April marks the beginning of the academic calendar year of ‘Tinkering’ and ‘Innovation’ with the ATL Community Day celebration to provide an equal opportunity to all for innovation. 

Recently, India has improved its ranking in the Global Innovation Index from 81 (2015) to 46 (2021) and science education will be the key to improving future rankings. The Constitution (Article 51 A h) states that “It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to develop scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform”. One of the tools to develop it is by strengthening science education. What if we learn and promote it in a fun and playful manner? 

Since Independence, there have been various efforts to strengthen science education where science was primarily envisioned as a tool to solve problems of hunger and poverty. In 1961, the Indian Parliamentary and Scientific Committee studied the problems of science in Indian schools. Emphasis on science education was also laid through various education commissions, especially the Secondary Education Commission (1952), Kothari Commission (1964) and NPE 1986. Few science movements such as the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad and Hoshangabad Science Program also helped popularise science. 

The establishment of Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (a centre under the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research) has immensely helped disseminate research for strengthening science education and the quality of science teachers in India. The position paper on teaching science (developed under the National Curriculum Framework 2005) by NCERT strongly advocates taking out science from textbooks to the real world. 

In continuation with several such efforts, to make science learning more hands-on and experiential, the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) launched by NITI Aayog (in 2016) under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emerged as a powerful nationwide initiative primarily promoting a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. In fact, it strengthens science education in schools throughout India, with the ingredients of creativity, innovation, and ‘tinkering’. 

AIM tries to accelerate these traits among school children through its tinkering labs – the Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs). It covers around 7.5 million students from 9,500 plus schools spread across 722 districts in India. Seventy per cent of the ATLs are established in government, government-aided, girls and co-ed schools. 

So, what is Tinkering? Remember your childhood, when you used to disrupt your toy car, pull out its key, motor, and gears and check how it worked. You might have put it in water to check if it still works. That was when you ‘tinkered’ for the first time in your life and undoubtedly you would have got scolded by your parents for breaking toys. Unfortunately, such ‘tinkering’ also faded from our school science labs. These labs are mostly confined to pre-planned experiments, like a theatre. For example: To check whether the colour of a chemical A changes after adding chemical B or not. If it changes, at what level (volume), if not then students might manipulate the experiment to get the desired result in their notebook (for the purpose of examination and score marks). 

There is also a lack of freedom in science labs as students are under pressure to handle laboratory tools carefully. Often students are instructed to leave the lab as soon as the experiments get over and warned of a penalty if any equipment gets damaged. To a greater extent science labs and science exhibitions have become synonymous with ‘Thermocol Models’. 

ATLs have disrupted this ‘thermocol’ culture, especially in government schools. What students need is time and freedom to explore and experiment with manipulative, and at least create something out of it. It not only sparks their creativity but boosts them to innovate. ATLs pro- vides young tinkerers a chance to play with electronic equipment, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Robotics, do-it-yourself kits and software like AutoCAD and TinkerCAD. The lab is also equipped with basic infrastructures like a projector, computer system and 3D Printer. 

According to teachers, the culture of ATL enables them to put a more contextual and practical approach while teaching science in the classroom. On a lighter note, children love to spend more time in ATL than in classrooms. While working in ATL, they also develop their reasoning skills. 

We talked to Dr Devendra Singh (teacher and mentor of an ATL established at Gaya, an aspirational district under NITI Aayog) and got some insights into what’s being cooked in the lab. He shared his experiences of developing an Air Water Generator, for which he and his team of students (who come from moderate backgrounds) were awarded a patent in October 2020. He shared an incident of how students used a constructivist approach and used reasoning skills to develop a path (coil) for water so that it could reach from top to bottom in a specific time. However, water reached in less time than required. To overcome this problem, students modified the same coil in a zigzag manner and adjusted the timing. He says that ATL provides a realistic opportunity for students as well as him as a teacher to relive Kolb’s experiential learning, Bloom’s Taxonomy from remembering to create something and develop psychomotor skills. 

Children study local societal problems and brainstorm to create models for solutions. They learn programming to design-relevant digital models; get the prototype through a 3D printer (which they enjoy a lot) and rework it to finalise their product under mentors. ATLs also use Meta- Teaching where senior students guide and brainstorm with current students. 

ATL established in government schools has provided access and opportunity to tinker for children of the working class. These children already have some exposure to tinkering at some level because of their parent’s occupations. A child whose father works at an electric shop, already has some experience of working with wires, batteries, bulbs etc. at home or a child who assists a family in farming already has some knowledge about soil, machines etc. When such children get an opportunity to tinker at ATL, they use their out of school knowledge to create useful products on their own. Their products can go for a patent, and they can also start their own enterprise if needed. 

Such motivation for ATL among students can be helpful to curb attendance problems at schools. ATL also promotes a culture of standardisation of lab tools across all schools under AIM. All AIM affiliated schools across India, irrespective of an elitist or a simple school, get the same laboratory kit and same funding, which cuts dis- parities across ATL of these schools. All financial and lab kit formalities are governed through the GEM portal. While the ATL propagates a dynamic culture of science learning, it has a great social implication as it advocates equity, access and opportunity for young tinkerers, especially for the underprivileged. Through ATL, schools, teachers and students across India have got connected with each other in an atmosphere of healthy competition. It will strengthen the development of science and tinkering culture at government schools. Tinkering leads to discovery learning. It’s better to Tinker than to get bored.

(The writers are, respectively, Deputy Adviser (Education), NITI Aayog, New Delhi, and a postgraduate from Delhi University, who works in the area of science and mathematics education.)