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SOLE NYC in Harlem has got its work cut out. Simply introducing the concept of self organised learning is a challenge in most schools, but at John B. Russwurm PS 197M<\/a> they will also be using it to engage particularly hard-to-reach students.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t want to do this in a school where everyone was doing ok – I wanted to do it here because I knew it could make a real difference,\u201d says Natalia Arrendondo, who is the driving force behind SOLE NYC and will be overseeing the research into reading comprehension, social skills and how young students navigate Big Questions<\/a>.<\/p>\n Professor Sugata Mitra officially opened SOLE NYC today (14 October) as the first dedicated American SOLE research lab. It joins five other labs in India and two in the UK that have all been created as part of his 2013 TED Prize<\/a> wish to build a School in the Cloud<\/a>.<\/p>\n New York\u2019s schools are the most segregated in the whole of the USA, with students divided not only by race, but also by socio-economic status. SOLE NYC is in a high poverty and low income area, where most families live on well under $25,000 a year.<\/p>\n Most of PS 197M\u2019s students come from less well-off African American families, along with those from Hispanic and Asian backgrounds. \u201cSome kids have difficult home lives,\u201d explains Natalia. \u201cThis can have a knock-on effect on behavioural issues and make it difficult for them to engage in class.\u201d<\/p>\n Natalia sees her role as SOLE lab co-ordinator as also part counsellor, trying to talk to the students to see what\u2019s going on and offer a bit of stability in their lives.<\/p>\n This SOLE lab, which is being funded through Newcastle University\u2019s SOLE Central<\/a>, will cater from Pre K (three to four-year-olds) up to 5th grade (12-13-year-olds) and will be run by a committee made up of 3rd, 4th and 5th graders.<\/p>\n The design the students decided upon that best reflected their idea of \u2018adventure\u2019 for the SOLE lab was a jungle, complete with an animal mural with clouds, monkeys and butterflies hanging down from the ceiling.<\/p>\n The plan is for classrooms to cycle through the SOLE lab so that there is a session happening at all times (4+ sessions a day).<\/p>\n \u201cI feel very lucky that everything has come together in such an amazing way,\u201d says Natalia Arredondo, who is a PhD student at Newcastle University currently living in New York. \u201cI\u2019ve been bowled over by the help the school has provided \u2013 custodians, teachers, construction workers and parents have all come together to help, often after school hours. They\u2019ve made it their own project. It\u2019s often said that it takes a village to raise a child, but in Harlem it\u2019s taken a village to build this SOLE lab.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m confident about what will happen with the students but what I\u2019m curious about is the teachers, as very few are into inquiry-based learning and it\u2019s very much the opposite of traditional teaching.\u2028\u2028\u201cWhether the teachers embrace it or not is crucial and I think this is where the work will need to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n Natalia has already carried out several SOLEs in the school to get the students used to the idea of working in this way and was surprised how quickly they took to it.<\/p>\n PS 197M is a focus school, meaning it has failed to pass state examinations several years running and so becomes the district\u2019s focus, with more support and visits from the superintendent\u2019s office as a result.<\/p>\n Natalia carried out a lot of research and demonstrated in all types of schools in the area before deciding to locate it in Harlem. \u201cNatasha (Spann, the school principal) has a passion for education \u2013 she just loves it but is in a difficult spot,\u201d Natalia says. \u201cI wasn\u2019t sure if she\u2019d go for this, as it\u2019s a gamble, but in the end I just put it to her, stepped back, and did as Sugata would, sitting back and just letting it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Written by Sarah Cossom<\/a>, Media Relations Manager<\/p>\n SOLE NYC in Harlem has got its work cut out. Simply introducing the concept of self organised learning is a challenge in most schools, but at John B. Russwurm PS 197M they will also be using it to engage particularly … Continue reading <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"