Ritesh Khunyakari

 

Publications:

Book/ In Book

  • Mehrotra Swati and Khunyakari Ritesh (2007) Puppetry as a technology education unit. In Marc de Vries, et al (eds.) Analyzing Best Practices in Technology Education. Sense Publishers, 107 – 122.

Journals

  • Mehrotra, S., Khunyakari, R., Natarajan, C. and Chunawala, S. (2009) Collaborative learning in technology education: D&T unit on puppetry in different Indian socio-cultural contexts. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 19,1-14.

  • Khunyakari, R., Mehrotra, S., Chunawala, S. and Natarajan, C. (2007) Design and technology productions among middle school students: an Indian experience. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 17, 5 – 22.

Conference and symposia proceedings

  • Khunyakari, R., Mehrotra, S., Chunawala, S. and Natarajan, C. (accepted) Implementing D&T Education in Indian Middle Schools: Lessons from trials. In “Designing for Children”: An International Conference at IDC, IIT Powai, Mumbai, Feb 02-06, 2010.

  • Khunyakari, R., Sarangapani, P. And Khanna, S. (accepted) Bringing Design into the Indian School Curriculum: Experiences and insights from a designers-teachers workshop. Ibid.

  • Khunyakari, R., Mehrotra, S., Chunawala, S. and Natarajan, C. (2009) Studying Indian middle school students' attitudes towards technology. In K. Subramaniam & A. Mazumdar (Eds.). Proceedings epiSTEME-3: An International Conference to Review Research in Science, Technology and Mathematics Education, HBCSE, India, January 5-9, 2009, pp 81-87. Macmillan Publishers India Ltd.

  • Gandhimathy, S., Khunyakari, R., and Natarajan, C. (2009) Middle school students’ knowledge about static and dynamic artefacts studied through their drawings and descriptions. Ibid, pp 101-107.

  • Khunyakari, R., Mehrotra, S., Chunawala, S. and Natarajan, C. (2007) Cognitive richness of the design and make activities. Paper presented at the National Conference on Science Education, organised jointly by the Atomic Energy Education Society, Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education and Centre for Technology and Development, India, Dec 11-15.

  • Ara, F., Khunyakari, R., and Natarajan, C. (2007) A study of middle school students' depictions of routes based on verbal descriptions and cues. In C. Natarajan & B. Choksi (Eds.). Proceedings epiSTEME-2: International Conference to Review Research in Science, Technology and Mathematics Education, HBCSE, India, February 12-15, 2007, pp 141-145, Macmillan Publishers India Ltd.

  • Gandhimathy, S., Khunyakari, R and Natarajan, C. (2007) Middle school students' depictions of static and dynamic objects and assemblies based on verbal descriptions and cues. Ibid pp 146-151.

  • Khunyakari, R., Mehrotra, S., Chunawala, S. and Natarajan, C. (2007) Cognition in action in Design and Technology units among middle school students. Ibid, pp 126-131.

  • Khunyakari R., Chunawala S. and Natarajan C. (2007) Comparison of depictions by middle school students elicited in different contexts. In J. R. Dakers, W. J. Dow and M. J. de Vries (Eds.) Proceedings of PATT 18 – International Conference on Design and Technology Education Research: Teaching and Learning Technological Literacy in the Classroom, pp 392–399

  • Mehrotra, S., Khunyakari, R., Chunawala, S. and Natarajan C. (2007) Using pictures and interviews to elicit Indian students' understanding of technology. Ibid pp 152–161.

  • Khunyakari R., Mehrotra S., Natarajan C. and Chunawala S. (2006) Designing design tasks for Indian classrooms. In Marc de Vries & Ilja Mottier (Eds.) Proceedings of PATT-16 Proceedings of PATT 16 Conference: Conference Research for Standards-based technology education, 68th ITEA–16th PATT joint conferences at Baltimore, USA.

  • Khunyakari, R., Mehrotra, S., Chunawala, S., and Natarajan, C. (2004) Design as drawings: Analyzing drawings of middle school students in technology education tasks. In Proceedings epiSTEME-1: International Conference to Review Research in Science, Technology and Mathematics Education, pp 62 – 63.

  • Khunyakari, R., Mehrotra, S., Natarajan, C., Chunawala, S. (2003) Ideas about “technology” among middle school students in Mumbai – preliminary analysis of a survey. In International Symposium on Social production of knowledge through diversity of expressive modes, multiple literacies and bi(multi)lingual relationships at J. P. Naik Centre for Education and Development, Indian Institute of Education, Pune, 05 – 07 March.

