The word design has many meanings. Commonly design is understood as a pattern or a composition in a visual form as we see in the design of a book or a garment. It can also acquire a fairly complex structure as seen in the design of a software, bridge or machine. In any form, design can be stated as process of recognising a problem & finding solutions to it. It is a process that is fundamental to any individual & her/his every-day life. Design incorporates our social, cultural, scientific & aesthetic values to create solutions. It is human-centred, collaborative & experimental in nature. It is also optimistic in nature with a belief that there are answers for all problems.

Design and K-12 education
A subject like design can add several dimensions to a learning environment. There are various methods and processes in the development of a new design, idea or solution, collectively referred to as design thinking. As educators, one can apply design thinking to facilitate innovative approaches to existing methods of teaching and learning. For students, design based programs are a dynamic and cross-disciplinary learning experience, encouraging curiosity, inquiry, problem solving, communication and collaboration.

Problem

Education in K-12 schools exists in air-tight containers that represent different subjects. There is an invisible hierarchy in subjects; Maths and Sciences tend to be on a higher pedestal than Humanities and Arts. Children’s learning abilities are tested by their capacity to score high grades accordingly. Very few schools lay emphasis on developing their skill sets for day-to-day life; preparing them for the future; and widening their understanding of diverse aspects of life. For children from under-privileged and poor families, even a chance in formal education is rarely available and several are forced to drop out due to circumstances. With the passing of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act in India, this stands to change as we recognise that all children have a large and equal stake in the future of our country. The above context calls for reimagining education content and delivery in both, formal (public and private education) and informal (NGOs and NPOs), with a strong need to move beyond the existing hierarchy and re-engage children and educators, creatively to build an integrated model of education that will develop necessary life-skills.

Solution

To develop programs that combines elements in education with creativity & design thinking to shape an integrated model of learning for K-12 students. Design is a process that encompasses creativity, communication, planning and purpose – a result of which is experienced by everyone in some way. Design Thinking refers to the methods and processes that create design solutions. It involves identifying a problem; analyzing it; and creating an innovative solution to the problem. Exposing educators & children to the innumerable possibilities of designing solutions creates an alternate & active learning experience. It encourages the participant not only to identify & solve new problems but also create new solutions for old problems. In this process a participant develops important life skills like communication, decision making, critical thinking, creativity etc. The learning environments thus become human-centered, collaborative & experimental in nature.

Example

For children, we do workshops in creativity & design and humanities. Creativity and design encourages children to broaden their imagination and thinking, find their own unique methods of expression. Infusing creativity in mainstream education enables children to take fresh approaches to diverse disciplines of language, science, history, art, and engineering amongst others. At the centre of any design process is a human-centred approach. Our program in Humanities will enable the study & appreciation of culture. Identifying with different cultures will enable the children understand themselves & others better. Learning from structures like these can be invaluable in today’s global context. For educators we have programs in the form of two workshops. Design Thinking: In designing their class, the content, the curriculum and the learning environment, Educators are constantly designing, though only subconsciously / unintentionally. Design thinking can help educators do the same with obvious intentions, have new experiences, tap into their latent creative abilities and better nurture the creativity in children. Cross-pollination: Cross-pollination is an active exchange of ideas between teachers working independently but coming together to achieve a common goal; it can be learning from each other’s domains and / or developing classroom-solutions together. In our first year of operations, we have conducted workshops for curriculum developers, teachers of various private schools and constituted a Design Club as a weekly activity, for children aged 8-12.

Marketplace

There are agencies providing life-skills education programs and co-curricular programs like theatre; dance and music; or art. But we are unaware of organisations working with a strong focus on merging elements of creativity with life-skills education, especially one that involves both educators and children.