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 cognitivepsychology 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.

“Nurturing Minds for Tomorrow, edited by Professor Bharati Baveja and Dr. Garima Bansal, addresses the challenges inherent in organising education to meet the demands of today’s complex, uncertain and challenging environment. Focusing on transforming pedagogical culture in vogue, the contributions included in this volume promote the notion of ‘learning community’. Building on the insights from past research and theorisation, the volume ventures to a careful analysis of ground realities of marginalization and epistemic justice in the Indian and other contexts. The volume convincingly advances the case for a pedagogy based on social constructivism and critically explores the potential of the Indian Knowledge System as an alternative paradigm which can augment adaptive competence. Another attractive feature of the volume is that it showcases a variety of pedagogical interventions planned and implemented in various parts of the globe. Taken together, the chapters strongly suggest that education must evolve to meet the global challenges, especially those related to sustainable developmental goals. The volume is a must-read for scholars as well as policy makers concerned with education, human development and social change. It’s a welcome addition to the emerging tradition of culturally informed analysis of social and educational issues.”Girishwar MisraFormer Vice Chancellor, Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya Wardha

• List of Figures xList of Tables xiiAbout the Editors xiiiList of Contributors xivForeword xixPreface xxAcknowledgements xxiList of Abbreviations xxiiIntroduction 1BHARATI BAVEJAPART ABiological Imperatives and the Socio-Cultural Context of Learning 171 A Kind Beginning: Unfolding Human Nature Through the Lens of Childhood Prosociality 19REKHA BHASKAR2 Everyday Cultural Experiences of Munda Tribe Children and Their Participation in Formal Education 35TANU SHIKHA ARYA3 A Cross-Cultural Comparison Between South Africa and India: Perspectives on Inquiry-Based School Science Learning 50UMESH RAMNARAIN AND GARIMA BANSAL4 Learning Ecology of Urban Middle-Class Children 65RAVNEET KAURPART BReceptivity to Alternative Epistemologies 775 Reclaiming Wholeness in Education – Epistemic, Ethical,and Embodied Knowing: An Indian Knowledge System–Based Alternative to Western Educational Frameworks 79ANAND KRISHNASWAMY6 Indian Knowledge Systems in the Science Classroom:Teachers’ Understanding and the Way Forward 96MAMTA SINGHAL7 Finding Freedom From FOSS: Insights From UrbanElementary Teachers on an Ambitious Science TeachingProfessional Learning Community Experience 115KATHERINE RICHARDSON BRUNA, STEPHANIE SCHNEIDER, ANDLYRIC BARTHOLOMAY8 From Conceptual to Performative Blending: An EnactiveCognition Framework to Systematically Bridge the GapBetween Curricula and Scientific Practice 131K. K. MASHOOD, JOSEPH SALVE, PRANSHI UPADHYAY, PRIYADHARSHNI ELANGAIVENDAN, AND SANJAY CHANDRASEKHARANPART CPedagogy as a Bridge From Curriculum to Lived Reality 1559 Making Learning Meaningful: A Socio-Cultural Approach to Teaching Social Science 157RISHABH KUMAR MISHRA10 Beyond Decontextualized Learning: A Psychological Tools Theory Lens to Middle-School Science Education 170JYOTI RAINA11 Inclusive Pedagogies for a Sustainable Tomorrow: Teachers’ Perspectives and Practices of Scaffolding 182ASHU KAPOOR12 Contextualizing Pedagogy: Leveraging Storytelling for Understanding Basic Astronomy 198SHRUTI CHOPRA AND ABHISHREYA SASANPART DEquity and Technology 21713 Reimagining Learner-Centred Education for Sustainability in India: A Perspective Grounded in Epistemic (In)Justice 219MANASA N. MAHESH14 Culturally Responsive Assessment for Foundational Learning in India: From Principles to Practice and SDG4.1.1 Reporting 236POOJA NAGPAL15 Empowering Marginalized Voices: AI Literacy as a Tool for Emancipation in K–12 Borderland Spaces 255LIU WENPANG, GOH YING SOON, SUYAN ZHANG, YIMING CHEN,XIAOSHENG ZHOU, AND GAO MANMAN16 Bridging the Digital Divide: Socio-Cultural Perspectives on STEM Education in India’s Borderland Schools 273REKHA KOUL AND RACHEL SHEFFIELDIndex 290

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 cognitivepsychology 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.

