incongruous ideas, ludicrous combinations | documentation

1

INCONGRUOUS

LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSDIPLOMA PROJECT DOCUMENTATION

2010

NANDINI CHANDAVARKAR

IDEAS

3

INCONGRUOUS IDEASLUDICROUS COMBINATIONS

DIPLOMA PROJECT DOCUMENTATION

2010

5

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONS

For my mother & my grandparents

who have always trusted my life choices..

6

contents CONTENTS | SECTIONSsections

7

PREMISE 09

PROPOSAL 13

RESEARCH 21

WORKSHOP AT 31

PARIKRMA

THE PROTOTYPE 63

END NOTE 100

ACKNOWLEDGE- 105

MENTS

‘... where the imaginative & the functional fuse and finally become indistinguishable.

‘Great things are done when men and mountains meet; This is not done by jostling in the street.’

‘Design without impact is not design. It is just stuff.’

‘How many “faces” lie hidden, waiting for the time when curious eyes will find them in their secret

places. In the heart of a leaf or the bark of a tree. In a frozen pond or the turning sea. In the twist

of a chair or the look of a key or the shrivelled skin of an elephant’s knee.’

‘I’m not what has happened to me:

I am what I choose to become.’

“the whole purpose of public education throughout the world is to produce university professors.”

contents CONTENTS | SECTIONSsections

8

Incongruous Ideas, Ludicrous Combinations

My name is Nandini Chandavarkar, one of the

many ‘kinky collared dogs’ from the pound (as

quoted by one of our professors) just finishing

four years of Visual Communication Design

and on my way to becoming an independent

practitioner, with a proposal in hand.

This book documents every aspect of that

journey to help create something valuable for

every child and professional.

And hopefully save the world!

9

‘... where the imaginative & the functional

fuse and finally become indistinguishable.

Milton Glaser

10


Career Choice? It’s Science

Bangalore: Science continues to be revered among school

students, not so humanities. Civil services, once much

respected, is now career choice 16; while the less said

about teaching and research, the better.

These were the findings thrown up by a survey conducted

by Eduquity Career Technologies Pvt Ltd, a human

resource assessment service provider in Bangalore.

The survey was conducted over two years across 2,123

students.

“We wanted to know what Indian youth really wanted to

do,’’ said R Dhirendra, CEO. And this is what they found:

Among the top 10 careers chosen, 6 were linked to

science (engineering, medicine, physical sciences, life

sciences, architecture, sports, chartered accountancy,

software/IT, commercial pilot, defence); not one was from

the humanities (arts). This reinforces the value Indians

place on science.

Civil services once highly regarded are now ranked 16,

coming after journalism / media, designing, music etc.

Research and teaching have a few takers, and are ranked

22nd and 27th; “Together, they account for the career

aspirations of just 1% of the respondents,’’ says Sudha

Bhogle, head, student solutions, Eduquity.

Now, though medicine and engineering hold their own as

they have done in the past, there is also a shift towards

high-paying jobs like software and commercial pilots; as

also high profile careers in sports, the financial sector and

defence.

Only five careers (engineering, medicine, physical

sciences, life sciences, architecture) account for nearly

41% of the sample and another 30 occupations account

for not even 5% of the responses. “Most students

are probably not even aware of the different career

opportunities available to them,’’ says Sudha Bhogle.

There were notable stereotypical gender differences in

career choice.

Boys ranked engineering number 1. What was interesting

was that they ranked sports and physical sciences

2nd and 3rd. They did not choose any career via the

humanities (arts) within the first 10 ranks. Another

interesting find was that more boys chose the pure

sciences (5.9%), even over IT (5.5%). Medicine stood ninth

at 3.3%.

For girls, engineering came first, followed by medicine,

architecture, life sciences and physical sciences — the

first five going to science streams. But the next five were

designing, journalism, dance, CA and law. So girls opted

for careers across the spectrum.

PREMISE

11


12


College Goers choose the WRONG STREAM!

Among the 1,211 college students (+2) in the survey, 7%

revealed they had not decided on any career.

But what an eye-opener was the fact that 20.23% across

science, arts and commerce opted for careers they could

not pursue as they were in the wrong stream. In fact the

maximum number of students who had made wrong career

decisions were from commerce (39%). So, approximately

27% or a quarter of the entire sample, had chosen the wrong

specialization.

A popular career choice for arts students was communicative

art, followed by counselling & psychology; 30% of commerce

students wanted to become chartered accountants. For

science students, interestingly, software/IT was not one

of the preferred career choices, though engineering and

medicine continued to top. Sports, music and law were

popular choices.

A gender-wise analysis showed that 25% of boys in arts

chose law, followed by journalism. For girls, it was journalism

followed by counselling.

Further, girls chose 5 out of 10 careers dealing with

nurturance and creativity and those stereotypical considered

feminine- counselling, music, psychology, design, HRD.

For boys in the science stream, engineering is the most

popular choice. The second (around 7%) is commercial

pilot, while defence services come 4th. medicine come 5th.

For girls from science, medicine is the most popular (38%),

followed by engineering (34%).

For boys from commerce, CA is the preferred career. The

next two are sports and the defence services, both remotely

connected to commerce. Times of India | Geetha Rao | TNN |

June 22nd

PREMISE

13


‘Great things are done when men and mountains meet;

This is not done by jostling in the street.’

William Blake

14


Background

As I look back and wonder how I came to choose Design as

my career option, I remember a Career Fair my school had

organized for our high school batch. The room was filled with

an array of at least 50 professions to choose from and we

were baffled.

Each child was tested on their aptitude and interests by a

professional career counsellor and was presented with a

possible course of action. Our parents envied the choices

we had, claiming that when they were our age only 3 options

were presented to them- Engineering, Medicine and Arts.

Our school catered to the middle & higher classes of society

and had the necessary resources to expose us to these

professions and help steer us in the right direction.

In May, 2010, 8 suicides were reported in Karnataka due to

students failing in their SSLC and PUC examinations. And

I thought to myself, did their schools have the resources to

provide a counsellor? Would they have changed their mind

if they had known about their aptitude for a certain subject?

Did they think they only had the same three career choices

that our parents had? Do Government schools offer career

services to their students?

PROPOSAL | BACKGROUND

15

diploma project proposalDIPLOMA PROJECT PROPOSAL

BRIEF 16

NEED 17

RESEARCH QUESTIONS 18

APPROACH/ PROCESS 19

PRODUCT 20

16


To expose, educate and involve children from low-income groups to a diverse database of opportunities available to them

by recognizing their interests,perceiving analogies and relations between them

& introducing them to new concepts in a way that is both creative and interactive.

Deconstructing the term ‘Career’ from the viewpoint of ‘Interests’.

PROPOSAL | BRIEF

17

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSPROPOSAL | NEED

Need

To empower every child with the knowledge of the variety of professions available to him/her, apart from Engineering, Medicine & Arts.

To engage children in finding out information for themselves.

To urge school programs to take children’s futures seriously.

To involve parents in helping see through their children’s aspirations.

To address the important values in every profession.

To give the right to every child to dream big for themselves and realize that nothing is impossible.

To dismiss notable stereotypical gender differences in life choices.

To convey to children that life is organic in nature.

To intrigue children.

Target Audience

Children from low economic backgrounds whose families

generate an income of Rs. 2000 or less per month. Children who

attend school run by either an NGO or by the Government.

Ages: 12 to 14 years

18


Research Questions

1. Employment vs. Livelihood

2. What are the range of opportunities available today? How

can design help in exposing these professions?

3. What are the opportunities available for children who

come from low socio-economic backgrounds? How can

the knowledge of these opportunities help in children’s

aspirations?

4. How can the range of professions be introduced in a fun and

interactive way? What role can the school play in making this

happen?

5. How can an interest in a subject lead to a career choice

especially for these children? How can one go beyond the

word ‘Career’?

6. How can design help children differentiate between noble

professions?

7. How can children help in improving their family’s capability

of living a better life? What role do parents play in imparting

values from their own professions?

8. How can technology help in familiarizing children to

various professions? How can children gain access to this

technology?

9. How can children be empowered to dream big for

themselves?

10. How can society help in providing children with a platform

where their aspirations can be met? How important is

practicality?

11. How can design eradicate gender differences in career

options?

12. How can children be enthralled with the knowledge &

integration of interests?

13. How can schools help see to a child’s interests without it’s

curriculum deterring it?

PROPOSAL | RESEARCH QUESTIONS

19


Approach/Process

Understanding the context & creating a sound hypothesis

New Economic Foundation, Appreciative Enquiry, Participative

Design, Roger Hart, Paulo Freire, Robert Chambers, IDEO Think

Pad cards.

Creating the database

• Researching unique professions and already existing career

options.

• Sources from Newspaper articles & clips, Education Times,

Online Job Portals- naukri.com, monster. com, etc.

• Career Digest

• Career Counselling Programs in schools

• Online research

• Speak with people from various backgrounds

• Questionnaires to assess the professions children already

know

• National and International examples

PROPOSAL | APPROACH/ PROCESS

Role of Psychology

Research the role of psychology in career counselling through,

• Interviews with Psychologist, Books, Internet

Designing a Career Module:

I will be playing an active role with the help of teachers in

designing an interactive module. I will be working with children

from low-income groups, involving them in the design process

through,

• Workshops- Role-playing, Story-telling, Activities, 3 days a

week for 2 months

• Individual and Group interviews with children

• Research exercises in the library & Internet

• Aptitude tests

• ‘Career Friday’- One speaker per week to talk about their

profession

• Involving parents to speak about their professions

• Introducing them to national and international people in

unique professions disregarding gender

• Audio & Visual Documentation

20


Product

I hope to come out with a product during the process in the form

of an online portal for children and students, or/and in the form

of print material. Apart from that, I will be documenting the entire

process in a visual format.

Resources

• Newspapers, Books, Internet, Articles Interviews with

professionals

• Working with NGOs like Parikrma & Government schools

Interviews,

• Discussions with people- Ms. Shukla Bose (Founder - CEO,

Parikrma Humanity Foundation) Ms. Kanchan Banerjee

(Akshara Foundation, Managing Trustee) Geetha Narayanan

(Teacher, Educational Entrepreneur, Research Scholar, New

Media Art Curator)

• Psychologists, Career Counsellors, Teachers, Volunteers

Learning Outcomes

• Understanding the context of the problem.

• Educating and discovering creativity for myself and

understanding its value.

• Designing & carefully structuring a module in general and also

when dealing with children.

• Learning to facilitate and interact with parents & children.

• Sensitizing myself to terms and the various problems faced

by the target audience.

• Learning to work with the resources available to me.

• Discovering how to engage children therefore motivating them

to learn.

• Understanding the role of a designer in the area of education

& development.

• The process of effective documentation.

