Nurturing Minds for Tomorrow

This book throws light on the cultural situatedness of education, the understanding of which enables the attainment of sustainable development goals for education. It is aimed at sharpening the core decision-making skills of teachers, leaders, curriculum designers, policymakers and teacher educators by placing a strong emphasis on theories, concepts and sociocultural perspectives on education and sustainable development goals (SDGs). This volume empowers readers to be equipped for a collective future that might be volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous, owing to the numerous challenges posed by technological advancements, natural calamities and warfare. These external influences often seep into classrooms through the lived experiences of teachers, students, leaders and the cultural norms of educational institutions. The book uses concrete examples of thinking and practice across the spectrum of education and training sectors, both formal and informal, in handling emerging challenges. Written in an engaging conversational style, this book makes complex topics accessible to prospective teachers as well as seasoned school leaders. It will be useful to academics, researchers, postgraduates and students of education, anthropology, psychology and training. It will also be of interest to policy developers and government agencies who are engaged with the drafting of policies on SDGs.

Bharati Baveja is a distinguished scholar in the fields of cognitive psychology and pedagogy, with a career spanning nearly four decades of research and institutional leadership. She formerly served as Dean and Head of the Faculty of Education and Director of the Women's Studies and Development Centre at the University of Delhi. Initially trained in the life sciences (zoology), she brings a unique interdisciplinary lens to education. Her work synthesises cognitive psychology with socio-cultural and biological perspectives, offering a profound understanding of how biological foundations and cultural contexts intersect in the learning and development processes. An awardee of the British Technical Cooperation Scholarship (1983-1984), her academic outlook is shaped by both Eastern pedagogical traditions and global psychological frameworks. Garima Bansal is an inspiring educationist, researcher and visionary leader in science education, curriculum design and teacher professional development. With a doctoral grounding from the University of Delhi, she has nurtured educators across universities, schools and national institutions. Formerly Head of Professional Learning at the Australian Council for Educational Research (India), she led transformative teacher learning initiatives and research collaborations. A recipient of prestigious international scholarships and fellowships across the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa, she is a published author and global scholar who blends inquirybased pedagogy with compassionate leadership - igniting classrooms with evidence-informed practice and hope.

List of Figures x List of Tables xii About the Editors xiii List of Contributors xiv Foreword xix Preface xx Acknowledgements xxi List of Abbreviations xxii Introduction 1 BHARATI BAVEJA PART A Biological Imperatives and the Socio-Cultural Context of Learning 17 1 A Kind Beginning: Unfolding Human Nature Through the Lens of Childhood Prosociality 19 REKHA BHASKAR 2 Everyday Cultural Experiences of Munda Tribe Children and Their Participation in Formal Education 35 TANU SHIKHA ARYA 3 A Cross-Cultural Comparison Between South Africa and India: Perspectives on Inquiry-Based School Science Learning 50 UMESH RAMNARAIN AND GARIMA BANSAL 4 Learning Ecology of Urban Middle-Class Children 65 RAVNEET KAUR PART B Receptivity to Alternative Epistemologies 77 5 Reclaiming Wholeness in Education - Epistemic, Ethical, and Embodied Knowing: An Indian Knowledge System- Based Alternative to Western Educational Frameworks 79 ANAND KRISHNASWAMY 6 Indian Knowledge Systems in the Science Classroom: Teachers' Understanding and the Way Forward 96 MAMTA SINGHAL 7 Finding Freedom From FOSS: Insights From Urban Elementary Teachers on an Ambitious Science Teaching Professional Learning Community Experience 115 KATHERINE RICHARDSON BRUNA, STEPHANIE SCHNEIDER, AND LYRIC BARTHOLOMAY 8 From Conceptual to Performative Blending: An Enactive Cognition Framework to Systematically Bridge the Gap Between Curricula and Scientific Practice 131 K. K. MASHOOD, JOSEPH SALVE, PRANSHI UPADHYAY, PRIYADHARSHNI ELANGAIVENDAN, AND SANJAY CHANDRASEKHARAN PART C Pedagogy as a Bridge From Curriculum to Lived Reality 155 9 Making Learning Meaningful: A Socio-Cultural Approach to Teaching Social Science 157 RISHABH KUMAR MISHRA 10 Beyond Decontextualized Learning: A Psychological Tools Theory Lens to Middle-School Science Education 170 JYOTI RAINA 11 Inclusive Pedagogies for a Sustainable Tomorrow: Teachers' Perspectives and Practices of Scaffolding 182 ASHU KAPOOR 12 Contextualizing Pedagogy: Leveraging Storytelling for Understanding Basic Astronomy 198 SHRUTI CHOPRA AND ABHISHREYA SASAN PART D Equity and Technology 217 13 Reimagining Learner-Centred Education for Sustainability in India: A Perspective Grounded in Epistemic (In)Justice 219 MANASA N. MAHESH 14 Culturally Responsive Assessment for Foundational Learning in India: From Principles to Practice and SDG 4.1.1 Reporting 236 POOJA NAGPAL 15 Empowering Marginalized Voices: AI Literacy as a Tool for Emancipation in K-12 Borderland Spaces 255 LIU WENPANG, GOH YING SOON, SUYAN ZHANG, YIMING CHEN, XIAOSHENG ZHOU, AND GAO MANMAN 16 Bridging the Digital Divide: Socio-Cultural Perspectives on STEM Education in India's Borderland Schools 273 REKHA KOUL AND RACHEL SHEFFIELD Index 290