Niranjan Casinader

PhD BAHons GDipEd(Melb) MEd (Monash) FACEL(Vic) MACE

Originally trained as a geographer, I worked as a teacher and educational leader in secondary schools and international education for many years before moving into tertiary education, being recognized professionally for my work as an educator in Australia and internationally. My tertiary leadership experience has included being (Acting) Director Initial Teacher Education Programs and Course Leader for Primary and Secondary Education (under- and postgraduate).

My current research is focused on three principal strands: the impact of transnationalism and globalisation in education, particularly in relation to the influence of culture on curriculum, pedagogy and thinking; the teaching of Geography and other Humanities subjects in schools, with a particular interest in inquiry-based teaching and transdisciplinary thinking; and the role of education in British colonial policy and practice, with a special focus on its relevance to contemporary society.

I have published widely on culture, transnationalism and education, including three books - Culture, Transnational Education and Thinking: Case Studies in Global Schooling (Routledge, 2014); Transnationalism, Education and Empowerment: latent legacies of Empire (Routledge 2017); and Transculturalism and Teacher Capacity: Professional Readiness in the Globalised Age (Routledge 2020). I also write on on geographical education and inquiry teaching & learning ( including "Inquiry based teaching and learning across disciplines: Comparative theory and practice in schools", with Gillian Kidman: Palgrave, 2017)

My current research projects are concerned with:
(a) the building and evaluation of the transcultural capacity of teachers, with particular reference to their employability in a globalised educational environment and ability to teach cultural understanding at a time of global social turbulence
(b) the nature of cultural education in schools, with particular emphasis on the role of geographical education.; and
(c) inquiry-based teaching and learning across the disciplines.

I am currently undertaking an international study of teacher knowledge and expertise in cultural education, inquiry teaching & learning, and problem solving. The first analysis from this long term project was published in Transculturalism and Teacher Capacity: Professional Readiness in the Globalised Age (Routledge 2020).