PROPOSAL | PRODUCT

21

‘Design without impact is not design. It is just stuff.’Cameron Sinclair

22


Dialogue

Looking back, the people I shared my ideas with ultimately

steered me towards my goal. Some inspired me, while others

challenged my rationale.

They got me thinking beyond just the word. They opened

my eyes to the truth. Aroused questions about our Indian

Education System. I would sincerely like to thank each and

everyone of them individually.

Gabriel Harp Research Associate at Centre for the Study of

Science, Technology, and Policy, Faculty Artist-in-Residence at

the Centre for Experimental Media Arts, Srishti School of Art,

Design, and Technology

Ms. Shukla Bose Founder & CEO of Parikrma Humanity

Foundation

Kanchan Bannerjee Managing Trustee of Akshara Foundation.

She is a sociologist and is trained in communications and

teaching children with learning disabilities. She has been

associated with the planning and execution of several of Akshara

Foundation’s programmes since 2000.

Geetha Narayanan Founder-Director at Srishti School of Art

Design and Technology and Mallya Aditi International School in

Bangalore, India. A Teacher, Educational Entrepreneur, Research

Scholar & New Media Art Curator.

Geetanjali Sachdev A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University

with a degree in Graphic Communication Management, and

is currently pursuing an MA in Education from Oxford Brookes

University, UK. She is Faculty at Srishti College of Art, Design &

Technology and Dean of Centre of Education, Research, Training

& Development

Vinay Goel Country Head of Products for Google India. In this

role, he is responsible for Google’s product strategy and delivery

functions in India. Over the past year, he has successfully grown

Google’s India business across all product categories including

Search, Social Networking and Mobile.

RESEARCH | DIALOGUE

23

researchRESEARCH

DIALOGUE 24

MAPS 27

READINGS 106

TED 30

24


Dialogue with Gabriel Harp

1/ I want to know more about you on it. Who is doing this? Why and what are the expected

results? I personally think it’s worth treating this as a profession space to gain credibility. Reason

is, you never know who is watching. For example, I was just having a discussion about your

project with a key executive for workforce planning in the State of Michigan – which as you may or

may not know is seriously economically challenged. They are asking some of the same questions

you are and may be looking at your blog right now. Plus, what you are doing IS, no matter how

you look at it, valuable. So it makes sense to set it up as professionally as possible. It’s not the

piece of paper that matters. Because if you do it well, you’ve set yourself up very strategically to

be able to offer a very critical service, for students and employers.

2/ Also, what hooks can you add to know you’ve accomplished your brief? Your brief describes

the project, but it doesn’t mention any evaluative components. This is another way of saying,

“What will they be able to do at the end of the day as a result of this?” This might mean compiling

exercises that students go through–such as evaluating all of the jobs that their diploma makes

them eligible for. Or, more creatively, can they create new job descriptions that align more

closely with their interests, from ones that already exist? These become tangible outputs that

demonstrate the process and the product of your activities.

3/ Last I would say to include discussions with employers. They should be more than willing to

share their goals for workforce development and talent planning. There should be reams of data

available on this. And one really beneficial thing you could do as a designer is make this more

accessible, i.e. to show how aspirations will match up with what people expect to happen in the

future employment market.

RESEARCH | DIALOGUE

25


Dialogue with Ms. Shukla Bose

I approached the Founder & CEO of Parikrma Humanity

Foundation, Ms. Shukla Bose, to share with her my intentions to

expose children, initially to the diverse database of career options

now available to them. A dialogue that helped adapt my proposal

to what it is today.

1/ Children here at Parikrma are exposed to things much earlier

in age, unlike government schools. Many corporates come down

from various countries and backgrounds and inevitably share

these with the children.

2/ The word ‘career’ in itself is very limiting. The idea is to create

interest- that spark which encourages them wanting to learn

more! How do we take their interests forward to the next step?

How can we help see to a child’s interests without the school

curriculum deterring it? How can one go beyond the word

‘career’?

3/ Provide them with the width of options! That way it will be fun

& more creative. Explore the combining of interests, such as Art

collaborated with Science, etc. Expose them to things they would

have never imagined.

Dialogue with Ms. Kanchan Banerjee

1/ Parikrma is deemed as a special school. Their methods

of teaching differ from Government schools. Also the level of

learning is much higher. Government schools rarely tap into

options like Art. They might not even know they have an interest

in that subject.

It might be better to work with children from Grade 9 and 10 (15-

16) as well as Grade 11 & 12. Children from Grade 6 might not be

able to grasp/ see the importance of it.

2/ The structure of questions for the children is important. Find

out the subjects they have an aptitude for. Consult a Career

Counsellor. Find the gap and tap into it.

3/ Tap into technology- Internet, touch screen. Find various

sources about different careers from- Newspaper, Career 360,

Career Digest, naukri.com, monster.com, etc.

4/ You have to bear in mind that these children might not have

the courage to put their foot down about their future. Engaging

the parents to help children in their daily routine makes a

difference.

5/ One route of enquiry could be- Aptitude test > Interests >

Qualifications needed for the job > Institutions that provide the

job > Cycle of Career Counselling.

RESEARCH | DIALOGUE

26


Dialogue with Mrs. Geetha Narayanan

1/ Exposing the children is well & good but what do want to

prove?

Are you showing them these creative concepts and ideas to lead

them to believe, to keep dreaming?

2/ Their livelihoods are important to them, their families, their life-

How will your outcome help with that? How will they be able to

access this?

3/ Children at Parikrma are fortunate to be provided free

education. Will the opportunities you expose them to be free as

well?

4/ How can you be considered an equal? How are you

appropriating 4 years of Visual Communication & Design Learning

into your project?

5/ You need to understand their context better. You need to

understand Poverty.

Resources:

Roger Hart, Paulo Freire, Participative Design, New Economic

Foundation,

Appreciative Enquiry, Robert Chambers’ article on Employment

vs. Livelihoods.

Dialogue with Geetanjali Sachdev

Before you think about the form of your product, you must

find out the children’s source of knowledge. Maybe they look

for information over the Internet, or they ask an authority like a

teacher or a parent.

Facilitate the process through art based pedagogy/ methodology.

Find a line of enquiry. Immerse them in an experience.

Have them come up with ideas by combing their interests and

aspirations. Use an example like a fireman who jumps and does

acrobatics or an IAS officer who paints and dances.

Research the term Epistemology- theory of knowledge.

Thereafter, find the hook!

Dialogue with Mr. Vinay Goel

1/ A customized Google Search Engine for children.

The language on most sites dealing with information is not suited

for all ages. Place the information into various categories- Primary

Education, Secondary Education, etc.

2/ Create a weave of leads.

For example, If you type the word ‘cloth’ in the search bar, it

provides routes that lead to types of textile > Textile programs in

various colleges > How to start your own textile company. (Based

on the ‘tags’ system)

RESEARCH | DIALOGUE

27

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSRESEARCH | MAPS

Map of My ‘Interests Pool’

After my discussion with Ms. Shukla Bose, I mapped my own

interests, combining them with two or more and came up with

unique career opportunities.

28


29


‘Enthrall’ Map

What does it take to enthrall a child? This map illustrates the semantics of the word ‘Enthrall’ and the

big ideas related to them.

30


TEDTALKS

Inspirational talks by some of the most reputed personalities of

Cultural Education.

SIRKENROBINSON

“SCHOOLS KILL CREATIVITY.” JUNE 2006

“BRING ON THE LEARNING REVOLUTION” MAY 2010

CHARLESLEADBEATER

“EDUCATION INNOVATION IN THE SLUMS” JUNE 2010

KIRANBIRSETHI

“TEACHES KIDS TO TAKE CHARGE” JANUARY 2010

JANINEBENYUS

“BIOMIMICRY IN ACTION” AUGUST 2009

JOSHUAKLEIN

“ON THE INTELLIGENCE OF CROWS” MAY 2008

PAULSERENO

“DIGS UP DINOSAURS” JANUARY 2009

RESEARCH | TED

31

‘How many “faces” lie hidden, waiting for the time when curious eyes will

find them in their secret places. In the heart of a leaf or the bark of a tree.

In a frozen pond or the turning sea. In the twist of a chair or the look of

a key or the shrivelled skin of an elephant’s knee.’

Irwin Dermer

32


Dialogue with Ambika Parchure Head-Cocurriculum at Parikrma

Humanity Foundation

1/ We want to give them the maximum amount of exposure,

whether 8th or 9th grade. We want to identify their interests.

Once we have identified it, then we can channelize & find

sponsors.

2/ Here at Parikrma, exposure in terms of field trips & a

defined curriculum exists. We have introduced skills- painting

watercolours, making paper products, toy-making, solid

geometry. In terms of various options available through story-

telling, puppet-making, musical instruments, animation. This

will in turn help them to map- in the sense visual, spacial,

problem solving.

3/ Research Multiple Intelligences. Integrating all the senses

is key.

4/ Children learn subjectively- through visual, or tactile,

or kinesthetic, or auditory. This will help them be more

focussed.

My Note

I have always had a keen interest in children and designing for

them. And once being a child myself, wanted to know more about

a lot of things but didn’t know who to ask. I wanted to participate

in the field of Design, clueless of what Design really meant. And

this seems to be the case with the children I’m working with here,

at Parikrma in Bangalore.

Parikrma Humanity Foundation is a nonprofit organization

that aims at transforming education for the undeserved children

in urban India. They work towards providing equal access to the

best opportunities by managing every child’s education cycle right

from kindergarten to college.

They serve 28 communities with an average household income of

Rs. 1500-2000 per month. English is introduced at an early age

and is regarded as the means for communication.

Initially I was planning to work with children between the ages of

15-18 yrs but the level of learning of the children here at Parikrma

is so high that the Founder & CEO of Parikrma, Ms. Shukla Bose

advised me to work with a younger age group (12-14 yrs).

I now work with 13 eager children (boys & girls) from Grade 7,

between the ages of 12-13 yrs, hosting workshops 3 times a

week for 2 months. I aim to inspire them, make them more aware

to new & unique opportunities thereby empowering them to make

informed decisions for their future.

I want them to be ‘enthralled’.

WORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA

33

workshop at parikrmWORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA

INTRODUCTORY SESSION 34

FIRST SESSION 36

FIRST REVIEW DISCUSSION 41

THIRD SESSION 42

FOURTH SESSION 43

ART BASED PEDAGOGY- SOULCOLLAGE 45

FIFTH SESSION 46

EIGHTH SESSION 48

SECOND REVIEW DISCUSSION 51

SELF INTERPRETATION 52

EXPOSURE SESSIONS 53

TENTH SESSION 57

TWELFTH SESSION 59

FINAL SESSION 60

CONSOLIDATION OF RESEARCH 61

THIRD REVIEW DISCUSSION 62

34


WORKSHOP

WITH PARIKRMA-

INTRODUCTORY SESSION |

2nd July, 2010

This was my first session with the 13 kids at Parikrma from

Grade 7. These were children who were staying in and around

the neighbourhood. They usually stayed back in school willingly

to finish their assignments or play games. I take sessions thrice a

week for 2 months.

