Incongruous Ideas: Empowering Children through Career Exploration

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INCONGRUOUS
LUDICROUS COMBINATIONS
DIPLOMA PROJECT DOCUMENTATION
2010
NANDINI CHANDAVARKAR
IDEAS

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INCONGRUOUS IDEAS
LUDICROUS COMBINATIONS
DIPLOMA PROJECT DOCUMENTATION
2010

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INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONS
For my mother & my grandparents
who have always trusted my life choices..

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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.”
tents CONTENTS | SECTIONS
tions

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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!

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

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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

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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

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

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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

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diplomaprojectproposal
DIPLOMA PROJECT PROPOSAL
BRIEF 16
NEED 17
RESEARCH QUESTIONS 18
APPROACH/ PROCESS 19
PRODUCT 20

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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

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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

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researchRESEARCH
DIALOGUE 24
MAPS 27
READINGS 106
TED 30

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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‘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.

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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

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‘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

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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

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workshopat 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

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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

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INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSWORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | INTRODUCTORY SESSION

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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 | FIRST SESSION

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WORKSHOP WITH
2010

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The toppings for
the Interest pizza
as well as the
visual motif.

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WORKSHOP WITH
2010
‘Interest Pizzas’ of Class
Saturn, 7th Grade

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INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSWORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | FIRST 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.

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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 | FIFTH SESSION

47
WORKSHOP WITH
PARIKRMA- FIFTH SESSION
‘SoulCollage TECHNIQUE’ |
21st July, 2010
WORKSHOP AT PARIKRMA | FIFTH 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 | FINAL 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’.
PIEin
SKY
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 | FIFTH 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 | FINAL 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 | FINAL 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.

84
It dually works as a stand to hold the cards.

85
INCONGRUOUS IDEAS, LUDICROUS COMBINATIONSTHE PROTOTYPE | FINAL 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

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 scbecome

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?
choolse 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.
acknowledgments
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Incongruous Ideas: Empowering Children through Career Exploration

Incongruous Ideas: Empowering Children through Career Exploration

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