Purandar

Let us  have a discussion on the Socio-Constructivism Model by Lev VYGOTSKY 

Guiding Principles of Social Constructivism

Social constructivism is based on several assumptions or guiding principles:

• Knowledge is constructed through human activity.
• Reality is created jointly by members of a society.
• Learning is an active and social process.
• Individuals create meaning through interactions with others and environments.
• Meaningful learning occurs when individuals engage in social activities.

An important concept used along with these guiding principles is the zone of proximal development. The zone of proximal development is the distance between an individual's independent problem-solving abilities and the problem-solving abilities the same individual can display with guidance from or collaboration with more knowledgeable peers or adults. 'Proximal' refers to skills and knowledge the learner is close to acquiring and needs assistance in acquiring.

Benefits of Social Constructivism

When implemented well, a social constructivist approach to teaching and learning can bring about several benefits:

• Learners are pushed to clarify and organize their ideas when they explain them to others.
• Learners gain exposure to different views when interacting with other learners.
• Through interactions with others, learners can identify errors and inconsistencies in their thinking.
• Learners are encouraged to ask questions, develop hypotheses, and draw inferences from information and experiences.
• Learners collaboratively reach conclusions or solutions through distributed cognition.
• Learners can develop deeper understanding.
• Learners can reach higher levels of creativity.
• Learners gain skills needed for independent problem solving in the future.
• Learners can improve their metacognitive skills.

To day , I am making a sincere effort to sensitize my friends and community members regarding a very important  Instructional Model . It is relevant in both Facilitation & Coaching . It shows how a practical skill gradually gets embedded in the cognition of the learners 

It is Cognitive Apprenticeship Model 

COGNITIVE APPRENTICESHIP MODEL (developed by Brown, Collins, and Newman)

 I hope my friends and community members will like it 

SCAMPER refers to a series of thought sparkers or provocations which help you to innovate on an existing product, service or situation by looking through different lenses. There are seven provocation lenses in the SCAMPER method:

Let us add value to ORANGE JUICE

✦ Substitute

✦ Combine

✦ Adapt

✦ Modify (Also Magnify and Minify)

✦ Put to another use

✦ Eliminate

✦ Reverse/Rearrange

With the passage of time DESIGN THINKING is becoming an extremely important discipline iboth in the field of technology as well as in the field of management 

I is such a discipline which encapsulates the knowledge elements of various disciplines . in other words it is a discipline where multiple disciplines get converged . 

It is unfortunate that in India , there is no Diploma or long term certification exclusively for Design thinking .

My heartiest congratulations to esteemed NITIN SIR & the team of Middle Earth HR  for introducing a comprehensive program on  Design thinking .

It is relevant to mention that there are various misconceptions regarding DESIGN THINKING 

a. DESIGN THINKING  is a course for Artists & Designers . It deals only with Design-Development  

B. DESIGN THINKING is a part of creative -thinking  and developing new illustrations in the Publishing Industry 

C. DESIGN THINKING is related to the advertising world . It is for Visualizers and Copy Writers for developing new pattern of Advertisements 

But to be more precise , DESIGN THINKING is not cloistered within any specific industry . Rather it can be inferred that DESIGN THINKING is a strategic tool that is extremely demand driven in every industry or every sector , wherever a CHANGE INITIATIVE is required . 

STEPS OF DESIGN THINKING : 

A. To have an Empathetic Approach towards people who are suffering from some problem and need a solution oriented change   in their occupational or personal life 

B. To analyze the problems of the target group through Root Cause Analysis 

C. To develop a unique idea regarding the solution oriented change 

D. To develop a prototype or pilot of the Change-Initiative that is expected to trigger solution 

E. To evaluate the pilot phase of the Change initiative and trace out its pros and cons from the perspective of the target audience 

F. To re-engineer the Change-Initiative based on the detected cons in the pilot phase . To be precise the purpose of the Re-Engineering process is to accrue /concentrate/intensify the pros or merits of the Change Initiative and to dilute/diminish the cons/demerits of the Change Initiative , as reflected by the Evaluation of the pilot Phase . 

7. Finally to implement the Change Initiative with the valued intent of minimizing the problems of the target audience 

So what is the conclusion or inference that can be drawn logically ? 

Is Design Thinking only for the Designers and creative professionals ? The answer is a big NO 

Design Thinking is an indispensable tool for for the innovative Social Entrepreneurs aiming at solving the problems of a specific segment of people 

Design Thinking is very much effective in OD and Change Management . 

Design Thinking is essential to frame need-based developmental projects 

Design Thinking is required to build up the curriculum of a need-based training program . 