I introduced myself & showed them the presentation on my

laptop. They crowded around me hoping to catch a glimpse.

I showed them the bag and asked them, “What do you see?”

Evidently all of them screamed, “A bag!” in unison. I told them to

look beyond it just being a bag. And rightfully one boy said they

could see a face & shapes. I explained to them that that was

what I was there for, to find those many ‘faces’ (interests) lay

hidden in each of them.

“Has anyone eaten a Pizza?” They all screamed that they had in

class one time. I told them that we were going to me making a

pizza with each of them, we were going to grind and combine

things and ‘Do the Mixie’.

After the presentation, I asked each of them what they wanted

to be when they grew up. Most of them wanted to join the

Indian Administration Service, some wanted to be Doctors & Air

hostesses. A few still hadn’t made up their minds. I then asked

them to take that and put it in a hiding place locked up in their

mind, and come to their first class with an open mind. They all

agreed, promising them the most important thing was to have fun.

WORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | INTRODUCTORY SESSION

35

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSWORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | INTRODUCTORY SESSION

36


WORKSHOP WITH

PARIKRMA- FIRST SESSION

‘INTEREST PIZZA’ | 7th July,

2010

To begin, I gave them each a sheet of paper and asked them to

write their name, age, where they lived and what they wanted to

be when they grow up. I then collected it & put it away.

I was reading The Art of Looking Sideways by Alan Fletcher,

and many ideas came to mind. When I came across the pizza

in the ‘Improvisation’ section, this most certainly gave me an

idea. I gave them circular sheets of ivory and told them that they

were going to make a pizza, of their interests. I provided them

with paper toppings- cheese, basil & tomato, and they had a

little trouble coming up with interests, so I posed questions like-

Who likes making rangoli? Who likes football? They did confuse

interests with what they ‘like’- Ketchup, John Cena (wrestler),

Jumping. Some children were placed in groups of 2 and shared

the space on the circular sheet. Each child’s pizza was placed in

a orderly arrangement. There weren’t enough toppings to fill the

sheet and I had only an hour each session, but I was happy it

worked out so well.

I still have to get their permission to put pictures of the children,

so for now I’m showing you Class Saturn (7th grade) Interest

Pizzas in my next post.

WORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | F IRST SESSION

37


WORKSHOP WITH



2010


39

The toppings for

the Interest pizza

as well as the

visual motif.

40


WORKSHOP WITH



2010

‘Interest Pizzas’ of Class

Saturn, 7th Grade


41

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSWORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | F IRST REVIEW DISCUSSION

First Review Discussion

Geetanjali Sachdev, Kalpana, Mr. Morlidhar (Srishti School of Art,

Design & Technology)

It is necessary for you to understand what their aspirations are.

They might already think they can do Art, Cooking etc- their

realization that they can’t do it and do only Science, Engineering,

etc. might come much later at the age of 16. Are you considering

an older age group?

The proposal needs to be clear of your role- Make them more

aware- for them to be empowered to finally say “I don’t want to

do only Science.” The rest are just the layers.

Include them in the process. Become their equal. How? You

could give them the camera to shoot, or take pictures, ask them

to upload something on the blog, etc.

Find patterns & put them in categories- what excites them and

engages them.

The end product could be an online curriculum that schools can

take forward without you.

Think about Access if you are thinking online.

The fact that you are there, is enthralling enough for these

children. You think these various ideas/concepts enthrall them,

but have you asked them their point of view? Knowing this might

give you some clarity.

For them their aspirations are their means to livelihood. Telling

them to forget about it and to look out for these new ideas/

concepts is all well and good but to them it might not make a

difference. How will you counter that?

You need to understand their priorities- Employment vs.

Livelihood.

42


WORKSHOP WITH

PARIKRMA- THIRD SESSION

‘AM I ENTHRALLED?

ENTHRALL ME’ |

14th July, 2010

This was my third session with them, and after my first review I

had realized that Kalpana had a point- I was really showing them

things that ‘I’ thought would enthrall them. I was ignorant to the

fact that they also had a say. So I explained to them that each

time I showed them something, they should ask themselves if

they were ’enthralled’. I explained its meaning & that I wanted to

get to know them better- what enthralled or excited them?

By now I had remembered all their names and they would be

extremely pleased whenever I answered their “What’s my name?”

correctly.

My next plan of action (POA) was to allow each of them to use

the camera and record as I interviewed their friend, something

that Geetu had suggested from the review.

WORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | THIRD SESSION

43


WORKSHOP WITH

PARIKRMA- FOURTH

SESSION ‘I AM

ENTHRALLED BY..’ |

16th July, 2010

BRAIN OVERLOAD

Each of them were really excited to work with the camera. Some

of them gave advice on where we should sit and what sort of

background we should sit against. I helped each of them figure

out how to start & stop recording and sat with their ‘Interest

Pizzas’.

I asked them about their families and what they do for a living;

I asked them if they remembered the last time they were really

excited about something, and they all seemed very humble-

Seeing a waterfall on a picnic, being surprised with a new shirt

on one’s birthday; I also asked them what they really wanted to

know more about. Some said Science, one boy said he wanted

to know about all the dogs in the world.

I’m trying to get Parikrma’s permission to use the children’s

videos and pictures. Will update that as soon as they agree.

There were a million things on my mind. On the one hand, there

were the children’s aspirations, their interests and what they

wanted me to tell them more about; and on the other I had so

many ideas and opportunities I was coming across that I didn’t

know how and where to begin.

So I doodled. Didn’t help but typography always makes me feel

better.

WORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | FOURTH SESSION

44


45


Art Based Pedagogy-

SoulCollage

Geetu had suggested I research Art Based Pedagogy &

Methodology so I could facilitate the process. I looked into it.

Pedagogy refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of

instruction. For example, Paulo Freire referred to his method of

teaching as Critical Pedagogy. In correlation to the instruction

strategies the instructor’s own beliefs on instruction are

harboured by the student’s knowledge and experience, situation

and environment as well as learning goals set by the student and

the teacher. (Wikipedia)

Art Based Pedagogy is instruction through art-based

methodology like dance, theatre, painting, singing, story-telling,

etc. Last year I was in a Toy Lab meaning to create creative &

better play experiences for children. We attended a conference

held by IIT Mumbai called Designing for Children, with focus

on Play and Learn. There was this one project by a woman

called Adele Bass, Art Centre College of Design, USA, who had

WORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | ART BASED PEDAGOGY- SOULCOLLAGE

explored with a process called SoulCollage to encourage right-

brain thinking in children.

SoulCollage, a method developed by Seena B. Frost, involves

creating a deck of cards using collaged images- “Collage of our

souls.” The images are constrained to an 8”x5” card, creating a

self-imposed size and shape limitation. The cards are arranged

in four suites creating an organization for the primary purpose of

self-exploration and self-acceptance. Assemblage allows even

the youngest children to create interesting and exciting images

allow a new range of expression, regardless of artistic talent. One

very important aspect of this process is the child himself/herself

interprets their own collage therefore allowing them to understand

aspects of oneself through the “I am one who..” exercise. The Cut

& Paste technique is also a successful participative design tool.

Each card represents a significant part of your life:

• A part of your inner self

• A person who supports you or loves you

• An animal that has a special power/ energy to give you

• A mythical figure which guides you

Process art became a pathway to creativity. I decided to try this

technique with the kids.

46


WORKSHOP WITH

PARIKRMA- FIFTH SESSION

‘SoulCollage TECHNIQUE’ |

21st July, 2010

I thought Seena Frost’s method of SoulCollage would be a great

way to get to know them better. I hadn’t given them an activity

since the ‘Interest Pizza’ so I decided to indulge them in this

technique. I gave them 5”/8” sized blank cards and magazines.

I asked them to collect pictures that they liked and asked them

to stick it on the blank pieces of card I had given them. There

weren’t enough scissors and glue so it took quite a while. This

exercise brought out many characteristics of every child. One of

the girls, Krupa, wanted to paste pictures of only girls and ‘nice’

ones. The boys’ collages looked very masculine, filled with sports

WORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | F IFTH SESSION

47


WORKSHOP WITH

PARIKRMA- FIFTH SESSION

‘SoulCollage TECHNIQUE’ |

21st July, 2010

WORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | F IFTH SESSION

cars and body-builders. It was a fun activity. The children created

14 collages, 6 of which I am posting here and the rest in my next

post.

After the session, one of the girls, Meghashree, came up to me

and asked me that she was very curious about how snakes

laid eggs. She had asked her Science teacher about it and

the teacher said that she would try and find out if possible. It

seems like I am beginning to be their closest & fastest source for

information.

48


WORKSHOP WITH

PARIKRMA- EIGHTH

SESSION ‘MIXING

ASPIRATIONS WITH

INTERESTS’ | 2nd AUGUST,

2010

Today I had planned to do another session of collage with the children, by letting them combine

what they wanted to be when they grew up (Aspirations) and their Interests on their ‘Interest Pizzas’

for e.g. An air hostess who sings. This idea was then communicated through collage. I wanted them

to put two & two together, creating alternate professions- bizarre, weird. I gave them a lot more

freedom this time, suggesting that they could stick pictures, draw, colour or write things.

Most of them didn’t understand the exercise. They kept coming to me asking me to explain it again.

I kept thinking to myself that maybe I had framed the sentence wrong. I maybe should have used

words like ‘connect’ ‘mix’, ‘add’ instead of ‘combine’- something they could relate to. The brief

for the exercise needs to be comprehended by all- something I need to keep in mind for my final

content.

So I went to each of them and explained how to combine their own interests with their aspirations.

Some stuck to the example I gave them and couldn’t think of anymore by themselves. As I asked

a few of them what they wanted to be when they grew up, some seemed to have changed their

professions from the last time I interviewed them. The boys seemed very disinterested and a few

went out to play or were busy finishing their homework. A handful seemed to have understood.

I wanted the children to interpret the collages themselves, made in the Fifth Session, following

the same process in my Fourth Session with them and their ‘Interest Pizzas’. I asked one child to

record while asking the other child more about his collage. Taking Kalpana’s suggestion to keep the

question unbiased, I stated the question to them as, “(Name) this is your card. Tell me about it… Tell

me more.” Some didn’t have much to say, whereas others explained every single detail until they

didn’t have anything more to add. I found it hard not to ask them why they chose this celebrity or

why they chose the colour pink, or why there weren’t any boys in their collage, etc. I didn’t know if

that was right and I expected them to tell me anyway.

WORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | EIGHTH SESSION

49

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSWORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | EIGHTH SESSION

50

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSWORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | EIGHTH SESSION

51

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSWORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | SECOND REVIEW DISCUSSION

Second Review Discussion



When asking a child to interpret anything, it is very important how

you ask a child the question. Even the slightest wince can be

understood by a child, which can be very disheartening. One’s

tone should be unbiased. Frame the question for example, “This

is your card. Tell me about it.. Tell me more..” This might be an

effective way to let the child express his/her collage verbally.

Find patterns within the art works and collages made by the

children.

Model a way of possibility where they themselves generate

a process which can then be handed down from once class to

another.

Find out what print-based games/play tools they interact with.

You could appropriate your content within that.

52


Self Interpretation in Collage

Process

Self interpretation plays a key role in the collage process. A

child may express something about her card that a facilitator

might overlook. This dialogue gives the facilitator insight into how

much a child knows about what he wants to be in life, the things

he doesn’t have, things he owns, etc.

Kavitha’s Interpretation | “I like my card. I have two girls. Film

actors. I have a lotus. I like my card because it has full pictures.

I have a picture of a doll. This is a dollar of money. This is the

centre of dollar. I have a doll as a dog. It is pink in colour. It has

many flowers. It is very beautiful. I have a lotus in red and pink

mixture. It looks nice. I like this girl because she is very nice. She

is like me.”

Gayatri’s Interpretation | “This is banana. I like to eat bananas. I

like to wear these clothes. This is the sauce, samosa sauce. I like

to wear earrings and this is the design of that. And this is a ring &

this is the pot. It is so nice. And juice bottle. I like to drink juices.

I like wearing rings. In my house I don’t have any pots. I like to

keep my house like this.”

WORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | SELF INTERPRETATION

53


WORKSHOP WITH PARIKRMA-

EXPOSURE SESSIONS

WORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | EXPOSURE SESSIONS

From their ‘Interest Pizzas’, a few were really interested in

acrobatics, sports as well as play. So I combined the three and

talked about Parkour- a free running sport started in France,

where one overcomes any obstacle within one’s path by adapting

one’s movements to the environment. I asked them to imagine

if the city, the buildings, parks and everything around them was

their playground- what would they do? I screened ‘Jump Britain’

for them to see for themselves. The boys and some girls were

really engrossed in the documentary, going back to the same

scene again & again analyzing the movements carefully. A few

even observed how some movements mimicked animals. A

handful were bored and distracted (it is easier screening anything

in batches). After the movie some of the boys tried it around the

room and it seems like I have a few traceur/traceuse (practitioner

of Parkour) in my class already.

My goal for showing them this was that a sport like this (or any

new idea) can be created by just combining one’s passions and

interests, much like Sebastien Foucan (Founder of Parkour & Free

Running) who started jumping and running with his friends off the

benches in France in his youth.

Parkour was a hit! One boy, Prathap, was talking about it nonstop

like this sport was his calling. Him and a few other boys wanted

to watch the movie again. I said another time. So just before

class commenced, they made me record while they tried some

tricks around the room again.

I then asked if any of them have ever copied from anyone/

anything before. Most of them said yes. I then asked them if

they thought copying was good? 3 out of 13 thought it was bad.

I explained the term Biomimicry to them showing them a few

examples. A great insight they gained was when they connected

how in Parkour (the movie about free running), one of the leaps

had copied cats. One girl, Asha, aspired to be an Engineer and

what better example than to show one of the very first engineers-

Nature. But she didn’t seem so interested. Some children are part

of the Nature Club so this really interested them.

These were the examples I showed them & as expected they had

numerous questions- What? Why? How?

I then showed them a talk by Janine Benyus at TED called

Biomimicry in Action. They kept enquiring which animal that

was, or what that name meant. Very inquisitive. In the end, I

asked them to keep in mind that if there was ever a problem, they

should ask themselves ‘what would nature do?’

55



EXPOSURE SESSIONS


From the collages the children made from the ‘Aspirations

+ Interests’ session, I picked two collages which showed a

Bharatnatyam dancer and below that the child had written “She

is fighting like a karate”, and another that said “They are dancing

like a monkey.”

So I chose to introduce them to Attakalari Centre for Movement

Arts and the 2 forms of dance combined with martial arts-

Kalarippayattu & Capoeira. When I mentioned Attakalari, all of

them had heard of it. A person had come once to show them

a few movements like Bharatnatyam and a few forms of martial

arts. I asked them what martial arts techniques they already

knew of. Some didn’t know what martial arts meant and after I

had explained it to them they started naming a few like Karate,

Tkiaondo, Jujitsu etc. I then asked them what dance forms they

were familiar with and they answered quite a few like hip hop,

Kathakali, etc.

I questioned “What do you get when you put dance and

martial arts together?” and after a few guesses, I introduced

them to Kalarippayattu & Capoeira.

I showed them 2 documentaries on each- ‘Indian Warrior’ (The

history and philosophy of Kalarippayuttu) & ‘Freedom Fighting- A

Capoeira Documentary’. They were interested in the first one,

especially the boys but the girls didn’t want to watch. One boy

noticed how similar it was to Parkour. By the time I showed them

the Capoeira documentary, I had only a handful of interested

viewers. But they were quite involved and one child said that

dance and fighting should be called ‘Daight’ .

One girl wanted to know how to apply to become an IAS officer

and I said I would find out and let her know. She also told me

that they were taking part in a quiz and the quiz master had

Bill Gates’ face on the screen and asked who knew who this

personality was. Her and another boy from my class took a wild

guess and answered “the man who started the library of human

imagination (Jay Walker- someone I had exposed them to in the

first class)” but they couldn’t recognize him, neither could they

recognize Vijay Mallya. She said they barely have anytime to find

out or know about these kind of things because of homework

and exams.

I did forget to mention however that Attakkalari provides

limited scholarships to talented and interested students from

underprivileged backgrounds.

It’s getting harder to become their facilitator AND their friend

56



EXPOSURE SESSIONS


In most of their collages the children have used pictures of nature

and animals. Some of them are part of Nature & Science Clubs

in school, so in this session I chose to talk about Veterinary

Sciences and other opportunities with understanding animals.

I posed a question- “How intelligent are animals as compared

to humans?” Most of them thought animals were much more

intelligent than humans. I then asked them if they thought we

could talk to animals? Most of them said it wasn’t possible. They

stated that animals can understand what we tell them but we

can’t understand their language, which was true and a great

insight. So I combined some of their interests and introduced

them to Veterinary Science.

I also told them that lots of people believe they can talk to

animals- an Animal Communicator or Animal Whisperer. I planned

to screen ‘Dr. Dolittle (1967)’ but they didn’t have the patience.

Another amazing field was Zoo Musicology- study the music

animals make and also affect their behaviour with music. I made

them listen to a sound-clip of a Humpback Whale and they were

amazed. At one point the resonance made the speakers move on

the table and they wanted to see that happen again. This excited

them even more. I asked them what they thought it was saying?

One said that he was crying for help, another said that it was

calling to its other friends.

I then made them listen to another sound clip of composers who

have mimicked the sounds of birds with instruments to produce a

certain emotion. One of them told me that when they go for Bird

watching, they are told to hear certain sounds to recognize the

various species. I then asked if they thought birds were smart,

especially crows. They said they were and I showed them a

TED talk by Joshua Klien who had researched the behaviour of

crows to prove that they were as smart as chimpanzees therefore

training them to benefit humans.

I also talked about Palaeontology one of their interests was

digging- and I showed them another TED talk by Paul Sereno and

finding the largest species of Crocodile. They were fascinated

at the thought of an animal so large that its lower jaw measured

more than 15 ft. One of the girls had watched it on the Discovery

Channel and one by one they mentioned something they had

seen at home on the Discovery Channel. I realized then that

some of them had television sets with cable. They were not as

unexposed as I thought they were.

I screened Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’ in the next class.

57


WORKSHOP WITH

PARIKRMA- TENTH

SESSION ‘MEETING

UPASANA AKKA’ | 6th

AUGUST, 2010

WORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | TENTH SESSION

I wanted to introduce them to a friend of mine who works in the Aviation sector as an Airhostess

for Kingfisher Airlines, Upasana Bijoor. Many of the girls wanted to become air hostesses when

they grew up and I wanted any questions they had answered. I sat with Upasana and made a

presentation that I would show to the kids. I showed them a picture of Vijay Mallya, asking them if

they knew who he was. They knew his name but didn’t know he which company he owned. I picked

2 collages which said that, “An Airhostess is a bird flying in the sky” and another that said, “An

Airhostess is a Nature Love.”

The girls were excited and so were some of the boys who wanted to become pilots. I explained

to Upasana that their goal to become Airhostesses was to help people/friends/passengers,

contradictory to the belief that the main reason one becomes an Airhostess, was to travel the world.

I wanted 3 questions to be asked. So I asked 3 children to ask her “When did she know she wanted

to become an Air hostess?”, “What does an Air hostess do?” & “What interests must one have to

become an Air hostess?” Even after answering these questions they wanted their own questions

answered. They wanted to know all the places she had travelled to, how many passengers did she

had to serve, how one becomes an Air hostess, etc.

Another point I wanted them to keep in mind was that as long as you are a 12th grade pass, anyone

can strive to become one. I didn’t want the boys to feel left out so I asked her to share with them

58

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSWORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | TENTH SESSION

various other unique facets of Aviation- Sky Marshall (a person trained in mortal combat, disguised

as a normal passenger, to come into action if and when there is a hijack of the plane) if one is

interested in martial arts and aviation, A ground staff agent (a person solely made to talk and interact

with passengers) if one is interested in talking and making conversation or even An instructor in

Aviation if one is interested in teaching, etc.

I had told her to be honest about how she came about becoming one. She told the kids that she

had always thought she wanted to work in Hotel Management, and when she finally did study for

it, she lost interest in it because it wasn’t what she expected. She then became an Air hostess and

now is highly interested in Make-up. I made an ‘Interest Pizza’ of her interests to show the kids.

Before class I asked her if anyone had ever managed to work as an air hostess and a pilot, and she

had said that that was a possibility. I then tried coming up with other job profiles by combining her

interests- A make-up artist for flight crew, an in-flight chef, an in-flight bartender, etc- most of these

do not exist but could certainly in the future. They wanted to know about the adventures she had

had, what happens if there was a crash, etc.

It was quite an eye opening experience for them.

59

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSWORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | TWELFTH SESSION

These children love sports and playing sports. Especially Football. So I had a friend of mine,

Vishvan Saran, a sport event management consultant come and talk to the enthusiastic lot. He and

his family own SPT Sports Consultants in Bangalore. They host events and also have a football

academy where they train children from rural villages who are truly interested in football.

