Have a class discussion about the worth of asking questions. Ask them how they feel about asking questions, who they are most likely and least likely to ask questions around, and why. This will help them to explore what may be holding them back from asking questions in different situations of their life. Lead discussions by asking questions and getting class participants to do the same with each other. Invite your class to be a question zone, one where nobody’s question is ever ridiculed. Help class participants to formulate questions themselves. Some of the participants may have a difficult time with question asking as a skill, so it’s useful to give them the tools to do this.
The SOLE activity will require about an hour to complete, although the first session may take a little longer due to you needing to explain what SOLE activities are about.
A laptop or a desktop computer. The class will need access to approximately one per four children for this to work well. A whiteboard or blackboard where you can write down the questions being asked. Paper and pens. This lets children take notes to share. Remember too that writing on paper has a mind and body connection that is different from typing, and many creative people insist that this connection sparks different ways of thinking, so encourage both. Webcam, microphone, creative software for graphics manipulation/videos/music making, etc. Name tags. This is optional but it might be necessary if the children are younger or don’t know each other that well yet. And it can be a good way to make it clear who is the helper.
Encourage class participants to consider theories rather than concrete answers. If the question seems unanswerable, children will be encouraged to posit many possibilities, pushing their thinking boundaries. Broader, harder questions promote deeper and longer discussions. Consider using a mix of familiar things and less well known things. For example, you might ask questions related to coursework already covered along with questions about things the class participants are yet to learn about. For many ideas of good questions, check both How to formulate questions for SOLE activities and the SOLE guide at http://www. ted. com/pages/sole_toolkit.
For each group, delegate a “peer helper”. The peer helper is responsible for delegating within the group, such as resolving issues, problem-solving, etc. This, in itself, is an important learning process in helping peers to get along and learning to lead.
Ask the class groups to keep records of their investigation. This can be notes, photos, quotes, audio recordings, drawings, diagrams, print-outs, etc. ––basically, whatever they feel documents the investigation in the way that explains their findings. These notes will help them to give their presentation at the next stage. When the children are exploring the questions, leave them to it. The peer helper should help to steer the group and resolve issues. Only step in if it’s really necessary during the investigation phase.
Ask what conclusions/answers/ideas the children have reached, on a group-by-group basis. When doing this, encourage each participant to talk, not just the one most willing to summarize the issues. Even within the group, there will be differences of perspective.
Ask the participants what they felt about the experience. Ask for comparisons with the children’s own lives/experiences and knowledge, etc. Ask the participants what they felt they did well during the investigation, including noting what others did well. And ask them what they’d do differently the next time––it’s as important to learn about what doesn’t work as much as what does. Ask the groups what they feel about the answers and ideas of other groups.
One member of the group complains that another member isn’t doing anything to help: Ask the helper to facilitate getting both children re-engaged. The ability to not run to an adult is part of the learning process. One member of the group appears disinterested and unwilling to participate: Ask the helper to facilitate re-engaging and have the children understand that they can make changes as the investigation goes along. If you’re ever investigating with several groups, children can also change groups, but this is usually only a useful solution for school or classroom situations. There are squabbles over the computer availability: Help them to discuss ways of sharing the computer––let them find their own solutions by asking them questions about how to resolve it. The helper isn’t behaving: Suggest ways that can help the helper to manage the group. If you need to discuss difficult behavior, do so away from other participants and always praise the good things that the helper did. The answer isn’t correct. This is a good opportunity to explore what sources the children used and why they came to the conclusion that they did; it’s a fantastic opportunity to teach critical thinking skills about why the children didn’t discard information that isn’t actually credible or reliable.
You could even consider holding a SOLE information session for parents one evening. Show them how the SOLE works and give them some ideas for running SOLE activities in the home environment. Encourage after-school programs within your school environment to follow SOLE activities as one of the options for children to pursue after class.
