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Kinnari Pandya

Areas of Interest & Expertise

  • Education: Human Development and Learning
  • Early Childhood Care and Education
  • Special Needs Education
  • Curriculum Studies
  • Teacher Education

Biography

Kinnari Pandya teaches courses in Child Development and Learning, and Early Childhood Education. She is involved in an effort to improve the Government’s Early Childhood Education system at one of the District Institutes of Azim Premji Foundation, this involves continuous on-field and research engagement.

Her interests are in Child Development, Early Childhood Education and Inclusive Education. She has been engaged in the field of education since 2006. In her earlier role at the Azim Premji Foundation, she has worked in efforts to revitalize the public education system. This has included managing a district-level effort to revise school assessment practices in Gujarat; and participating in revision of pre-service teacher-education curriculum for Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh.

She has a Master’s degree in Education (Elementary) from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai; a Master’s degree in Social Work, and a Bachelor’s degree in Science (Home) with majors in Human Development and Family Studies, both from the Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara.

Courses

Publications and writings

Journal articles, Book Chapters, popular press

  • Pandya K., Shastri J., MSR., (in press). ​“Socio-emotional Development Trends in Young Children and Role of Early Years Education”. Proceedings of the HD International Conference 2019: Human Development in a globalizing World: Perspectives from South and South- East Asia, Baroda, January 31 — February 2, 2019. Cambridge Scholars Publishing: United Kingdom.
  • Pandya K. (2019). Teacher’s role in early identification of developmental delays. Learning Curve, Issue 5. Dec 2019 (44−46). ISSN-2582 – 1644. Azim Premji University
  • Natarajan A. and Pandya K., (forthcoming)., Obesity in early childhood, Navtika, ISSN — 2348 – 8824
  • Pandya K. (2019)., Why a teacher does what she does? An analysis of a (math) teacher’s pedagogy. Teacher Plus. July 2019.
  • K., (2018)., ​“Blending Stem in Early Years Classroom”, Navtika, Vol. IX, No.3, Aug-Oct 2018, ISSN — 2348 – 8824
  • Pandya K. (2018). The National Early Childhood Care and Education Curriculum Framework 2014, and its Implications for Practice. Voices of Teachers and Teacher Educators, NCERT, 6(2), 20 – 27.
  • Pandya K. (2018, March 28). Making Change Sustainable. Deccan Herald, pp. 10, Opinion Editorial
  • Madan A., Srinivasan R., Pandya K., (2017). Parent – Child Relations: Changing Contours and Emerging Trends. In T. S. Saraswathi, S. Menon and A. Madan (Eds.) Childhoods in India: Traditions, Trends and Transformations. (pp. 109 – 130), Routledge. 
  • Pandya K. (2016), Are we doing enough to create the best learning opportunities, DNA, Nov 8, 2016
  • Redefining Early Childhood Development Profession in India: Challenges and Potential. A Report on National Conference 2016 organized by AECED, Azim Premji University and UNICEF. Bengaluru. Azim Premji University Publication
  • Pandya K. and Shastri J. (2014, May). Coming out of the Flux in special issue on Early Childhood Education. Learning Curve, XXII. 18 – 21.
  • Guest Editor to Learning Curve, XXII special issue on Early Childhood Education, May 2014
  • Review of pre-school education within the context of the ICDS program in Medak District, Andhra Pradesh, 2012 – 13 (no authorship credits, available on the website)
  • Response Analysis – A concept document, 2008 (internal document)
  • Media Publications: Script and Editing of two films – KathaVana, Folklore as a form of literature, 2014, Learning Guarantee Program concept, Azim Premji Foundation, 2008.

Conference

  • Pandya K. Panelist: Webinar: ​“NEP 2020: Vision for Curriculum & Pedagogy for the Foundational Stage” Saturday, 26th September 2020, Panel Discussion, organized by Association for Early Childhood Education and Development, Mumbai.
  • Yogesh GR, Pandya K., MSR, invited paper presentation, ​‘Strengthening the ICDS ECE Programme – A multi-modal approach’, National Conference on Research and Innovations for Quality Improvement in Early Childhood Education NCERT, March 30 – 31, 2020 (conference postponed) – full paper submitted for conference proceedings. Paper presentation on 15 – 17 July 2020
  • Shastri J., and Pandya K., Webinar on ​“Understanding Early Childhood Education”, June 19, 2020, Directorate of School Education, Puducherry
  • Pandya K., Full day workshop on ​“Language and Emergent Literacy in Early Years”, ECE Workshop for School Teachers, Azim Premji University, November 28, 2019
  • Pandya K. (2020). Invited Speaker, Online Seminar ​“Setting up and Administration of Early Childhood Centers”, Department of Early Childhood Education and Administration and Research Center, Smt. VHD Central Institute of Home Science (Autonomous), 22nd April, 2020
  • Pandya K., Shastri J., MSR., (2019). ​“Socio-emotional Development Trends in Young Children and Role of Early Years Education”. Paper presented at the International Conference on ​‘Human Development in a globalizing World: Perspectives from South and South- East Asia’, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, January 31- February 2, 2019
  • Pandya K. ​“Our Journey in Early Childhood Education”, Invited paper on Foundation’s work in ECE, June 5 – 7, 2018. Plenary presentation at Asia-Pacific Regional Network of Early Childhood (ARNEC) Conference, Kathmandu, Nepal
  • Pandya K. Sangareddy ​“Early Childhood Education Initiative – An Introduction”, February 28, 2018, Research Seminar, School of Education, Azim Premji University
  • Pandya K. and Jaggena U., ​“In-Service Professional Development of Anganwadi Teachers and ICDS Functionaries — A model for public preschool system”, Nov 21 – 22, 2017. Paper presented at National Consultation Meet on Sustainability in Context of Early Childhood Education, organized by NCERT, Delhi, India
  • Pandya K., ​“Curriculum and Pedagogy for Early Childhood Teachers”. Nov7‑8, 2016. Paper Presentation at National Conference on Redefining Early Childhood Education Profession in India: Challenges and Potential organized by Association of Early Childhood Education and Development (AECED), Azim Premji University and UNICEF.
  • Pandya K., ​“Response to the Early Childhood Care and Education proposal for the draft New Education Policy”, 27th July, 2016. Paper presented at the Symposium on the Inputs to the New Education Policy, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, India
  • Jigisha S. and Pandya K. ​“Capacity development of trainers: Transforming the early childhood environment of ICDS in India”. October 21 – 24, 2015. Poster Presentation at Asia Pacific Regional Network of Early Childhood (ARNEC), Beijing, China
  • Pandya K. ​“Enabling environment for early educators: a key to early learning among children”. December 3rd, 2014. Paper presentation at Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC), Manila, Philippines
  • Pandya K.,“BTC work in Uttarakhand”. February 2012. Poster presentation at National Conference organized by the RV Educational Consortium and DSERT, Bangalore, Karnataka
  • Pandya K., ​“Status of pre-school education component in Anganwadi centers in Medak”. August 2014. Paper presentation MANTHAN, Azim Premji University, Bangalore, Karnataka
  • Pandya K., ​“Contextualizing language learning in a multilingual classroom”. (?)2012. Paper presentation at MANTHAN, Azim Premji University, Bangalore, Bangalore, Karnataka
  • Pandya K., ​“Why does a teacher teach the way she does?” — An Analysis of a (Math) teacher’s pedagogy. August 19, 2011. Faculty Seminar, Azim Premji University, Bangalore, Karnataka