I had mentioned him in the last class so the kids were definitely very excited. Some of the boys who

used to come late to class were bang on time. He really wanted to stress on the fact that whatever

their aspirations were, the various facets in Sports has no limits. For example, one of their interests

was writing, so he pointed out that one could be a sports journalist and write/evaluate games.

Another one of their interests was reading and he highlighted that one could become a sports

analyst who reads the performance of various athletes and tells them what’s wrong or right or how

they should move to perform better. He even gave an example of a Sports Engineer. Like the time

when they met Upasana akka, they had many questions. I had organized a sports quiz for them

to see if they knew any Indian sportsmen and women. But all they wanted to do was play. So we

decided to have a game of football.

Vishvan turned to me later and said that one boy, Chiranjeevi, seemed so enthusiastic that he felt

bad that the football coaching centre was so far away. I had asked him at what age children need to

start being coached, and he said the earlier the better. I kept telling Chiranjeevi to never give up on

his dream.

This was going to be my last session with them and I was dreading leaving them.

WORKSHOP WITH

PARIKRMA- TWELFTH

SESSION ‘MEETING

VISHVAN ANNA’ | 9th

AUGUST, 2010

60


WORKSHOP WITH

PARIKRMA- FINAL SESSION

‘BE WHAT YOU LOVE’ | 11th

AUGUST, 2010

This was my last session with the children. I wanted to know if

they had really understood what I was doing here. I asked them

which their favourite sessions were. Parkour was a big hit as well

as meeting Upasana Akka & Vishvan Anna.

I asked them what they had learnt and one by one they named

the things that I had showed them. One of them even mentioned

‘The Mixie’. Meghashree very lovingly said that they were highly

impressed with me. I was someone who showed them things that

THEY liked. She was definitely “enthralled!”

I told them to remember that they CAN be whatever they wanted.

If they loved it and were passionate about something they should

go ahead and do it. I told them not to be afraid to change their

minds. It was OK to want to be a Doctor and then change ones

mind because they didn’t like it. Anything was possible. And as I

had expected, the most important question came up- “But what if

we are poor akka?”

I told them that as long as they finished school, they could do

anything. At every session, they were obsessed with Shakira’s

song for the World Cup 2010- Waka Waka. It was like a energy-

boost for them. They wanted to see the video, and when I

showed it to them they would watch it numerous times over

again, screaming at the top of their lungs.

WORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | F INAL SESSION

61


Consolidation of Research

WORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | CONSOLIDATION OF RESEARCH

Several insights have been established after the twelve sessions

I conducted at Parikrma. I’ve learnt so much about each child

from the collages they made, from the SoulCollage technique as

well as mixing their Interests & Aspirations session. A few evident

patterns that I found were:

• Recurring themes of Masculinity, Speed & Sports amongst

the boys.

• Recurring themes of Femininity, Beauty, Pretty amongst the

girls.

• More Aware of the possibility of professions doing much

more than they are subjected to.

• Poverty is one factor that looms large over everything- “What

if we are poor?”

• Their families are their number one priority.

• They are exposed to an extent- They own television sets with

cable and also make a trip to the Cyber Cafe every once in

2-3 months.

Some were more deeply rooted. This could only be inferred from

the collages the children made.

• The recurring theme of Service- help others, teach children,

serve friends & family.

• They depict attributes of the celebrity or icon in themselves

or vice-versa- “I like this girl because she is very nice.

She is like me,” or “I like her because she is looking like

me.” Sometimes the attribute is the same as their interest-

Football, Bharatnatyam or Dance in general.

• They associate their likes to a particular object- “I love to

wear a ring,” or “I like to drink juices,” or “I like to wear these

clothes.”

• They visualize themselves in that particular scenario- “I

should win a cup in the match,” or “He is celebrating that I hit

the goal.”

• They include the absence of objects and their want for those

objects- “This is a picture of a pot. In my house I don’t

have any pots.” (The facilitator could maybe have a class in

Pottery)

• Eager to find out the process towards the goal- ‘how to get

there?’ or ‘how does one become this/that?’

• Bollywood celebrities and models. International football

players, Indian cricketers.

• The Visualization must be followed by a Verbal dialogue and

should be repeated.

Recurring themes that dominated most of the collages,

I AM him/her

I CAN do this

I DON’T HAVE this

I HAVE this

I LIKE this/that

62

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSWORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | THIRD REVIEW DISCUSSION

Third Review Discussion



Give vision to the children’s desires. Don’t let it be at the level of

the word. Once you take it beyond the form you can take it within

a context. The ‘fantastical’. Look up Design Synectics.

Start reflecting on your research from the point of view as a

designer. How does this apply to you as a designer? How will

this information be of value to you now? Combine the individual

references to become a part of the larger data you present.

Think of implications of your practice- if you were to redo this,

what would you do differently? What fascinated you? Consolidate

and take it further. Present your research and your implications

for practice. Break some boundaries. Do what you feel like doing.

Decide on an audience. It can’t be for both teachers and

children. A teacher has a fundamentally different need from this

information. If it is for a child, it could act as a story or a thought

provoking anecdote. But it would be of value to teachers because

of the process you followed.

Make a list in terms of deliverables. In your progressive

statement, state the possibilities of opportunities to take it further

and another form has to come out of it.

Read up on the Four Dimensions of Experience. Understand the

difference between Context, the container, within which you pour

Content. Readings: John Dewey’s Theory of Experience- Learning

as an Aesthetic Experience.

You learning has been highlighted from your presentation. You

have been enthralled - Do you think you have achieved your goal

to enthrall the children? There needs to be some qualitative,

quantitative evidence of some sort. The process has been an

educational journey for you but your vision is about them. Video

documentation might bring that up.

Create a dialogue by asking them to tell a story. Take it off the

child. Move it out of their framework- no limitations- out of their

economic context. You need to take it off the teacher as well.

Next step- Structure your content. You were the instrument

for this and now the teacher becomes the instrument. This is

valuable market research on how children think. Don’t get worried

about the form now. Decide what the content is. Usability is key if

that is your main objective. Keep your form simple. Teachers will

engage with content.

Prototyping your tool with teachers. You have to now become

the observer. Abandon all control if you really want to know if it

works. Even if she doesn’t like it, that is an invitation that you

need to rework something in your tool and then build upon it.

Find 2 or more teachers who will use it- the more you see how

your tool works, the more you will understand. Make it a genuine

exploration.

63

‘I’m not what has happened to me:

I am what I choose to become.’

Carl Jung

64


The Four Dimension of

Experience (Based on an

article ‘4 Dimension of

Experience’ by Scott Gould)

Experience is more readily defined in terms of old and new when we consider it in everyday

life- active or passive, transitional or situational. Essentially we are talking about Familiarity.

Below is the theory of the four dimensions of experience, expounded the idea of familiarity in

experience.

The context is the container within which the content is placed, e.g. A cinema hall and the

action of going to the cinema is context. The choice of the movie is the content. Both content

and context can either be old or new in terms of familiarity.

CONTEXT & CONTENT IS NEW, this leads to unfamiliarity causing Exposure. The hallmark of

exposure is ‘firsts’.

CONTEXT IS OLD & CONTENT IS NEW, back to our movie analogy- the act of going to the

cinema is old but the film that is being watched is new. When the environment is controlled or

familiar, the experience is an Experiment.

CONTEXT IS NEW & CONTENT IS OLD, the content of the film is expressed through a play or

a musical. The framework remains the same but the Expression is different.

Finally, CONTEXT & CONTENT IS OLD is the valid experience of Extension. Extending that

experience by ‘re-experiencing’ or ‘re-visiting’ nostalgia.

A concert is a perfect example of a performer employing the four dimensions:

Expression. The recent hit will be performed but in a new tempo or with new instruments.

Experiment. A new song is performed that the crowd is not familiar with but the experience

of hearing a totally new song is very memorable.

Extension. Of course, a famous number will be sung exactly as it is remembered as the

audience partake in mass-karaoke.

Exposure. Whist many of the audience will have attended a concert before, there will be

those who are attending their very first. This will have a special place in their hearts and the

performer now gains a life-long fan.

THE PROTOTYPE | FOUR DIMENSION OF EXPERIENCE

65

the prototypeTHE PROTOTYPE

FINAL REVIEW DISCUSSION 81

FINAL PROTOTYPE 82

PACKAGING 89

USER TESTING 92

THINKING OUT LOUD 66

INSPIRATION POOL- CARD DECK 68

I’CAN FIRST DRAFT 70

FOURTH REVIEW DISCUSSION 74

I’CAN SECOND DRAFT 75

NAME & LOGO EXPLORATION 76

FIFTH REVIEW SESSION 78

I’CAN THIRD DRAFT 79

66


Thinking Out Loud (TOL)-

STRUCTURE

THE PROTOTYPE | THINKING OUT LOUD

With the ‘research’ stage complete, I now have to start thinking

about the ‘structure’ of my tool- What model is it based on? What

is the content like? Who is it for? Are there activities? What are

they? What are the elements within the tool-kit?

Here are a few ideas of what the structure should look like and

why it need be so.

The Pizza of Interests | Why pizza? All children love it. We all

relate to it no matter what age. The idea of customizing a pizza

to one’s liking is fun. This can be done by giving one a choice of

toppings- provide these in the tool kit with proper measurements

so anyone can cut these out. A great idea would be providing

stencils for each topping. A child’s interests are much like the

toppings on a pizza, making them quite distinct from one another.

This is an important aspect of the activity.

Situational Triggers | These triggers set off new questions, a new

environment, people, etc. therefore leading to new ideas.

The SoulCollage Technique | An adaption of the SoulCollage

technique could bring about a variety of insights.

Participation | Some interactions are done in groups. A child

could be entrusted with a camera to record another child’s

rendition. They could also interpret someone else’s collage to

bring light to what they see.

Self Interpretation | A child may express something himself/

herself that could be overlooked. This plays a key role in the

process. This could bring forth valuable insights into how much a

child knows. This should be done after every collage session.

Hybridization | The idea of fusing two or more elements together

to form something new is key to play with the imagination.

The Four Dimensions of Experience | The structure can be

modelled on The Four Dimensions of Experience-

Context & Content- new:new, new:old, old:new, old:old.

The experience of Extension (Context & Content is old)

What do you think your aspiration does for a living? A child’s

understanding of what that profession does could be re-visited

through facet of extension. This might be based on previous

knowledge given by a family member practicing that profession or

observations gained form the public media. This perception can

then be added to, or rectified by a facilitator.