“Nurturing Minds for Tomorrow, edited by Professor Bharati Baveja and Dr. Garima Bansal, addresses the challenges inherent in organising education to meet the demands of today’s complex, uncertain and challenging environment. Focusing on transforming pedagogical culture in vogue, the contributions included in this volume promote the notion of ‘learning community’. Building on the insights from past research and theorisation, the volume ventures to a careful analysis of ground realities of marginalization and epistemic justice in the Indian and other contexts. The volume convincingly advances the case for a pedagogy based on social constructivism and critically explores the potential of the Indian Knowledge System as an alternative paradigm which can augment adaptive competence. Another attractive feature of the volume is that it showcases a variety of pedagogical interventions planned and implemented in various parts of the globe. Taken together, the chapters strongly suggest that education must evolve to meet the global challenges, especially those related to sustainable developmental goals. The volume is a must-read for scholars as well as policy makers concerned with education, human development and social change. It’s a welcome addition to the emerging tradition of culturally informed analysis of social and educational issues.”Girishwar MisraFormer Vice Chancellor, Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya Wardha

• List of Figures xList of Tables xiiAbout the Editors xiiiList of Contributors xivForeword xixPreface xxAcknowledgements xxiList of Abbreviations xxiiIntroduction 1BHARATI BAVEJAPART ABiological Imperatives and the Socio-Cultural Context of Learning 171 A Kind Beginning: Unfolding Human Nature Through the Lens of Childhood Prosociality 19REKHA BHASKAR2 Everyday Cultural Experiences of Munda Tribe Children and Their Participation in Formal Education 35TANU SHIKHA ARYA3 A Cross-Cultural Comparison Between South Africa and India: Perspectives on Inquiry-Based School Science Learning 50UMESH RAMNARAIN AND GARIMA BANSAL4 Learning Ecology of Urban Middle-Class Children 65RAVNEET KAURPART BReceptivity to Alternative Epistemologies 775 Reclaiming Wholeness in Education – Epistemic, Ethical,and Embodied Knowing: An Indian Knowledge System–Based Alternative to Western Educational Frameworks 79ANAND KRISHNASWAMY6 Indian Knowledge Systems in the Science Classroom:Teachers’ Understanding and the Way Forward 96MAMTA SINGHAL7 Finding Freedom From FOSS: Insights From UrbanElementary Teachers on an Ambitious Science TeachingProfessional Learning Community Experience 115KATHERINE RICHARDSON BRUNA, STEPHANIE SCHNEIDER, ANDLYRIC BARTHOLOMAY8 From Conceptual to Performative Blending: An EnactiveCognition Framework to Systematically Bridge the GapBetween Curricula and Scientific Practice 131K. K. MASHOOD, JOSEPH SALVE, PRANSHI UPADHYAY, PRIYADHARSHNI ELANGAIVENDAN, AND SANJAY CHANDRASEKHARANPART CPedagogy as a Bridge From Curriculum to Lived Reality 1559 Making Learning Meaningful: A Socio-Cultural Approach to Teaching Social Science 157RISHABH KUMAR MISHRA10 Beyond Decontextualized Learning: A Psychological Tools Theory Lens to Middle-School Science Education 170JYOTI RAINA11 Inclusive Pedagogies for a Sustainable Tomorrow: Teachers’ Perspectives and Practices of Scaffolding 182ASHU KAPOOR12 Contextualizing Pedagogy: Leveraging Storytelling for Understanding Basic Astronomy 198SHRUTI CHOPRA AND ABHISHREYA SASANPART DEquity and Technology 21713 Reimagining Learner-Centred Education for Sustainability in India: A Perspective Grounded in Epistemic (In)Justice 219MANASA N. MAHESH14 Culturally Responsive Assessment for Foundational Learning in India: From Principles to Practice and SDG4.1.1 Reporting 236POOJA NAGPAL15 Empowering Marginalized Voices: AI Literacy as a Tool for Emancipation in K–12 Borderland Spaces 255LIU WENPANG, GOH YING SOON, SUYAN ZHANG, YIMING CHEN,XIAOSHENG ZHOU, AND GAO MANMAN16 Bridging the Digital Divide: Socio-Cultural Perspectives on STEM Education in India’s Borderland Schools 273REKHA KOUL AND RACHEL SHEFFIELDIndex 290

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 cognitivepsychology 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.

