By Lisa Heydlauff | Founder
Design-thinking is a wonderful set of words. It's human-centered design, designing with and for kids, so that it reaches them, so that when the story arrives, it connects with their emotions, their potential, their innate ability to change their lives and the world around them. We've been design-thinking since 2003 when Going to School in India began. We just didn't know it had a name. 2015 has been a year of completely creating anew. We received a report on our teacher training that said it was good, but could we do better? We responded to the challenge by doing what we know best - we created all new stories. With teachers as customers, creators, co-creators and collaborators we dropped the words 'teacher-training' and found a new voice: The Sound & Light Show. As you read this, this show has been on the road, to 10 districts in Bihar, India, sometimes playing in four locations at one time. It's a three-screen adventure, three laptops, movies and images surrounding you - screens made of bamboo and white cotton (our Indian invention at work - it was too expensive to buy and move ready made screens). We did this in 5 weeks - the redesign that is, and it's been playing now for 10 weeks. And the good news is very good. We've had 100% attendance from teachers in far-flung districts, words have spread like wild fire from teacher to teacher: there are movies, there's music, leaf plates serve lunch, feedback after every session and a chance to teach, to re-create and co-create. We've never had 100% attendance. I think we'll call this this Sound & Light show from now on.
Then, as the show makes it's way through Bihar and Jharkhand, the Delhi teams have been creating new skills stories. We have our all-star stories that teachers and kids love: Bijali brings the carnival to her village, Seher's Bolt of Lightening business, My Secondhand shoes. We're thankful they are all-star-stories. But even those things we love we have to remake a new - so new kids and new teachers recognize stories that reflect their lives in this changing world in which we live. There are six new stories. Kids can now open bank accounts in India - so there's a story about how to make that happen. A second story about a young woman with a bicycle repair shop and how she figures out the right price, just like prices are set in giant vegetable markets and stock markets. There's a story about taking a risk - just daring to speak up and do what you dream. Another about how a coin, one rupee, travels from you to me, adding and losing value, connecting us all. Climate change. Sustainability. Entrepreneurial skills. Getting started.
The Sound & Light show Part 2 will role out again in early December with six new stories. Come on down, this is what design-thinking is in India.
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