She joined Navrachana University as Assistant Professor in July 2011. A career span of 22 years has assignments as Research/Project Fellow and ten years as Teacher Educator (2001-2004; 2004-2011) at The M S University of Baroda, Vadodara and Navrachana College of Education. Prior to this was the appointment as Head of School for eight years (1990-1998) at Navi Mumbai.
Vandana Talegaonkar did her PhD from The Centre of Advanced Study In Education, The Maharaja Sayaji Rao University of Baroda. Her thesis is titled “Concept, Process and Influence of Academic Culture In School.” She has an International Diploma for Teachers and Trainers from The University of Cambridge. She also did her Masters in Education from MSU, Baroda. Her Masters Thesis is titled “A Study of the Effectiveness of Intervention on English Interlanguage of Students of Standard VII of Baroda City”.
Dr.Vandana Talegaonkar’s research interests are Pedagogy Policy, Cultural Politics of Learning, Qualitative Research Methodologies, Ethnography and Eventualisation, Foucault and Education, Constructivism, Blended Learning, Comparative Education Policy, Ontology of School, Everyday life in School, Urban School and Urban Pedagogy. Drawing from the doctoral study, she is currently working on the contestations in the school as an institution. Exploring pedagogic interventions, she is engaged in the study of pedagogy for behaviour modification under the project “Inculcation of Culture of Cleanliness Among School Students”. Research projects completed are “Professional Development for Technology Integrated Teaching” and; “Effectiveness of a longer teaching period in school”.
Her areas of work are liberal arts and education, specifically Gender, Poverty and Education; Teacher Education and; Professional Development of Teacher. She designs curriculum and teaches sociology and cultural anthropology for professional programs. She offers a rich understanding of education and school education gained through the field practices and academia which is thoughtfully woven into the Teacher Education curriculum. She specializes in pedagogy for language teaching at the Teacher Education Programs. As convener of curriculum for Teacher Education (B.Ed., M.Ed. and Post graduate Diploma in ECCE) for two years, she has conceptualized and designed curriculum for contemporary teachers. Significant responsibilities in this direction are Member, Committee for Standardization of B.Ed. curriculum across Gujarat State; Professional Development of principals of secondary schools of Brihan Mumbai Nagarpalika, Mumbai (UNICEF & Government of Maharashtra project) and; Consultant for inculcation of life skills in school curriculum. She has facilitated discussions on appropriateness of the integration of the life skills in the content of the textbooks. Stakeholders: Members from Maharashtra State textbook bureau, Professor of Education, State Council for Education, Research and Training (SCERT).
As academic administrator has managed stakeholders in education and strengthened institutional networking through programs and partnerships.
Talegaonkar, V. Developing a Professional Development Programme for Teachers for Technology Integrated Teaching, INTEL MONOGRAPH: Research Studies on the impact of ICT in Education: FosteringExcellence through innovation (ed) Louis Vernal, August 2009
