TechNichols Prayogshala

Technichols Prayogshala is set up for the Class 8 students of CHS McNichols, Chetpet, Chennai under the Teach For India initiative. It is part of the online classes conducted for students, and it aims to function as a space for students to ideate, discuss, learn, and create together at a time where students do not have the facility to meet physically and learn with their peers.

As a first step towards setting up the first online prayogshala, Project Prayogshala collaborated with Hitashi and Niyas, to implement the online module of Prayogshala at their Teach For India classroom. The classroom has 33 students who are in the 13-14 years age group. This virtual Prayogshala aims to inculcate important 21st-century skills such as creativity, collaboration, teamwork, frugality, etc. while bringing out the makers in the children. With children being holed up at their homes, there is very little chance for a creative outlet. By facilitating an online space where they can collectively collaborate with their peers, experiment, and put their ideas into action, the facilitators, Hitashi and Niyas, hope to make sure that children do not miss out on getting trained in soft skills and maker skills, just because they do not attend the school physically. Children have been enjoying and making full use of each session, and they eagerly look forward to the upcoming ones to make and learn! The Prayogshala sessions have also played a huge role in helping children open up and improving the self-confidence of children who otherwise keep to themselves. The wide popularity of the sessions among the children has made this a very successful one.