The experience of Expression (Context is new, Content is

old) Keeping the ‘Aspiration’ element constant (content), one

keeps adding ‘Interests’ (context) by fusing them together

(hybridization). They imagine new contexts. This could be

triggered through questions- What his the name of your

character? What does he/she do? How is his/her life? What

objects is he/she identified with? Who are the people he/she

interacts with? The process of thinking to communicating it

through images- collage- to interpreting it with words also acts as

a transfer through several contexts.

Another idea that came up was if the child tears all images into

halves and sticks any two together- a new being is created,

a new profession to weave a story around. This falls under

experimentation as well.

67

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSTHE PROTOTYPE | THINKING OUT LOUD

The experience of Exposure (Context & Content is new)

This attempts to open a child’s mind to the numerous possibilities

by making a child aware of the various facets of that profession

shown through pictures, movies, documentaries, etc. From the

collages made, the facilitator finds patterns within each collage

and brings these imaginative futures down to earth, making

them aware of the existence of that profession. This should be

done subsequent to every collage session after consolidating the

interpretations.

The experience of Experimentation (Context is old, Content is

new)

Interpreting someone else’s collage could be interesting. What

does he/she see in my collage? New content in created by

someone else.

68


Inspiration Pool | Card Deck While working on the content for the tool, I was scouting for

some ideas for the form. I wanted to design a pack of instruction

cards that was simple to use and quick to read from. A few ideas

came to mind.

A Suite System much like the playing card decks- hearts, clubs,

spades, diamonds. In this context, each suite will be one activity.

In Tarot Cards, the headings for each card defines the role the

person is in life- The Fool, The Magician, The High priestess, etc.

Each card will have a similar heading that defines the role of a

facilitator, therefore ‘taking it off the him/her’. I thought this would

be a creative way to remove the teacher from their practical shell.

Adding the collages the children made from the workshops at

Parikrma, as examples for each activity. This would illustrate how

the method was applied in a real life scenario.

Testing the tool is essential for reflection. The collages done at

this stage would then be used as examples for the final tool.

“VETO is a trivia game designed to be easily brought on journeys.

Its strong tin can design, laminated playing cards and fairly small

dimensions (150 x 100 x 35mm) makes it ideal for travelling and

backpacking through different climates.” (From lovelypackage.

com)

THE PROTOTYPE | INSPIRATION- CARD DECK

69


IDEO Method Cards show 51 of the methods we use to inspire

great design and keep people at the centre of our design

process. Each card describes one method and includes a brief

story about how and when to use it. The cards are divided into

four categories: Learn, Look, Ask and Try, making it easy to

reference, browse, sort, and share the cards. (From the IDEO

website)

THINKPAD This ingenious pack of brainstorming cards was

developed to assist people in stimulating their creativity and

foster new and different ideas. It is a great tool for coming up

with creative ideas for developing new (or changing existing)

products, services, names, businesses, processes, marketing

materials, etc. —- anything you need to think about in fresh, new

ways. (From creativethinking.net)

THE PROTOTYPE | INSPIRATION- CARD DECK

70


FIRST DRAFT | ‘I’CAN’ EDUCATIONAL TOOL FOR

FACILITATORS

THE PROTOTYPE | I ’CAN FIRST DRAFT

I’CAN is the first deck of 52 instructional cards which are ready

for testing. This deck helps facilitate four activities,

• Suite 1: The Pizza of Interests & Planes in the Sky

Children write down their interests on the paper toppings given

to them (Cheese, Tomato, Basil & Meat) and stick them on their

pizza pies creating a pizza of their interests.

Planes in the Sky is inspired by a mixed-media performance and

workshop called ‘Paper Airplane Project’ by Indian visual artist

Baptist Coelho. Here, children are asked to construct paper

planes and complete the sentence, When I grow up, I would like

to be..’. It is a way to encourage children to express themselves

and visualize their dreams.

• Suite 2: Aspirations

The first collage session where children are asked to make

a collage using the SoulCollage technique about what they

think their aspiration does for a living. This if followed by a self

interpretation exercise and an exposure session.

A suite for Questions have also been provided to trigger dialogue

between facilitator and child.

• Suite 3: Interests+Aspirations

In the second collage session, children are asked to make a

collage- either connect their aspirations & interests, or connect

their interests with one another. They mix and match different

elements together to create ‘fantastical futures’ that they would

want to be in. This is followed again by the self interpretation

exercise and the exposure session.

• Suite 4: Peer Interaction

Here, children are asked to swap collages and interpret what they

see in the peers’ collage. This is the followed by the exposure

session.

Finally, children are asked to repeat the Planes in the Sky activity

and fly their dreams. This symbolises a promise to themselves

of their future, a future that they knowingly have chosen for

themselves.

The visual language used here is deeply inspired by VETO. The

visual motif and identity are the toppings from the Interest Pizzas.

Each suite depicts the activity. Here are a few snapshots of me

working on the initial identity and motif.

CARD SPECIFICS (SPECS)

The card deck was to contain introductory cards and a pack of

regular activity cards.

A regular set of tarot cards measure 2.76 in. x 4.72 in. and they

get bigger from then on. I chose this size because it wasn’t too

small and text could be easily be read from it. The introductory

cards had to be double the size of one regular tarot card based

on a 2-column grid providing a distinction through size. This

could be easily held and provided a lovely shape.

71

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSTHE PROTOTYPE | I ’CAN FIRST DRAFT

The Four Suites

Adding content

Card Specs

72


FIRST DRAFT | ‘I’CAN’ EDUCATIONAL TOOL FOR

FACILITATORS

THE PROTOTYPE | I ’CAN FIRST DRAFT

73

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSTHE PROTOTYPE | I ’CAN FIRST DRAFT

74

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSTHE PROTOTYPE | FOURTH REVIEW DISCUSSION

Fourth Review Discussion



A visual guideline/ visual categorization of each activity is needed

for the facilitator to get a quick look at the process.

A card breaker (an illustration or colour) after every activity to

point out the end of one activity and the beginning of another-

much like a recipe- Picture, Preparation time, Serves how many

etc.

Time is an important aspect. A general idea of how much time

each activity might take must be included.

Start testing as much as you can. This will add weight to the

tool. Go back and forth to make necessary changes to help the

facilitation process become more efficient.

Examples of the final product after each activity would help- How

does the final ‘Pizza of Interests’ look? Examples of collages

taken from the testing stage must become a part of the tool.

Consistency in terms of gender in the content- “him/her’ or ‘her’

or ‘him’.

More hierarchy in terms of typography between the Aim, Materials

needed & Activity.

Think about the stock to use for the final cards, keeping in mind

dirt, thickness, lamination, etc.

Have your final visual identity set by the end of this week- Logo,

Visuals language.

Start thinking about the packaging- simple and durable.

75


SECOND DRAFT | ‘I’CAN’ EDUCATIONAL TOOL FOR

FACILITATORS

THE PROTOTYPE | I ’CAN SECOND DRAFT

From the feedback I got from my last review, the deck clearly

needed a visual guideline to give the facilitator a quick preview of

how she/her should go about the process. I designed a ‘Process’

card in such a way that it provided information about each

activity, at the same time visually guiding the facilitator through

each.

I also designed four card breakers before each activity to help the

facilitator know when to move onto the next activity. The pictures

in the slideshow show that segregation clearly.

76


SECOND DRAFT | NAME AND LOGO EXPLORATION FOR

EDUCATIONAL TOOL FOR FACILITATORS

THE PROTOTYPE | NAME & LOGO EXPLORATION

I decided to come up with more names that were fun & catchy.

They also needed to reflect the idea behind the tool. The two

names I narrowed down to were,

PIE IN SKY

According to the dictionary, the phrase ‘Pie in the Sky’ is

informally used to describe or refer to something that is pleasant

to contemplate but is very unlikely to be realised. Some

synonyms similar to this phrase- false hope, illusion, delusion,

fantasy, pipe dream, daydream, a castle in the air, a castle in

Spain.

My intention is to flip this meaning and bring these fantasies to

life. The word ‘pie’ also works as a pun relating to the pizza pies

the children make with their ‘Interest Pizzas’.

JIM JAM

According to the dictionary, it’s a noun that indicates a fit of

depression or nervousness.

It has a fun ring to it. Someone also added- “I work for my bread

& butter, but I will always have my jam”. It relates to a cream-jelly

biscuit as well.

As for my tool, I wanted it to have a magical tone to it- “JIM

JAM.. I AM a Chocolate Maker.” Using it much like the word

‘abracadabra’. The logo also has a play on the word ‘I AM’.

PIE inSKY

in

77


SECOND DRAFT | NAME AND LOGO EXPLORATION FOR


THE PROTOTYPE | NAME & LOGO EXPLORATION

Logo

I wanted to keep it simple. Plain type does justice to the name.

Some said the box was too restricting. Much like a postage

stamp. I tried it without the box and it started looking more like

jam. Others said that the box established hierarchy. I liked the

I’CAN logo confined to a box and JIM JAM without.

After testing my cards, I narrowed it down to JIM JAM & I’CAN.

The children liked the name I’CAN because they said they could

relate it with the activities. So I stuck to my very first idea. The

slideshow shows these logos in print.

Explorations in Print

78

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSTHE PROTOTYPE | F IFTH REVIEW DISCUSSION

Fifth Review Discussion



Find common patterns from the workshops done at Parikrma and

the testing of your final tool. Gain further insights & hooks you

can add to know that you have accomplished your brief.

In terms of content- The assumptions being made are very

strong.

As a teacher in a classroom of 30 students, clarity and navigation

of instruction is key. It needs to be articulate not only through

words, but visually as well. This helps in similarity of location and

grammar both, keeping the same logic of explanation.

Direct the user’s attention in a linear fashion through the same.

State your reason for it.

The content refers to two separate times- the preparation time

before the activity and the activity itself. Separate these. Have a

material list for the teacher to refer to before commencing any

activity. This could be done by experimenting with the size of

cards.

Visually, left alignment of text is easier to read and adjust in

comparison to justified.

What is your rationale for having the tool in the form of cards? If

the information is linear, the form does not match the function. It

looks more like a gimmick. Find another form. Your main rationale

here is ease for the teacher/facilitator. Having so many cards is

confusing.

Each activity seems to take an hour to complete. Sequence each

sheet to be one hour worth of that activity. That way the teacher

has one whole hour in her hand.

Simplify. Edit your copy. Do not make absolute statements.

79


THIRD DRAFT | ‘I’CAN’ EDUCATIONAL TOOL FOR

FACILITATORS

THE PROTOTYPE | I ’CAN THIRD DRAFT

From 52 individual cards, I resized them to 15 large cards

each containing one hour worth of instructions for one activity.

Simplifying the copy was the challenging. Every aspect of

instruction- preparation, introduction, activity details, estimated

time, materials needed, etc. was now placed within a hierarchy.

In terms of visual language, I did away with the integration of

shapes and categorized each activity with solid colours. This

allowed easy navigation. I discarded the numbering system

hoping that visuals would be easier.

