Research & Practice Archive of Prayas Abhinav

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Interests (Research & Teaching)

What am I curious to know more about? Teaching and learning are inter-related. One naturally affects the other. I try to share a broad outline of my concerns here. More questions? Please feel free to write.

Poetic & Analogical Thinking

I have written poetry for some time and also written a bit on poetry and poetic thought. I share this experience in the classroom. The capacity to think poetically and analogically can enrich the set of thinking tools that a student can use in a wide-range of fields.

Non-Meaning & Ambiguity

In the complex times that we live in, many times it is difficult to associate a precise meaning with our experience. As practitioners we have to be able to understand and process this state.

Abstraction & Analogy

Abstraction and drawing analogies is very helpful to be able to imagine the unknown. One can gesture towards an experience without specifying it. These abilities can be sharpened with exercises as well as exposure.

Writing Exercises & Rigour

The poetic can be appreciated only in a limited way theoretically. For an understanding of the poetic frame of mind, one has to write poetry. The poetic is not a subset of poetry – but poetry is a reliable point of access.

Modes of Teaching & Facilitation

Students, young professionals and the curious (inside and outside Universities) can engage to explore and extend their creative lives.

Reflection

I create opportunities for students to reflect on their short and long-term interests through reading and writing.

Analysis

Analysing a corpus of data for insights is not a trivial task. Most students are not equipped to perform this task without some specific help.

Write & Iterate

Writing, revision and iteration are valuable form of self-discovery. Through workshops I help students in understanding these skills well.

Formulating a Personal Research Statement

Students need to be exposed to concrete processes to help them explore and discover their research interests.

Reflection

I create opportunities for students to reflect on their short and long-term interests through reading and writing.

Analysis

Analysing a corpus of data for insights is not a trivial task. Most students are not equipped to perform this task without some specific help.

Write & Iterate

Writing, revision and iteration are valuable form of self-discovery. Through workshops I help students in understanding these skills well.

Methods for Idea Generation

Ideation is assumed to be a spontaneous activity. But it is not. Practitioners need to generate different kinds of ideas everyday. To generate a spark constantly, a method should be followed. I share some such possible methods.

Know Methods

A lot of creative thinking methods have been developed by design thinkers worldwide. Different methods are good in different scenarios. I share many of these methods and help with creating a personal idea-generation toolkit.

Practice

Creative Thinking methods need to practised constantly. The dynamism of the method cannot be captured entirely in its description, a part of the method can only be known experientially. We create such experiences.

Team-Processes

Brainstorming is often done in multi-functional teams. How can contribute to such a team effort effectively?

Design Process

How to conduct a design thinking process iteratively and methodically to solve problems in stages? How to think in versions and balance design effort as well as need for an outcome? How to make a project roadmap?

Experiment

Experimentation is the key to design innovation. Iterative and problem-solving based experimentation leads to new insights.

Discover

Discovering new potential is a passion for me! Discovery-oriented reading, writing and research is one of the key skills that I help cultivating.

Co-learn

The classroom of the future is undeniably biased towards co-learning. Co-learning is one of the only solutions to bridging India’s knowledge gaps.

Availability

Public Art, Open-source, Writing, Artist-in-residence programs, Reading, Digital Fabrication, Board games, Performance, Digital Publishing, Storytelling, Self-hosting…

I am available for the following

Teaching

I am available for teaching engagements on a visiting or adjunct basis. My interests and capacities are mentioned on this page.

Coaching

I am available for personal or group coaching for cultivating creativity, design thinking ability and building thought-leadership.

Collaboration

I am open to collaborate on exciting projects which offer me something new to learn and experiment! Do reach out.

Research

Both before and after action in any domain is taken, comprehensive information about the field is desired. I can perform studies which analyse the history and decode the potential of different fields.

Fields of expertise: Culture, Education & Publishing

Consulting

Building on my capacity of performing research and conduction learning experiences, I consult with startups and non-profits in different capacities.

Fields of expertise: Culture, Education & Publishing

Mentoring

Young creative practioners need guidance, provocation and exposure to find their language and capacity. Self-learners and even university students, who are pursuing a personal learning objectives, such mentorship can be very helpful.

Fields of expertise: Culture, Education & Publishing

Contact

Mail or call?

me@prayas.in

+91 9825406 131