“Nurturing Minds for Tomorrow, edited by Professor Bharati Baveja and Dr. Garima Bansal, addresses the challenges inherent in organising education to meet the demands of today’s complex, uncertain and challenging environment. Focusing on transforming pedagogical culture in vogue, the contributions included in this volume promote the notion of ‘learning community’. Building on the insights from past research and theorisation, the volume ventures to a careful analysis of ground realities of marginalization and epistemic justice in the Indian and other contexts. The volume convincingly advances the case for a pedagogy based on social constructivism and critically explores the potential of the Indian Knowledge System as an alternative paradigm which can augment adaptive competence. Another attractive feature of the volume is that it showcases a variety of pedagogical interventions planned and implemented in various parts of the globe. Taken together, the chapters strongly suggest that education must evolve to meet the global challenges, especially those related to sustainable developmental goals. The volume is a must-read for scholars as well as policy makers concerned with education, human development and social change. It’s a welcome addition to the emerging tradition of culturally informed analysis of social and educational issues.”Girishwar MisraFormer Vice Chancellor, Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya Wardha

• List of Figures xList of Tables xiiAbout the Editors xiiiList of Contributors xivForeword xixPreface xxAcknowledgements xxiList of Abbreviations xxiiIntroduction 1BHARATI BAVEJAPART ABiological Imperatives and the Socio-Cultural Context of Learning 171 A Kind Beginning: Unfolding Human Nature Through the Lens of Childhood Prosociality 19REKHA BHASKAR2 Everyday Cultural Experiences of Munda Tribe Children and Their Participation in Formal Education 35TANU SHIKHA ARYA3 A Cross-Cultural Comparison Between South Africa and India: Perspectives on Inquiry-Based School Science Learning 50UMESH RAMNARAIN AND GARIMA BANSAL4 Learning Ecology of Urban Middle-Class Children 65RAVNEET KAURPART BReceptivity to Alternative Epistemologies 775 Reclaiming Wholeness in Education – Epistemic, Ethical,and Embodied Knowing: An Indian Knowledge System–Based Alternative to Western Educational Frameworks 79ANAND KRISHNASWAMY6 Indian Knowledge Systems in the Science Classroom:Teachers’ Understanding and the Way Forward 96MAMTA SINGHAL7 Finding Freedom From FOSS: Insights From UrbanElementary Teachers on an Ambitious Science TeachingProfessional Learning Community Experience 115KATHERINE RICHARDSON BRUNA, STEPHANIE SCHNEIDER, ANDLYRIC BARTHOLOMAY8 From Conceptual to Performative Blending: An EnactiveCognition Framework to Systematically Bridge the GapBetween Curricula and Scientific Practice 131K. K. MASHOOD, JOSEPH SALVE, PRANSHI UPADHYAY, PRIYADHARSHNI ELANGAIVENDAN, AND SANJAY CHANDRASEKHARANPART CPedagogy as a Bridge From Curriculum to Lived Reality 1559 Making Learning Meaningful: A Socio-Cultural Approach to Teaching Social Science 157RISHABH KUMAR MISHRA10 Beyond Decontextualized Learning: A Psychological Tools Theory Lens to Middle-School Science Education 170JYOTI RAINA11 Inclusive Pedagogies for a Sustainable Tomorrow: Teachers’ Perspectives and Practices of Scaffolding 182ASHU KAPOOR12 Contextualizing Pedagogy: Leveraging Storytelling for Understanding Basic Astronomy 198SHRUTI CHOPRA AND ABHISHREYA SASANPART DEquity and Technology 21713 Reimagining Learner-Centred Education for Sustainability in India: A Perspective Grounded in Epistemic (In)Justice 219MANASA N. MAHESH14 Culturally Responsive Assessment for Foundational Learning in India: From Principles to Practice and SDG4.1.1 Reporting 236POOJA NAGPAL15 Empowering Marginalized Voices: AI Literacy as a Tool for Emancipation in K–12 Borderland Spaces 255LIU WENPANG, GOH YING SOON, SUYAN ZHANG, YIMING CHEN,XIAOSHENG ZHOU, AND GAO MANMAN16 Bridging the Digital Divide: Socio-Cultural Perspectives on STEM Education in India’s Borderland Schools 273REKHA KOUL AND RACHEL SHEFFIELDIndex 290