The form was now simple and easy to function.

80

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSTHE PROTOTYPE | I ’CAN THIRD DRAFT

81

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSTHE PROTOTYPE | F INAL REVIEW DISCUSSION

Final Review Discussion



It gets difficult to navigate through the deck without sequential

numbers. It’s hard to find out which cards comes first if one is

solely dependent on the visual navigation.

Abbreviations are not needed- SI (Self Interpretation), WW

(Window to the World). Use the full names.

Avoid using absolute sentences based on your assumptions. Use

words like ‘attempt to’, ‘aims at’, etc.

The visual tag for the first activity should be consistent with the

rest. Try to incorporate consistency and include the examples in

the end.

Different between a session, an activity and an exercise. Be

careful how you use these words.

Your process needs to be highlighted. It is the most important

aspect before your product- Research, Workshops, Structure,

Product, User-Testing.

Packaging- How about a window that displays the logo. It has

a play on ‘window to the world’. Outline the graphic with black

thin strokes all around the corrugated brown box. Have a small

introduction of the tool is about at the back of your box.

You could also have a custom carry bag.

Detail is key. Straighten pictures, add outlines where necessary.

Acknowledge yourself. You have designed this tool. Include it

somewhere where everyone can see.

82


FINAL PROTOTYPE WITH TEMPORARY PACKAGING| I’CAN


THE PROTOTYPE | F INAL PROTOTYPE

I now present to you I’CAN, an educational tool for facilitators

which aims at helping children recognise their interests &

aspirations, making them aware of their windows to the world

through the art of collage.

This deck contains 15 cards, a deck of Question cards, a pack of

Stencil toppings made from acrylic sheets and a box that dually

works as a stand for the elements while facilitating the activities.

83

Temporary Packaging

84


It dually works as a stand to hold the cards.


85

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSTHE PROTOTYPE | F INAL PROTOTYPE

86


87


The acrylic Stencils and the ‘Questions’ deck


88


The ‘Cheese’ stencil


89


PACKAGING | I’CAN EDUCATION TOOL

FOR FACILITATORS

THE PROTOTYPE | PACKAGING

Packaging is a very important aspect of any product, especially

a product as simple as a deck of cards. I imagined I’CAN sitting

on the shelves of libraries and educational retail stores, compact,

easy to find, and eye-catching.

Initially I wanted to design a tin box much like the VETO tin box.

But the shape of the box had to be custom made to fit the deck

and it’s ancillary products. I also wanted it to be light, durable,

environment-friendly and functional.

I decided to go with corrugated fibreboard. I had some waste

board lying around and made a quick box.

My biggest challenge however was sourcing this mil (thickness

of sheet) of board & fine quality of corrugated fibreboard. Every

paper store I visited in and around Ebrahim Street in Bangalore

didn’t seem to stock this type of quality. An acquaintance who

manufactures corrugated board lent a hand and supplied me with

a few samples.

The brown of the corrugated went beautifully with the colours.

The slideshow presents a few initial explorations with the

packaging of this tool and the final packaging that incorporated

laser-cutting and engraving on corrugated fibreboard

90


The front of the box


91


(Left) The back which

opens, (above) Dually used

as a stand to hold the

cards and stencils during

facilitation


92


USER TESTING OF I’CAN EDUCATION TOOL

THE PROTOTYPE | USER TESTING

I’CAN, the educational tool I designed to facilitate a collage

process is finally ready for user testing. I had two prototypes

ready in print that varied in shape and instruction. My aim was to

have a facilitator use both to gain insight in terms of shape, form,

instruction, ease, comprehension, etc.

School was out. So I decided to use a parent. I think a parent is

the next best thing to a teacher. They equally want to contribute

to their child’s future, helping them fulfil their ambitions. I asked

my aunt, Sonali Sanade, to help facilitate this process. Her

daughter, Gauri, is 14 yrs. of age and her classmates Mrinali &

Kadambari were willing to give the tool a go. This was done over

a span of two days.

DAY 1 | USER TESTING OF I’CAN DRAFT 1

I gave Sonali the first draft of I’CAN (draft one). I asked her to

read though the instructions sequentially. She made them create

their Pizza of Interests all the while interacting with them asking

them why, “what about this interest?”, “that’s interesting”.

She then moved onto the paper planes exercise. Here the

girls went all out. They write more than one aspiration on each

paper plane that they made. Some of them used the help of the

diagram to construct their planes. Eventually they helped each

other. Sonali would keep enquiring why they chose that aspiration

& what they thought that aspiration did. This really created an

atmosphere of interaction & dialogue. She would add to their

rendition by saying “What about.. Did you know…”.

My ‘fly on the wall’ role didn’t quite last. Sonali would read one

card and wait for them to finish the instructions given to them on

that card. They were too many for her to look at at one glance.

They moved on to the first collage session with their aspirations.

They were previously talking about it, and now they had to

create a collage of the same. The girls had many questions. They

seemed to always ask Sonali (an authority) if they could do ‘this’

or stick ‘that’. Mistakenly, Sonali mentioned that, “if someone had

to look at your collage, it should tell them what your aspiration

does through the images you stick.” This should not have been

the case. It’s the child’s own interpretation. Her idea. I intervened

here and told them so. The aspect of free thinking and ‘no wrong

answers’ wasn’t clear to them. By the end of it, there were 6

collages.

During the self interpretation session, the girls verbally talked

about what they thought their aspiration did. They would point

out one image at a time and state why they put it there. Because

there were too many cards, Sonali didn’t understand that they

had to weave a story around their collage. So she asked them to

make up a quick story. From their interpretations, one could tell

that they knew quite a but about for e,g, what a Social Worker

does, or an Environmentalist does for a living.

In comparison to the kids at Parikrma, they seemed much more

exposed in terms of knowledge. The girls chose off beat career

paths like Chef or Travel host as compared to the children in

Parikrma who chose the regular streams like Engineer and

Doctor.

My one concern was if these activities were too childish for the

girls. The girls didn’t think so but thought that younger kids would

also benefit from it. They also mentioned that it definitely made

93

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSTHE PROTOTYPE | USER TESTING

them think a lot about what they want to do. They had never

reflected on it so much. It also gave them insight about how

much more that profession could do, because of Sonali’s inputs.

But they weren’t very clear about the aim of this session. The fact

that they brought up that question after realising how much they

learnt form Sonali, is proof enough that the process fulfils what it

is aimed to do.

This session was an eye-opened for me. I understood the

importance of the role the facilitator plays in this process. He/she

needs to be non-judgmental, open, and approachable.

95


‘Interest Pizzas’

Collages- Aspiration

(Left) Paper planes “When

I grow up, I would like to

be...”, (Right) The collages


96


USER TESTING OF I’CAN DRAFT 1- FEEDBACK

Facilitator | Sonali Sanade, Mother

It is well structured. It started well. The first activity was the Pizza

of Interests which was very general and an open activity. I think

the girls became a little dreamy and things were very vague and

up in the air.

Then when we moved onto the Paper Planes exercise, it was

narrowing down the field a bit. We were looking towards a

direction and things were coming into focus.

The collage activity, I think was looking at reality. It’s not just

rosy pictures of exciting looking things or glamorous objects. We

were getting into the actual nitty-gritty of daily life. So I think the

structure is nice.

I think it really got them thinking. They were getting really

focussed. I liked that about the process. The intensity increases

as you move up so that is something I liked. If I had probably sat

and read the cards in advance, it would have been clearer.


97


USER TESTING OF I’CAN EDUCATION TOOL


DAY 2 | USER TESTING OF I’CAN FINAL PROTOTYPE

This time I gave Sonali the final prototype of I’CAN (final

prototype). She followed the same sequence from activity 3

and 4. She explained the instructions for the third activity but

they didn’t understand it. I asked her to do it step by step. To

collect the images first, make a pile, tear them all in halves and

then stick any two together. Mrinali asked if she could just use

her aspirations and not her interests and I mistakenly said yes

she could. But the entire point of the activity is to include one’s

interests. Sonali then shared with them the example card for the

3rd activity. She told them that there were different ways of fusing

images together aside from tearing them in halves and sticking

them together.

She stressed on weaving a story around their collages. All the

while, Sonali directed the set of questions several times so

that they wouldn’t forget this time. I assumed they would make

several collages when asked to use their imagination, but they all

stuck to making just one.

During the self interpretation session, it seemed as though the

fantasy professions they were coming up with was very realistic.

I asked them to think again and this time to use their imagination

to the fullest. I stated that it didn’t have to exist. They thought

again and the second time round Mrinali came up with a person

who paints celebrities faces as stars in the sky. One of her

interests was to look up at the stars in the sky, fusing that with

an Entrepreneur. This seemed really interesting so I asked a few

more questions about her story.

When it came to the 4th activity, they were asked to switch

collages. Sonali emphasized on coming up with a profession

that is very different form the person’s interpretation of their own

collage. This time Mrinali came up with a story about Kadambari’s

collage, where a man uses shells to generate power much like

Bio Mass. I then made her aware of Biomimicry- man mimicking

nature to solve problems. This fascinated her and she shared

with me that her uncle copied an insect to solve a problem.

Kadambari & Gauri on the other hand had a little difficulty thinking

outside the box but their second attempts were based on

professions that already existed. This activity was quite fruitful. I

realised they need a little nudge to open their minds a bit.

In the end, they were still not sure what the goal of the process

was. I explained that it was meant to open their minds about the

facets of various professions and making you aware of things that

they might never think existed. The fact that anything is possible.

They suggested that the entire process would work efficiently in a

school environment because different children would experience it

once, otherwise doing every year would get very boring. It would

also be interesting to come up with more activities which were

more complex and turning it into a game. They liked listening to

another person’s rendition of their collage, to understand what

they see.

I am truly grateful and I thank them for participating.

98


Collages- Aspiration +

Interests


99


USER TESTING OF I’CAN FINAL PROTOTYPE- FEEDBACK

Facilitator | Sonali Sanade, Mother

The form was much easier this time round. There were fewer cards. Last time I was focussing more

on keeping them in order and constantly playing with that. If I wanted to go back to something the

order would get spoilt and I didn’t want to mess that up. This time this was easier to handle and I

found that I wasn’t looking at it so much because it’s condensed and more precise.

I think the second session was very interesting. The idea of fusing two things together was very

interesting. Also allowing a peer to interpret your collage was quite intriguing as well. You get to

look into each child’s mind and you’ve stressed that the sky is the limit. So you can really see how

imaginative they can be and at the same time it is tied to reality. They have to make a story about it

which does lead to a profession. This time I saw that the structure let’s them loose but they have to

land back which I thought was very nice.

Using this tool has made me aware that I am very inadequately equipped. Things like Biomimicry

is something that I’ve not even heard about. So according to me this needs to be handled by

someone who is more aware of the wide spectrum of information. I think this was an excellent tool

but the right facilitator would get the most out of it.

