Chitra Natarajan

Professor Chitra Natarajan (1954-2015)

Retired as: Professor (H), & Dean, Faculty of Science Education

 Research interests:

• Research in issues related to science education and science, technology and society (STS) at school and post-school levels.
• Research on issues in technology education at school level
  • Using posters to elicit students' ideas about science and technology
  • Surveys of urban and rural middle school students' (Std. VI and VIII) ideas and teachers' ideas of science and technology
  • Development of appropriate middle school design and technology education modules for multicultural settings
  • Preliminary trials of the module among urban and rural school students
• Issues of legitimising multiple modes of expression in the classroom

  Developmental projects:

  • An exhibition on Science, Technology and Society for Sustainable Living, 12 themes on 12 panels
  • Activity based foundation curriculum on STS: a series of 8 books
  • Posters (8 posters): Water: A precious Resource
  • Co-ordinator, HBCSE - AEES collaborative project on Middle School Science Education Improvement Programme:
    • development of tests and examinations, and question bank
    • orientation of teachers in activity-based teaching of S&T in Std. VI, and
    • development of activity books to support the Std. VI S&T textbook of NCERT

Area of Interest:

• Curricular issues
  
• Science Education
• Design and Technology Education
• Health and Environment Education
• Science, Technology and Society Studies
  
• Sociocultural and Gender Studies

Curricular Books:

Please visit the link for Series of Books on Foundation Curriculum

Publications:

Natarajan, C. (2012). Designing Technology Education beyond know-how or know-why. In "Towards Effective Teaching and Meaningful Learning in Mathematics, Science and Technology", Proceedings of ISTE International Conference on Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, South Africa, Oct 2011.

Chunawala, S. and Natarajan C. (2012). A Study of Policies Related to Science Education for Diversity in India. In "Towards Effective Teaching and Meaningful Learning in Mathematics, Science and Technology", Proceedings of ISTE International Conference on Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, South Africa, Oct 2011.

Ara, F., Chunawala, S and Natarajan C. (2011). A Study Investigating Indian Middle School Students Ideas of Design and Designers. Design and Technology Education: An International Journal, 16.3, 64-73. Online first- http://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/ojs/index.php/DATE/article/view/1676/1571

Ara, F., Natarajan, C., & Chunawala, S. (2011). Students as Users and Designers: Product Evaluation and Redesign by Indian Middle School Students. In S. Chunawala & M. Kharatmal (Eds.). Proceedings of epiSTEME 4 -- International Conference to Review Research on Science, Technology and Mathematics Education. India: Macmillan.

Shastri, V., Khunyakari, R., Chunawala, S. & Natarajan, C. (2011). Thinking Through Design: Teachers Explore a Design and Make Task. (2011). In S. Chunawala & M. Kharatmal (Eds.). Proceedings of epiSTEME 4 -- International Conference to Review Research on Science, Technology and Mathematics Education. India: Macmillan.

• Khunyakari, R., Mehrotra, S, Chunawala, S. and Natarajan, C. (2010) Implementing D&T education in Indian middle schools: Lessons from trials International Conference on ''Designing for children'- with focus on 'play' and 'learn'' at Industrial Design Centre, IIT, Mumbai, Feb 2-6, 2010. (Published online only) http://www.designingforchildren.net/papers/ritesh-khunyakari-designingforchildren.pdf

• Natarajan, C. (2009). Design and Technology: An Emergent School Subject. In K. Subramaniam and A. Mazumdar (Eds.). Proceedings epiSTEME-3: An International Conference to Review Research in Science, Technology and Mathematics Education. Mumbai: Macmillan Publishers India Ltd.

Natarajan C. and Chunawala S. (2009) Technology and Vocational Education in India, in Alister Jones and Marc de Vries (Eds) International Handbook of Research and Development in Technology Education, The Netherlands: Sense Pub.

Ara, F., Natarajan, C. and Chunawala, S. (2009). A Study Exploring the Strategies Utilised by Indian Middle-School Students in Identifying Unfamiliar Artefacts. Design and Technology Education: An International Journal, 14.3, 47-57.

