Think & Make: Teen-Directed Innovation Training Scales in India

The ability to innovate and solve problems creatively is no longer a niche skill – it’s a fundamental necessity for individuals and societies to thrive in a complex world. Recognizing this imperative, the Inqui-Lab Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Hyderabad, India, is pioneering a transformative approach to education through its iterative Think & Make program. This initiative is not just about teaching science or technology, it’s about nurturing the problem-solving and innovation skills within students from under-resourced communities in India and South Asia, empowering them to become active agents of change in their own lives and beyond. Their flagship program, specifically designed for students in grades 8 and 9 – a critical juncture where academic specialization begins – offers a compelling model for teen-directed innovation training.

Think & Make: A Two-Year Journey Through Innovation

The Think & Make program is delivered through weekly 90-minute sessions, totaling 60 instructional hours over two academic years. It immerses students in a dynamic five-step innovation cycle:

1. Find: The journey begins with students identifying real-world problems within their own communities. This might involve conducting school resource audits to pinpoint sustainability issues or engaging in “walkabouts” to understand local challenges.
2. Learn: Once a problem is identified, students delve into researching existing solutions. This involves reviewing case studies of similar challenges and analyzing the effectiveness of different approaches.
3. Ideate: With a solid understanding of the problem and existing solutions, students engage in brainstorming sessions to generate their own innovative ideas. They learn to evaluate these ideas using structured rubrics, fostering critical thinking and analytical skills.
4. Make & Test: This is where ideas take physical form. Students work collaboratively to build prototypes using provided innovation kits, which often include basic circuits and sensors in the later stages. They then test these prototypes, gathering data and identifying areas for improvement.
5. Present: The final step involves students sharing their ideas and prototypes with their peers, teachers, and sometimes even the wider school community. This crucial stage allows them to articulate their thinking, receive valuable feedback, and integrate those insights for further refinement.

The curriculum itself is thoughtfully sequenced across four units – Planet, People, Design Evolutions, and Smarter Everyday – each spanning 8-10 sessions and grounded in this consistent innovation cycle. The first year focuses on building foundational skills, nurturing students’ ability to identify challenges, investigate root causes using structured tools, and gain confidence in a step-by-step problem-solving methodology. The second year elevates the challenge, expecting students to demonstrate greater autonomy, take full ownership of the innovation process, and design solutions that integrate sensor technologies to address real-world problems. 

The progression from analyzing existing technologies to designing and testing their own sensor-based prototypes showcases a deliberate scaffolding of learning.

A key aspect of the Think & Make program is its facilitation model. It goes far beyond simple content sharing. Trained student leaders support each classroom, encouraging critical thinking and fostering a collaborative environment. This peer-driven approach, where students learn from and with each other, is a powerful element in building both skills and confidence. Furthermore, the program’s adaptability is evident in its facilitation model, which includes non-residential bootcamp training to equip facilitators with the necessary skills to guide this unique learning experience.

Evidence of Impact: Measurable Gains in Higher-Order Skills

Inqui-Lab has collaborated with multiple state governments in India, reaching 1.1 million students across over 70,000 schools. This massive outreach has already sparked over 100,000 ideas from young minds aimed at tackling problems within their local communities. 

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Think & Make conducted by researchers from Columbia and Stanford provided compelling evidence of the program’s effectiveness in building crucial higher-order skills like innovative ability, problem-solving, and fluid intelligence. The primary outcome of interest was innovative ability, encompassing strategic exploration, idea generation, and applied problem-solving. The study revealed statistically significant improvements in both problem-solving and fluid intelligence among participating students. 

Specifically, treatment students demonstrated a stronger tendency to explore multiple options early in the decision-making process, scoring higher on an “Exploration Index.” More impressively, they were significantly more likely to be classified as “Systematic Innovators” – those who not only explored a wide range of possibilities but also successfully identified high-value strategies. These findings strongly suggest that structured innovation education, like the Think & Make program, can effectively develop the abstract reasoning and problem-solving skills that are crucial for innovation.

Interestingly, the research also highlighted gender-based differences. Girls’ teams consistently produced higher quality innovations compared to boys’ teams, and thematic preferences also emerged, with girls often focusing on social issues while boys leaned towards environmental and infrastructure domains. Moreover, the data indicated that girls experienced larger positive effects from the program across most innovation and cognitive outcomes. This nuanced understanding of the program’s impact across different demographics is invaluable for further refinement and ensuring equitable outcomes.

Inqui-Lab Cofounder, Eshwar Bandi noted that students at all levels of learning, especially those who are considered “academically low performers,” are able to build higher order skills. “Students who were below the median in Math during baseline showed more growth in exploration and tinkering, and were better positioned to be systematic innovators than students who were above the median during baseline. This is very important since it established that learning is not a linear process; we can nurture higher-order thinking along with foundational skills.” 

As advisor Eileen Rudden noted, the Inqui-Lab model is of significant interest from both an instructional design and a measurement perspective. The structured innovation cycle, the peer-driven facilitation, and the focus on real-world problem-solving offer valuable insights for educators worldwide. And, while the RCT study results were strong, the Inqui-Lab has moved to a new and improved model which they are piloting.

US Models of Innovation Education 

In the United States, there are a handful of examples of early secondary innovation education. These schools and programs include: 

• LEAD Innovation Studio, Park Hill School District (in north Kansas City), is an innovative project-based high school that features a 9th grade class in leadership and design thinking (see feature).
• Design Tech High, on the Oracle campus in Redwood City, features a 9th grade class in design thinking and prototyping (see feature).  
• NFTE Biz Camp is a flexible grade 6-12 program that includes 40-60 hours of instruction. Students use the Lean Business Model Canvas to create an original
  business plan and pitch for competition and local recognition.
• StartEdUp Foundation hosts a statewide student pitch competition and teacher fellowship in Indiana (see podcast).   
• Uncharted Learning offers a middle school entrepreneurship course, mxINCedu, and high school course, INCubatoredu.   

These experiences are setting learners up for success in a rapidly changing world.