE is an app that supports educators in facilitating a Self Organized Learning Environment for their students. The format starts with a big question, moves into the investigation phase, review, and finally educator reflection.

After being introduced to the SOLE concept from a team member, Sam Neal, we quickly fell in love with this type of learning experience and wanted to spread the word. What we love about SOLE:

• Encourages the educator to give more control to the learners
• Supports the educator in providing immediate feedback to students on the learning process 
• Engages learners through public praise, encouragement, and feedback
• Encourages true collaboration over the divide and conquer method
• Prompts the educator to reflect throughout and after the project
• Stores all educator feedback and reflection from each session

Holly Anderson, one of our AP and IB Environmental Science educators, recently used SOLE with her learners to launch a new project. She loved that the format encouraged more face to face dialogue between her learners and that the app provided her with a way to capture and provide instant feedback during the process.

Hearing of Holly’s success, her teammate, Angela Barnes, was excited to try it with her Earth Space Science learners. Angela’s reflection of the experience reiterated some of the same sentiments as Holly, “Student engagement was HIGH! The communication within groups and between groups increased substantially from other lessons we have done recently.”

Angela also noted that keeping the teams small (3 and under) was good for discussion and kept everyone on task while researching.

Want to learn more about SOLE and how it can impact your classroom? Visit their website for information, educator experiences, and resources on how to start your first SOLE experience.

If you are interested in using SOLE in your classroom, remember your DLCs are here to support you in the design and execution of your lessons. As always, feel free to leave a comment below or contact your campus DLC for support on any tools highlighted on this blog.