Dr Amina Charania | Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Dr Amina Charania

Associate Professor,
Mumbai Campus, Centre of Excellence in Teacher Education

Qualification

Ph.D. Education,
M.Sc. Human Development,
M.Sc. Home Science (Human Development),
B.A. Psychology

Contact

amina.charania[at]tiss[dot]edu

amina.charania@tiss.edu

Amina has a doctoral degree from Iowa State University in Education. She initiated and led the initiative called Integrated approach to Technology in Education (ITE), at Tata Trusts. ITE offers a pedagogic framework for authentic and connected learning which is integrated with the curriculum. ITE currently caters to over 30 thousand students from socially marginalized pockets in India. She also leads the Teacher Professional Development cell of the Connected Learning Initiative at TISS, which is a joint project with MIT. Over the years, she has gathered first-hand experience from the rural middle and secondary schools. This has guided her research work in the area of integrating ICT for enabling constructivist approaches in teaching and learning, and models of continuous professional development for government school teachers. In addition, her experience of working with multiple platforms across government run schools, community learning centers, and madrasas, has culminated into multiple research interests. Currently she is also researching on teaching strategies and TPD using Digital Badges in COVID Lockdown Period.

Teacher Professional Development, pedagogy and classroom processes, Constructivist approaches to teaching and leanring with ICT, Learners as producers of artefacts-digital agency.

Publications/articles

Charania, A. Bakshani, U., Paltiwale, S., Kaur, I. &Nasrin, N. (2021). Constructivist teaching and learning with technologies in the COVID-19 lockdown in Eastern India. British Journal of Educational Technology. May 2021, https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bjet.13111

Prestridge, S., Jacobsen, M.,,Mulla, S., Paredes, S. &Charania, A. (2021). New alignments for the digital age: insights into connected learning. Educ Technolgy Research & Development. Feb 9;1-16. doi: 10.1007/s11423-021-09968-

Charania, A., SIngh, R., Borthakur, K., Ansari, S., Halsana, M., Kaur, I., Bakshani, U. &Basak, S. (2020). Use of ICT for Active Teaching and Learning in the Indian Government Secondary Schools during lockdown 2020. Teaching, Technology, and Teacher Education During the COvid-19 Pandemic: Stories from the field. Association for the advancement of computing in education (AACE)

Paltiwale S., Sarkar D., Charania A. (2020) Use of Community of Practice for In-Service Government Teachers in Professional Development. In: Brinda T., Passey D., Keane T. (eds) Empowering Teaching for Digital Equity and Agency. OCCE 2020. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, vol 595. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59847-1_8

Kato, Y. &Charania, A. (2020). How to Integrate Photovoice and Multiple Participatory Methods Lessons Learned from Collaborating with Tribal Youth in India to Explore their Surrounding Environment. In the The Routledge Handbook of Designing Public Spaces for Young People. Routledge, ISBN: 9780429505614

Charania, A.,S. Nagrale, S., R. Singh, R., Avadhanam, R., & Kaur, I. (2019). Assessing ict enabled learning artifacts through rubrics in Eastern India. - ICERI2019 Proceedings, ISBN: 978-84-09-14755-7

Charania, A (2018). ICT in Education: Indicators for Meaningful Integration in Government Schools. Learning Curve, Issue 30.

Lewin, C. & Charania, A. (2018). Bridging Formal and Informal Learning through Technology in the 21st Century: Issues and Challenges (In printing). Second Handbook of Information Technology in Primary and Secondary Education, Springer.

Lewin, C., Kwok-Wing Lai, Bergen, H., Charania, A., GabinNtebutse, J., Quinn, B., Roger Sherman, R. &Smith, D. (2018). Integrating Academic and Everyday Learning Through Technology: Issues and Challenges for Researchers, Policy Makers and Practitioners. Technology, Knowledge and Learning 23(3): 391-407

Davis, N., Leahy, M., Charania, A., Nordin, H., Orlic, D., Lewin, C. & Lopez, O. (2016). Global Learn 2016 Proceedings, AACE.

Charania, A., & Davis, N. (2016). A Smart Partnership: Integrating Educational Technology for Underserved Children in India. Educational Technology & Society, 19 (3), 99–109.

Leahy, M., Davis, N., Lewin, C., Charania, A., Nordin, H., Orlič, D., Butler, D., & Lopez-Fernadez, O. (2016). Smart Partnerships to Increase Equity in Education. Educational Technology & Society, 19 (3), 84–98.

Charania, A. (2016). Using 'Blended Learning' To Reform The Education System. Huffington Post.

Davis, N., Roblyer, M., Charania, A. & Ferdig, R. (2007) Illustrating the “Virtual” in Virtual Schooling: Challenges and Strategies for Creating Real Tools to Prepare Virtual Teachers. Internet in Higher Education, 10 (1)

Greder, K. & Charania, A. (2004). Entertainment Media Violence: Roles for Extension Professionals [Electronic Version]. Journal of Extension, 42 (5)

As Project Leader

Digital Badges for teachers in Assam and West Bengal, Open University UK, 2020-2021

ITE, TPD and Research, Supported by Tata Trusts, 2012-2021

ITE, Impact in COVID period, 2020-2021

Assessing ICT practices in Tibetan Schools, Central Tibetan Administration, 2017

Other Research Projects

Connected Learning Initiative, designing research tools assessing impact on teachers. 2016-2017
Internal Evaluation of the Federal Project: Teacher Education Goes Into Virtual Schooling Iowa State University. USA 005-2010
Iowa Centenarian study. Iowa State University, USA 2004-2005
Validating Geriatric Depression Scale. Iowa State University, USA 2003-2004
Media Violence, Families Extension, Iowa State University 2002-2003
Youths’ perception on religion and their identity.Tariqua and religious education Board, India. 1995-1996

2019 till date: ICT and New Media in Education: MA -Education, B.Ed/M.Ed

2019 TISS, MPhil PhD, Advances in ICT and Education

2017-19, TISS, MAEE Human Development Theories

2016 TISS, MAEE course ICT and Education, blended mode

2017 onwards: Certiifcte course on ICT and Education for School Teachers and DOET faculty

2015: IIM, Udaipur. Guest lecturer for trends in India education, education for minorities and education technology.

2003-2005: C I 201 Introduction to Instructional Technology, Curriculum and Instruction, Iowa State University

2002-2003; Teacher trainee, pre-school Palmer Child Lab, Iowa State University

1997-1998: Child Development and Classroom Management courses to preservice teachers, Mobile Crèches, course affiliated to SNDT University

1995-1996: Teacher trainee at Carmel Convent, Mumbai

1993-1998: Teacher upper primary level at Aga Khan religious school

1990-1992: Teacher trainee at kindergarten at Aga Khan religious night school