A fellow from the "Project Vision" team at Srishti collaborated with us to teach the students Google Sketch-Up. The related pictures cover our first two session with the software and document how well the students, and perhaps all of the next generation, take to digital medium. Wow. More specifically, It was a great tool for them to be able to see concepts in 3 dimensions and quickly explore many different concepts. Not surprisingly, it allowed them to really explode their visions and quickly exceed the limits of this challenge. During the session, I joked with several students that their sketch-ups don't look like a classroom of the future, instead they look like funky amusement parks. It was all in good humor and we will find creative ways to bring them back to the parameters of the challenge. There is always a balance between supporting their natural curiosity and excitement and keeping things within certain guidelines. This component of the curriculum has progressed seamlessly and the students have to be dragged away from the computers.

In this series of lessons, we introduced the students to the process of design through pattern language. We developed a few maps of the "Drishya Pattern of Learning", which are bubble diagrams & flow charts of activities and spaces of learning. This concept of the "Drishya Pattern of Learning" has become a pedagogical mantra for me. When they approach me with any questions about a design concept, I ask how does it relate to the "Drishya Pattern of Learning". The students ability to ideate and visualize their concepts has totally exceeded my expectations. In addition, it has become quite interesting to facilitate circle discussions and presentations in another language.

The students have completely engaged in our project and the design process is steamrolling along. It is quite a joy when the curriculum is so relevant and engaging that facilitation becomes a task of channeling energy and enthusiasm. In this class period, we reviewed a range of materials, techniques, and design basics. By the time we presented the class with a series of texts to do independent research, it was hard to get them to wrap it up when time ran out. I'm amazed at which forms inspire or speak to them and why the choose the designs and materials that they do. It seems that having youth involved in any building or environment's design process would yield incredible fruits.

Through our network at the Srishti school of design, we heard of a visiting artist that constructed a temporary structure made from trash in a nearby community. This was a pure moment of synchronicity, as we have been introducing alternative materials and design to the students through videos and books. Now through the twists of fate, we had a perfect opportunity to experience an actual structure incorporating the plastic bag wastes from the site itself. The students were totally inspired by the beauty of the reused materials and the way the structure interacted with the light and wind. This is a temporary installation and therefore the students had very valid concerns regarding the lifetime/permanence of a structure like this. As documented in the related set of pictures, the structure is a simple pyramidal form with sown together plastic bags from the surrounding area as a sheathing material. There are yoga and other community workshops being hosted in the space for the next few months.

We have opened up the minds of Bangalore's youths. This class began with a building challenge, make a structure from newspaper and masking tape that can shelter two students. The learning that came from the exercise was: 1) Why starting with a thought out plan can help save time & mistakes; 2) How the design always changes along the way; 3) The impact that materials have on the design (in this case the strength of the paper determined the length of rolled members). It was a wonderful team challenge and gave us an opportunity to practice presentation skills as well. After this the students did extensive research on alternative building materials and techniques, their minds are boiling over with amazing concepts. Can't wait to see the products of this process....

After several curriculum and design meetings, we decided to expand the given curriculum to encompass more aspects of design & drafting, along with a deeper exploration into natural building and alternative materials. Some of the images that have been posted will show our youths engaged in their first drafting session, a perspective exercise that is aimed at getting them to understand their immediate built environment. The youths never cease to amaze & excel. Enjoy.....