Prayogshala or our Learning Lab was a space inside the community where students were immersed in ‘design-thinking' projects through which they acquired problem-solving skills that they need to excel in their classrooms and beyond. The projects are designed to integrate skills and knowledge from different subjects. It was our first endeavor in transforming learning spaces at a community level.
In 2014, after completing the Teach For India (TFI) Fellowship, our co-founder Rahul Bhanot, set up this modest but innovative after-school learning center in Tughlakabad Extension in South Delhi, close to the municipal school he taught in as a TFI Fellow. The reason was very simple. He saw that the children needed a space where they could take charge of their own learning curve and discover avenues to apply their skills. Prayogshala was designed around project-based learning, where children were taught skills that can be used to crack problems and design their own solutions. Children were encouraged to explore deeper learning independently and a teacher was present only as a guide ad facilitator The theory of change at Prayogshala focused on:
- Cultivating leadership and problem-solving skills in children
- Enabling children to become independent learners
- Building opportunities for children to identify community problems and develop constructive solutions.
Some of the projects that our children at Prayogshala worked on include:
- Investigate the shortage of clean drinking water in Tughlakabad Extension
- Weigh in on the crime against women in Tughlakabad Extension
- Gaming for Solutions – Learning basic coding skills to understand technology as a powerful tool for change.
After 4 years of immersive support and our girls blossomed into independent learners and we decided to phase out of the immersive learning lab model and support them as guides/mentors from time to time. They now lead the community space on their own and are proving to be effective student leaders inside and outside of their schools.
