The purpose of the research study is to apply the educational theories to improve professional practice through action research and identify the potential issues in the practice of teaching ‘Design’ as a subject to Grades 7 and 8. The authors have reviewed Bloom’s taxonomy, Bruner’s ‘spiral curriculum,’ Maslow’s motivation theory, Vygotsky’s theory of creativity, Gal’perin’s learning‑psychological theory and Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory, and have mapped conceptual models based on these educational theories. The conceptual models are examined in the practice of teaching design to Grades 7 and 8 in the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) curriculum in India. During these classes, the authors have collected data by direct observation, participant observation and through participatory visual research. The authors have discerned information on the pedagogy and resources for the practical implementation of the conceptual framework in conducting online classes over the zoom platform. The systematic and elaborate models presented in the paper can be adapted and examined through further research and practice, both in physical and offline classes. The findings and the field work presented in the paper must be understood as theoretical and practical guidance that can be adopted and operationalised in educational practice.
American Journal of Art and Design 2021-07-15 | Journal article by Priyanka Sewhag Joshi, Vijai Singh Katiyar, National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India
This article purposes to identify the practices and processes of design that exist in basic design education at school level in India. The authors use the phenomenography method to conduct interviews with twenty design educators in schools across India, to examine the nature of design awareness in “basic education” and the existing practices in design education at school level in India. They do an interpretative analysis to give answers to some key questions related to design education up to secondary school level. What design knowledge and skills (design ability) are given to the student as a part of design education in grades 7 and 8 and at the secondary school level, grades 9 and 10? What kind of experiences does the student get through design education at school level? What methods and processes are employed to impart design education in grades 7 to 10? What practical values (design attitudes/praxeology) does the student inculcate or derive through basic design education? The study intends to outline a framework for facilitating Design Education required for grades 7 to 10, highlighting the knowledge and skills required to develop basic design ability. The article specifies the processes through which design education can be imparted and the assessment for learning in formal design education for grades 7 to 10, in India. The authors enquire about the pedagogy and the role of the design educator to facilitate “experiential learning” through formal thinking, doing, and making in design education at the school level. Based on the findings, conceptual maps are developed to define the key terms related to design education at the school level. The article provides a framework for knowledge, skills, processes, and the contextual environment for facilitating design education for grades 7 to 10, in India.
The International Journal of Design Education 2021-07-30 | Journal article by Priyanka Sewhag Joshi, Vijai Singh Katiyar, National Institute of Design, India
In 2010, concrete effort in the area of introducing “local, more relevant and contextual” design education in school curricula in India had started. In 2019, design education exists in very few Indian schools, in the form of an optional specialization subject from grades 9 to 12. On examining the nature of design awareness in “basic education” and the existing design education practices at the school level in India, this article establishes that the need for design education in schools is evident. At the same time, it is also evident that design education has not been able to permeate the Indian school curriculum. To understand and identify the problem, the authors do a literature review to determine that the primary purpose of introducing design education in the school curriculum is to provide learning experiences through processes in design education in order to develop abilities and attitudes that strengthen decision making and connect the student to real life. This article intends to explain the existing educational structure in terms of the physical conditions and curriculum in relation to design education at the school level in India through field visits to five schools across different cities in India. The authors employ a qualitative research approach to study the facilities in which the design educators “experience, conceptualize, perceive, and understand” the phenomena of imparting design education in the limited schools in India. The purpose of the study is to establish the contextual significance of design education at the school level in India for the subject to flourish and achieve its purpose. The article also presents the authors’ experience with design education at the school level in India. The research study is limited to schools in India across the three major boards, Central Board of Secondary Education, Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, and International Baccalaureate.
Joshi, Priyanka Sewhag , and Vijai Singh Katiyar. 2019. “Contextual Significance of Design Education at School: The Indian Context.” The International Journal of Design Education 14 (2): 71-88. doi:10.18848/2325-128X/CGP/v14i02/71-88
The authors use the phenomenography method in this paper to study the variety of ways in which design educators experience, conceptualize, perceive, and understand design education phenomena in basic education in schools in India. The objective of the research is to ascertain the principles for selection of content, method, pedagogy, and assessment for contextual design education in basic education at the school level for developing a theoretical framework. With this research objective, the authors conduct interviews with twenty design educators in schools across India, to examine the nature of design awareness in ‘basic education and the existing design education practices at the school level in India. In addition, the authors interview 5 design experts who have been involved with school education in India, to identify the attributes or the essential features of a design education curriculum at school and build a theoretical framework that can be examined for theoretical replication through empirical research. The authors analyze design education in schools at two levels — as a subject and as a co-curricular activity. The research study is limited to schools in India across the three major boards, Central Board of Secondary Education —CBSE, Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations — CISCE, and International Baccalaureate — IB and alternative schools in India. keywords: school, design education, contextual, curriculum, framework, India.
P.S. Joshi, V.S. Katiyar (2019) THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR DESIGN EDUCATION AT SCHOOL LEVEL IN INDIA, ICERI2019 Proceedings, pp. 303-312. https://doi.org/10.21125/iceri.2019.0115
Cast 39 stitches.
Knit 20 cm length with puff stitch design.
For the next 30 cm length, knit on the front and purl on the reverse side. Repeat design till scarf is 220 cm long.