Mehrotra, S., Khunyakari, R., Natarajan, C., & Chunawala, S. (2009). Collaborative learning in technology education: D&T unit on puppetry in different Indian socio-cultural contexts International Journal of Design and Technology Education, DOI 10.1007/s10798-007-9037-1.

• Khunyakari, R., Mehrotra, S., Chunawala, S. and Natarajan, C. (2009). Studying Indian middle school students' attitudes towards technology. In K. Subramaniam and A. Mazumdar (Eds.). Proceedings epiSTEME-3: An International Conference to Review Research in Science, Technology and Mathematics Education. Mumbai: Macmillan Publishers India Ltd.
• 
  
• Mehrotra, S., Khunyakari, R., Chunawala, S. and Natarajan, C. (2009). Evidences of learning through collaboration in design and technology tasks in Indian classrooms.  In K. Subramaniam and A. Mazumdar (Eds.). Proceedings epiSTEME-3: An International Conference to Review Research in Science, Technology and Mathematics Education. Mumbai: Macmillan Publishers India Ltd.

Ara, F., Khunyakari, R and Natarajan, C. (2007). A study of middle school students' depictions of routes based on verbal descriptions and cues. In Chitra Natarajan & Beena Choksi (Eds.). Proceedings epiSTEME-2: International conference to review research on Science, Technology and Mathematics Education, Mumbai, India, February 12-15, 2007, pp 141-145.

• Khunyakari, R., Chunawala, S. and Natarajan, C. (2007), (paper accepted). Comparison of depictions by middle school students elicited in different contexts. In Pupils' Attitudes Towards Technology (PATT-18) to be held at Glasgow, UK.
• Mehrotra, S., Khunyakari, R., Natarajan, C. and Chunawala, S. (2007). Dialogues in formal communication: A study of students' talk in a D&T unit in India. In Chitra Natarajan & Beena Choksi (Eds.). Proceedings epiSTEME-2: International conference to review research on Science, Technology and Mathematics Education, Mumbai, India, February 12-15, 2007, pp 73-78.
• Mehrotra, S., Khunyakari, R., Chunawala, S. and Natarajan, C. (2007) (paper accepted). Using pictures and interviews to elicit Indian students' understanding of technology. In Pupils' Attitudes Towards Technology (PATT-18) to be held at Glasgow, UK, July.

• Khunyakari, R, Mehrotra, S., Natarajan, C. and Chunawala, S. (2006). Designing design tasks for Indian classrooms. In Marc J de Vries and Ilja Mottier (Eds.). Research for standards-based technology education. Proceedings PATT-16, Baltimore, March 2006.
• Khunyakari, R. P., Mehrotra, S., Chunawala, S. and Natarajan, C. (2006) Design and Technology Productions Among Middle School Students: An Indian Experience In Volk, Kenneth (Ed.) Articulating Technology Education in a Global Community. Proceedings of the International Conference on Technology Education in the Asia Pacific Region, January 05-07, 2006, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, pp63-73.Mehrotra, S., Khunyakari, R. P., Natarajan, C. and Chunawala, S. (2006) Learning Technology Through Collaboration: D&T unit for Boys and Girls in Different Indian Socio-cultural Contexts.

In Volk, Kenneth (Ed.) Articulating Technology Education in a Global Community. Proceedings of the International Conference on Technology Education in the Asia Pacific Region, January 05-07, 2006, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, pp280-290.

 Chunawala,  S., Natarajan, C., and Ramadas, J. (1999). Indian Students' Ideas about Living and Non-living: a cross cultural study, IOSTE- 9, Symposium of the International Organisation of Science and Technology Education, Durban, South Africa, pages 96-1 04,June 24 to July 2, 1999.

One day seminar: Road ahead in Science, Technology and Mathematics Education in India

(The seminar was in memory of Late Prof. Chitra Natarajan, former Dean, HBCSE. It will be followed by a function to release the book "Embracing lives, Chasing passions : Memoirs of Chitra Natarajan")

Date: 14th October 2015
Venue: V.G.K. Memorial Auditorium, HBCSE, Mumbai