After obtaining a Diploma in Professional Studies in Education from Oxford Brookes University, UK in 2003, I started my career teaching Social Science at the school level (grades 9 to 12) and went on to teach undergraduate and postgraduate Sociology and Women’s Studies in Britain and in India. I also work with school and college level teachers and doctoral students on developing research, writing and teaching skills.
My teaching philosophy draws inspiration from the writings of Shamila Rege, bell hooks*, Carl Rogers, Paulo Freire and Mahatma Gandhi as well as my early experience as a teacher in an alternative school. I follow a facilitative approach where students’ autonomy and participation in the teaching-learning process is valued. A key goal of my teaching is to not only enhance students’ content knowledge but also enable them to acquire transferable skills. In addition I try to create opportunities for students to bring about meaningful change in their immediate environment and in the wider community.
In over fifteen years of teaching I have found that this approach enables deep learning and the development of critical thinking skills across age-groups. Primary school and high school students benefit from collaborative and participatory learning activities as much as postgraduate students and practising teachers. For a longer discussion of my teaching philosophy and an example of the process please refer to my paper, Cascading Pedagogy.
Please click on the page links below for a complete list of courses and workshops I have designed and facilitated.
* Name not capitalized as per author's preference.