Abstract

This article purposes to identify the practices and processes of design that exist in basic design education at school level in India. The authors use the phenomenography method to conduct interviews with twenty design educators in schools across India, to examine the nature of design awareness in “basic education” and the existing practices in design education at school level in India. They do an interpretative analysis to give answers to some key questions related to design education up to secondary school level. What design knowledge and skills (design ability) are given to the student as a part of design education in grades 7 and 8 and at the secondary school level, grades 9 and 10? What kind of experiences does the student get through design education at school level? What methods and processes are employed to impart design education in grades 7 to 10? What practical values (design attitudes/praxeology) does the student inculcate or derive through basic design education? The study intends to outline a framework for facilitating Design Education required for grades 7 to 10, highlighting the knowledge and skills required to develop basic design ability. The article specifies the processes through which design education can be imparted and the assessment for learning in formal design education for grades 7 to 10, in India. The authors enquire about the pedagogy and the role of the design educator to facilitate “experiential learning” through formal thinking, doing, and making in design education at the school level. Based on the findings, conceptual maps are developed to define the key terms related to design education at the school level. The article provides a framework for knowledge, skills, processes, and the contextual environment for facilitating design education for grades 7 to 10, in India.