PUFF STITCH DESIGN:
Knit 3 stitches, then on the 4th stitch pick up 5 stitches from 1 stitch. Knit 6 rows with these 5 stitches. Decrease by dropping 5 stitches to 1 stitch, then continue knitting 3 adjacent stitches and puff stitch again. Repeat this sequence along the entire width. Purl on the revese side. Repeat the sequence.
A month’s hard work…..Light weight Handwoven fine Mulberry and Assam Eri Silk scarf woven on the fly shuttle loom. Walnut shells are used as the natural dye colouring raw material. Weaving in fine silk took so much more time than the knitted muffler.
I visited the Hornbill festival this time, in Kohima, the capital of Nagaland. on the 6th of December, 2016. The drive from Dimapur, the nearest airport is about 2 hrs. The road condition is not so good and as you approach Kohima the uphill drive can make you feel giddy.
Nagaland lies at the edge of the country and shares its border with Myanmar is widely popular as the ‘wild east’ of India because of its dazzling hills and valleys, unexplored forest covers and of course the ‘head-hunting tribes’.
Sitting amidst a series of forests and hilltops, Kohima is one of the most beautiful hill stations of India.
Kohima, the hilly capital of India’s north eastern border state of Nagaland.
Nagaland holds significant importance in the socio-geographical dynamics of the country because it is home to numerous tribes. The Hornbill Festival at Kisama, is the best platform to catch a glimpse of the culture and traditions of the numerous Naga Tribes. A day or a couple of days at the most are enough to visit the festival at Kisama between the 1st and the 10th of December every year.
The entrance gate at the Hornbill Festival is infused with the traditional Naga symbols like the horns of the ‘Mithun’, the Naga Warrior and his weapons.
The ‘mithun’ or the ‘bison’ is the the emblem of Nagaland and represents the binding force and the “dreams and aspirations of the Nagas.” The ‘mithun’ represents health, wealth, strength, stability and prosperity in the Naga community. Unlike the other states, Mithun is domesticated in Nagaland and its rearing serves as rural bank as of anytime money and as a barter trade item till today, in some of the villages. The Government of Nagaland, while discouraging Jhum cultivation has identified the unique economic contribution of Mithun to be one of the best alternative crops to Jhum cultivation which will also directly or indirectly prevent Global Warming and Climatic change.
The Craft Bazaar at the Hornbill Festival.
Traditional Naga tools and weapons
James Lotha of Unicraft, Kohima, displaying his handcrafted POP Paintings.
Tribal Crafts in Cane & Bamboo & Wood from Mokokchung, Nagaland
‘Longpi’ Black Pottery from Manipur
Basket weaving from Kohima
The name NAGA according to Naga legend, was derived from the Burmese word “No-ka” meaning people with pierced earlobes. ‘No’ Means ear pierced or to make a hole in or through, in Kachin language. Therefore description of the tribal neighbor may have derived from the Burmese words “No-ka,” meaning Pierced ear. This theory is supported by the Naga legend.
Long time ago there was a war between Assam ruler and the people of Burma. At the end of the fierce war there was total destruction. As a result this battle ground was named `Saphamati’ meaning ‘Cleared place’ in Assamese language. Finally they made a truce so that each side could identify their own stained warriors. Thus the Burmese identified and counted the bodies by ‘No-ka’ meaning pierced earlobes. There are Burmese Nagas who are akin to the Nagas of India. Both groups are hill people living in villages on mountain ridges. If you want to know more of the Naga myths and legends, you may find an interesting read at http://morungexpress.com/origin-of-the-word-naga/
Sculptures and paintings depicting Naga Culture and lifestyle
The cultural performances in the Hornbill festival reflect the rich and diverse culture of the Naga tribes. There are many things that come to mind while viewing the performances and the art and crafts at the festival- ferocious, head-hunters, elaborate costumes etc. Together the inhabitants of Nagaland may be classified as ‘Nagas’ and have lived in close proximity for centuries, but they speak distinct versions of the Tibeto-Burman language. ‘Nagamese’ is the common dialect used for communication between the various Naga tribes.
Traditional dancers for the cultural performances at Hornbill Festival
Tribal dance performance by one of the tribes at Hornbill
Folk song performance
Ao tribe men warming up and sharing their drink
The traditionally built Naga huts are called Morungs. They are made of wood, bamboo and cane. Each ‘Khel’ or village had its own morung. The morungs of major tribes of Nagaland, at Kisama – the venue of the annual Hornbill Festival depict the bachelor dormitory system that was once an essential part of Naga life and culture.
A symbol of pride of each village, the Morung is embellished with hunting trophies and fine wood carvings at the doorway. This all male dormitory, where a young lad of six enters and leaves when he weds, is where the village’s sacred hunting trophies, daos (a type of sword), spears and shields of the village are kept for safekeeping. It is in the morung where the boys learn the ancestral folksongs and folktales, where decisions of war and peace are taken.
The Morung of the Chang Tribe with the war drum.
The vibrant Ao Morung
Lotha Morung
Rengma Morung
Pochury Morung
The famous ‘Battle of Kohima,’ has been immortalized with the World War-II Museum at Kisama. The museum artifacts help one understand the history and story of one of the deadliest battles of WWII and the valour of those soldiers who stopped the Japanese advance into Northern India. It is a must visit destination for both researchers and history students.
For more on Kohima, Naga culture and the Battle of Kohima, I will be posting soon 🙂