Technical reports

  • Helped document the NID-TISS workshop on “Design in Curriculum” held at TISS, Mumbai during Nov 22 – 25, 2008.

  • Mehrotra Swati, Khunyakari Ritesh, Chunawala Sugra and Natarajan Chitra (2003) Using Posters to Understand Students’ Ideas about Science and Technology Technical Report No. 1, 2002-03, HBCSE, February 2003.

  • Banerjee Rakhi, Mehrotra Swati and Khunyakari Ritesh (Eds.) (2002) Science Writing: Report on a course by Prof. H. C. Pradhan, Technical Report No. 6, 2001-02, HBCSE.

Activities

In Science Education

  • Gave a talk “Towards an understanding of educational research” to YCMOU students studying the M.A, M.Phil and Ph.D. Courses, who visited HBCSE study centre; was part of another session on feedback for students presenting their thesis proposal (Aug 2009).

  • Resource person for orientation lectures for school students (Classes 6 to 9) participating in Homi Bhabha Bal Vaidyanik (Young Scientists') Award from the Greater Mumbai region. Programme was co-ordinated by Vidynan Parishad, Navi Mumbai (2007, 2008 and 2009).

  • Resource person for a two-day brainstorming workshop generating technology projects for Classes 11 and 12. The programme organised by Credence Media Solutions and funded by National Council of Science and Technology Communication of Dept. of Science and Technology, Govt of India led to Hum Honge Kamyaab, a 13 episode television serial broadcasted on the national network (2005).

  • Organised a poster competition for students from Classes 6 to 9 on “Images of Science” and “Images of Technology”, during the National Science Day event in 2002. Findings from the analysis of the posters have been reported (see Technical Report No.1 2002-03).

  • Contributed as a resource person for the workshops on language pedagogy for upper primary (May 2002) and secondary (Nov 2002) school English teachers of Ashramshaalas (tribal schools) in Nashik and Thane.

  • Developed a unit through classroom trials on Life-skills (e.g. co-operation, honesty, caring, problem-solving) for Class 3 students as part of the social science curriculum being developed at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (2001-02).

  • Participated in the National Talent Search activities of the collaborative AEES-HBCSE Community Development Project (2001-2010).

 

In Biology and Biology Education

  • Involved in planning, standardizing and setting up 8 laboratory experiments for the IJSO 2009 camps, both in the last round of selection examinations (July 24 to Aug 08) as well as for the pre-departure camp (Nov 21 to 30). Planning and preparation for these laboratory experiments has been a continuous process.

  • Involved in organising and conducting a Teacher training programme for secondary school biology teachers as a part of the BASE-HBCSE collaborative activity (May 18 to June 16). The programme included seminars, practicals and visit to museums. I gave 2 talks, conducted the practical sessions alongwith short interactive sessions with teachers.

  • Resource person for a workshop withschool biology teachers. Presented on the theme “Classification of plants in school learning” at the Exploratory, Pune (Jan 2004).

  • Worked on a project, “To develop tissue culture techniques for rapid multiplication of endangered medicinal plants” at the National Chemical Laboratory, Pune. The medicinal plants were Chlorophytum borivilianum, Commiphora wrightii and Saraca asoca (May - July 2001).

  • Conducted research on “Somatic Embryogenesis of Indian Durum Wheat Cultivars” under the guidance of Dr. R. J. Thengane, Botany Department, University of Pune (1999 – 2000).

  • Completed a summer training project, “Characterisation of seed storage proteins of Durum Wheat using Electrophoresis and Polymerase Chain Reaction” at the Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, under the guidance of Dr.V.S.P.Rao (1999).

  • Collaborated as an active resource person in a bio-mapping project titled, "Studies on the biodiversity of National Defence Academy (NDA) campus with special reference to vegetation monitoring" (1999).

  • Reported extended localities of Abutilon ranadei, Wood. & Stapf., a plant species supposedly endemic to Purandhar fort, Maharashtra State. The “type specimen” is deposited at the Botanical Survey of India, Western Circle, Pune (1998-99).

Organisational activities

  • Involved in conceptualizing and organising “Vigyan Vividha 2009” (Nov 12 to 14), a Festival event for students, teachers and laypeople on the occasion of the birth centennary celebration of Dr. Homi J. Bhabha.

  • Involved in the organisation the Indian Science Congress at University of Pune and exhibition of the Botany Department in the congress (Jan 2000).

  • Participated in “Plant World 2000”, an exhibition hosted by S. P. College, Pune (Dec. 31, 1999 – Jan. 3, 2000).

  • Actively involved in the organisation of Su-Darshan, the Golden Jubilee Exhibition, organised by the University of Pune (1999).