Teaching first-year students in architecture college in the
first semester is very exciting. The students are full of energy,
surprise and curiosity in their eyes and minds. They are ready
to absorb new ideas, information and methods. One of the
most engaging activities is brainstorming sessions and the
critical thinking methods taught in the first year. When they
enter architecture college, almost all of them have done
their higher secondary education in the science stream. The
Indian education system at the 12th level is quite competitive
for students. Most of them attend tuition classes, and life
is stressful for them till the end of exams. And then there
is a huge break for almost three months of vacations, a lull
period of waiting for the results mostly spent binge-watching
series or playing video games. But what is lacking is physical
and mental stimulation Therefore, when they enter college-
level education, we introduce brainstorming sessions and
various methods for intellectual skill development. School
education is designed towards rote learning and getting the
correct answers and does not necessarily encourage creative
thought. The students are trained in vertical thinking, which
can be quite restricting in terms of creativity.