Developing an Emergent Resilience Through Self-Organised Learning Environments

Resilience can be seen as an emergent property resulting from reciprocal interactions in complex systems. Self-Organised Learning Environments (SOLE) are a complex system which foster an emergent learning. This chapter considers whether SOLE can be used to also foster an emergent resilience. The internet is a central component of this system but its potential increase in use carries concerns about the additional online risk young people may be exposed to. This chapter discusses the nature of risk aversion and that exposure to some measure of risk is necessary for the development of resilience. Three further factors which are important for the development of resilience are explored which are social capital, a sense of agency and autonomy. These three factors and the exposure to some risk have implications for pedagogy. The use of SOLE to foster these factors, potentially developing both an emergent resilience and an emergent learning, can assist educators when helping young people to develop individual resilience.