As a parent I find that since I am from another generation there is so much I am not aware of.

Especially because it isn’t my line of work. Not yet. Now probably I’ll be more aware of what is

happening.

To get the most out of this, because it is such a wonderful program, a trained professional will

benefit from it. Even then, this would help me as a parent and definitely open children’s minds to

new things. So it would help as even a game for the children.


100


The future of design education depends on how well institutions can adapt curricula to changing conditions in the field: to the increasing complexity of design problems that argue for tools and systems, not objects; to designing with rather than for people; to recognizing the importance of community and context; and to collaborating with peer experts in other fields.-Meredith Davis, Professor, North Carolina State University

An excerpt from the article “An Introduction to Graphic Design”

by William Drenttel & Jessica Helfand.

END NOTE

101

endnoteEND NOTE

102

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSEND NOTE

Have schools become lazy? A thought that has been nagging me for a while now. I’ve been

reading about Shibumi, a small school in Bangalore, ‘its deepest concern being to bring up children

who are free, responsible and concerned with the whole of life.’ A close friend forwarded me a

link about them making a radical shift in their curriculum, which they have shared on their blog

(shibuminews.blogspot.com).

It’s amazing. I might be creating a pedagogical tool for it but they have moved beyond it, making it a

part of their on-going curriculum. Their intent is to help a child discover areas in which there may be

the deep interest, aptitude and vulnerability for life to most fully express itself through the individual.

They intend on focussing on hands-on, immersive experiences through apprenticeships as well as

direct dialogue with the child. The curriculum aims to be more individualized than it is at present.

“We foresee that such a curriculum will help foster a love of learning (because a student would be

working at something that he or she cares about, rather than accepting the existing drudgery of the

system), along with self-confidence and responsibility.”

With the number of schools growing and the need for qualified teachers also on a rise, giving

individual attention to a class of 35-40 I guess is too much to ask. But then, why are schools so

lazy to give any new curriculum (much like this one) a chance. This might be just an idea but why

wouldn’t a school want a child to explore the things he’s passionate about. Why are we so fearful

of being rid of examinations? Parikrma calls it ‘exam-oriented’ from 8th grade onwards. Are schools

not wiling to put in that extra effort because of fear of change?

have schools become lazy?

103

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSEND NOTE

Sir Ken Robinson once said,

“the whole purpose of public education throughout the world is to produce university professors.”

Why? Why not dancers, or football players, or Attakalri instructors? Why do these seem ludicrous,

imaginative and unsustainable? Why do these have to remain as mere castles in the sky?

have schools become lazy?

105

I would like to thank,

Ms. Geetha Narayanan

Srishti School of Art, Design

& Technology

Ms. Shukla Bose

Ms. Ambika Parchure

Bharati Ma’am

The Parikrma staff

Parikrma Humanity Centre

Kanchan ‘Akka’

Mr. Vinay Goel

My Review Panel,

Geetanjali Sachdev

Kalpana

Mr. Sanjay Morlidhar

Vinayaka Laser Engraving & Cutting

Print Xpress

Kolor Kode

I would especially like to thanks the students of

Class Saturn from Parikrma-

Prathap, Meghashree, Gayatri,

Chetan, Krupa, Kavitha, Chirnajeevi,

Nagarjun, Karthik, Asha, Dhanush, Pramod,

Rajeshwari & Varaprasad.

Sonali Sanade

Gauri, Mrinali, Kadambari

And finally,

My mother who played devil’s advocate & trusted

my judgement; My friends who lent a hand, gave

me their time & valuable feedback- Upasana

Bijoor, Vishvan Saran, Alannah, Urmila, Nalisha,

Sayantoni, Anushka, Neeti, Nikita, Rahul, and the

rest who stood by my side patiently rooting for

me.

acknowledgmentsACKNOWLEDGMENTS

106

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSRESEARCH | READINGS- PAULO FREIRE

P aulo Freire, A Brazilian

educator and influential

theorist of Critical Pedagogy

embraced a nonorthodox form of

Liberation Theology. His books, Education

as the Practice of Freedom & Pedagogy of

the Oppressed are most widely known.

“There is no such thing as a neutral

education process. Education either

functions as an instrument which is used

to facilitate the integration of generations

into the logic of the present systems or

bring about conformity to it, or it becomes

the ‘practice of freedom’, the means by

which men and women deal critically with

reality and discover how to participate in

their transformation of the world.”

- Jane Thompson, Drawing on Paulo Freire

He contributed the philosophy of

education that came not only from the

classical approaches stemming from Plato,

but also from Marxist & Anti-colonialist

thinkers.

Pedagogy of the Oppressed emphasizes

the need to provide native populations with

an education which was new & modern

(rather than traditional) & anti-colonialist

(not simple an extension of the culture of

the colonizer). He differentiates between

the two positions- the oppressor & the

oppressed.

Education allows the oppressed to regain

their humanity & overcome their condition.

In order for this to take effect, the

oppressed have to play a role in their own

liberation. Oppressors must also be willing

to rethink their way of life and examine

their own role in the oppression if true

liberation is to occur.

Best known attack- The ‘Banking’

Concept- Students are viewed as an

empty account to be filled by the teacher.

“It transforms students into receiving

objects.”

Critical Pedagogy is the strong aversion

to the teacher-student dichotomy.

A teacher who learns & a learner

who teaches- Basic rule of Classroom

Participation. Educator and student are

not on an equal footing but the educator

must be humble enough to be disposed

Notes from Paulo Freire

107

INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSRESEARCH | READINGS

to relearn that which he/she already thinks

she knows, through interaction with the

learner.

A mutual enquiry must be placed

around dialogue in the teacher-student

relationship. In the

Traditional Model, a teacher transfers

information by standing in the centre of the

room while the student takes notes and is

then tested.

In the Dialogic Model, education is not a

transfer of skills to a student. The teacher

is not a mechanical delivery system or an

answer giver.

“Education must begin with the solution of the teacher-student contradiction by reconciling the poles of the contradiction so that both are simultaneously teacher & student.”

108


Notes from Roger Hart R oger Hart, a sociologist, his work is broadly

concerned with finding ways to foster greater

participation of disadvantaged children-

articulating their concerns, perspectives as a way of fulfilling

their rights. His research always concerns children and their

environment. He is highly collaborative with communities,

enabling them to investigate their own communities in order

to change them. Hart is also the Codirector of Children’s

Environment Research Group (CERG).

Convention on the Rights of Children (CRC)

”Children have the right to participate in all matters affecting their

lives, according to their own capacity.”

Hart wrote a book called Children’s Participation: The Theory

And Practice Of Involving Young Citizens In Community

Development And Environmental Care for UNICEF in 1997. The

“Ladder of Children’s Participation,” also called the “Ladder of

Youth Participation,” is one of many significant tools in context

of a global movement for participation, each step representing

degrees & different forms of participation between a child and an

adult (diagram illustrated on the next page).

RESEARCH | READINGS- ROGER HART

109


Degrees of Participation

8) Young people-initiated, shared decisions with adults. This

happens when projects or programs are initiated by young people

and decision-making is shared between young people and adults.

These projects empower young people while at the same time

enabling them to access and learn from the life experience and

expertise of adults. This rung of the ladder can be embodied by

youth/adult partnerships.

7) Young people-initiated and directed. This step is when young

people initiate and direct a project or program. Adults are

involved only in a supportive role. This rung of the ladder can be

embodied by youth-led activism.

6) Adult-initiated, shared decisions with young people. Occurs

when projects or programs are initiated by adults but the

decision-making is shared with the young people. This rung of

the ladder can be embodied by participatory action research.

5) Consulted and informed. Happens when young people give

advice on projects or programs designed and run by adults. The

young people are informed about how their input will be used and

the outcomes of the decisions made by adults. This rung of the

ladder can be embodied by youth advisory councils.

4) Assigned but informed. This is where young people are

assigned a specific role and informed about how and why they

are being involved. This rung of the ladder can be embodied by

community youth boards.

3) Tokenism. When young people appear to be given a voice, but

in fact have little or no choice about what they do or how they

participate. This rung of the ladder reflects adultism.

2) Decoration. Happens when young people are used to help or

“bolster” a cause in a relatively indirect way, although adults do

not pretend that the cause is inspired by young people. This rung

of the ladder reflects adultism.

1) Manipulation. Happens where adults use young people to

support causes and pretend that the causes are inspired by

young people. This rung of the ladder reflects adultism. Sourced

from freechild.org)

RESEARCH | READINGS

110


Notes from Geetanjali Sachdev’s Dissertation

To understand the bank of knowledge of these kids and where

it comes from, Geetanjali Sachdev (faculty and review panel

member) suggested I read her Dissertation on the Epistemological

Beliefs of Students in an Undergraduate Art & Design College.

Epistemological Beliefs are beliefs one holds about the nature

of knowledge & learning. These beliefs determine how new

knowledge is perceived & processed and has significantly

influences students learning & performance.

There are many factors that influence students’ epistemological

beliefs (Indian context)-

• The educational system in Indian schools which are based on

colonial & indigenous models of education.

• Impacted by students homes and social environment

influences by Hindu religious thought. Cultural contexts within which individuals are raised in, play a

major role in impacting their epistemological beliefs & explain

the differences in beliefs between an individual and a group.

Hypothesized by Schommer (1990, 1993), there exists at least

Five Dimensions to the Epistemological Belief System. They are-

1. Certainty of Knowledge ranging from ‘knowledge is

absolute’ to ‘knowledge is tentative.’

2. Structure of Knowledge ranging from ‘knowledge is

organized as isolated bits and is best characterized

in isolated facts’ to ‘knowledge is organized as highly

interwoven concepts.’

3. Source of Knowledge ranging from ‘knowledge is handed

down by authority’ to ‘knowledge is derived through

reason.’

4. Control of Knowledge Acquisition ranging from ‘the ability

to learn is fixed at birth’ to ’ the ability to learn can be

changed.’

RESEARCH | READINGS- DISSERTATION

111


5. Speed of Knowledge Acquisition ranging from ‘knowledge

is acquired quickly or not at all’ to ‘knowledge is acquired

gradually.’

There are two types of learners who seek entry into higher

education in India- the first who want a degree for the symbolic

validation that it provides or the general skill that they offer, the

second want to acquire skills & competence required by the job

market. There are a large number of students from the lower

socio-economic strata coming from rural and government schools

that comprise of 30%-40% of enrolments in higher education.

Lewis claims that there are 6 ways that individuals believe or

know: believing in an authority, deductive logic, the experience of

the senses, the emotion or feeling that something is true or right,

rational intuition & personal use of the scientific method.

RESEARCH | DISSERTATION