So we can infer that Design Thinking is an effective and utilitarian tool in every discipline of the broader society for problem solving and framing solution -oriented Change initiative . 

In a nutshell Design Thinking emancipates us from stagnancy and enhances our momentum in pursuit of betterment 

Role of Behavioral Science in Entrepreneurship Development 

In the present scenario , Govt. of India has placed maximum emphasis upon Entrepreneurship Development . The Start Up Ecosystem is hogging the limelight . The Start Up companies with innovative ideas are smart enough to leverage VC or Seed Fund from the diversified types of Investors 

Entrepreneurship & Innovation has become the buzz word in the present scenario . 

However the flip side of the coin gives a different picture . Many Start Ups are not being able to withstand the circumstantial pressure and getting succumbed under pressure . Eventually the investors in many cases are not being able to ensure profitability 

What is the remedial intervention ? 

Let us analyze the course curriculum of the Entrepreneurship Development instutions  in India .  we shall find that maximum emphasis is being placed upon the following topics ;- 

Business model design 

Project Formulation & Appraisal 

Schemes of Credit 

strategies for leveraging investment 

It is very unfortunate that efforts are not being made to enhance the psychological resilience and fortitude of the learners . 

Berkeley Model of Entrepreneurship Education (BoME) suggests that the curricula for entrepreneurship development should cover different  HR components or People Management Skills  

Achievement Motivation 

Team Building 

Relationship Development 

Conflict Management 

Effective Communication 

Managing Stress & Emotion 

Situation handling through behavioral resilience 

these are the factors that can be implanted into the mind of the learners through GAMES BASED INDUCTIVE TRAINING METHODS 

Until and unless we ensure the psychological strength and flexibility of the potential entrepreneurs , it will be very challenging for them to accommodate with situational upheavals 

Life Skills are psycho-social competencies that enable an individual to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life . There are 10 Life Skills . Let us divide the 10 Life Skills into two categories ;- 

Thinking Skill 

Social & Emotional Skill 

A. THINKING SKILLS

B. Social Skills & Emotional Skills 

There was a great thinker , social reformer and playwright  in Brazil , named Augusto Boal . 

He developed a special kind of Theater pattern called Theater of the Oppressed . The fundamental intent of this theater pattern was to empower the under privileged people of Brazil . 

One component of Theater of the Oppressed was termed as Forum Theater . 

In Forum Theater , a  theme on any socioeconomic problem  was conceived  and enacted by the trained theater actors before a group of underprivileged marginalized spectators. Then at a time when the climax has reached in the drama , the spectators were asked to enter into the theater arena  and function as role players . To be precise the spectators were asked to create solutions in the problem context and express those solutions in the form of acting. 

Thus the the passive status of the underprivileged spectators  is converted/transformed  into creative & proactive role-players . So  Forum Theater dealt with empowerment of the underprivileged people . It facilitated the common people to unleash their pent up potential . 

I believe that FORUM THEATER is very much relevant in Facilitation  of  team of learners . It is an excellent tool for facilitating the  engagement of learners and enabling them  in the process of unearthing their creative potential . During my sessions as a Process Facilitator , I have judiciously administered Forum Theater as a tool for ensuring spontaneous participation and Experimental Learning of the trainees . 

I have asked one group of learners to consider themselves as colleagues in an Organization and to create a theme on a problem in their organizational arena .  When they portrayed the problem through Role Play , I asked another group of learners to play the role of OD Intervention Practitioners . They were asked to analyze the problem of the first group , create solution oriented interventions and then enact those interventions through role play . 

Thus a stage comes when the two groups of learners interact among themselves and collaborate together to design interventions aiming at alleviating the problems created by the first group of learners . 

I encourage the practicing facilitators to make use of Forum Theater as a result oriented learning tool. It fosters psycho-social competencies like creative Thinking , Critical Thinking , Decision Making , Problem Solving , Effective Communication , Relationship Building , Empathy , Emotional Resilience 

i convey my profound reverence to Augusto Boal 

It is relevant to mention that a Life Coach is not an omniscient Expert in al disciplines . 

Rather , he will have to be a sensitive , strategic and pragmatic entity who can empathize the problems of the client , analyze the cognitive & behavioral approach of the client while dealing the with the problem , boost up the confidence of the client and motivates him to deal with the problem in a more strategic way . 

A Life Coach need to focus more on the internal frame of the individual and try to get clarity on the persons cognitive , emotive and behavioral approach .  A technical Mentor , on the contrary focuses on the external problem ( especially when the problem matches with his subject of expertise)  and applies his acumen and expertise in facilitating the problem solution