Meena Kharatmal

I am a Scientific Staff at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Mumbai, India. 

I am also working towards my  Ph.D. in the area of Knowledge Representation in Science Education.
 

meena@hbcse.tifr.res.in       @meena74

 Research Areas

Biology Education Research

I am interested in undergraduate, college biology students understanding of experimentation.

  • I work with college biology teachers on using primary scientific literature for understanding of experimentation

Language of Science

My interest in language of science (especially biology) drives from my PhD work.

  • I work in applying knowledge representation principles for creating knowledge networks.
  • I apply semantic analysis, systemic functional linguistics for multimodal analysis of biology texts, diagrams, and students' representations.

Science Education

I work in the following areas:

  • Developing teaching learning modules
  • Writing popular science articles in English, Hindi, Marathi languages
  • Conducting sessions for teachers, teacher educators

Peer-Reviewed Publications

  • Meena Kharatmal & Nagarjuna G. (2024). A Preliminary Study on Effect of Providing Linking Words in Concept Mapping for Representing Cell Biology Knowledge. Asian Journal of Biology Education, Volume 16 (to appear).
  • Meena Kharatmal and Arnab Bhattacharya (2023). Using Primary Scientific Literature for Comparing Difficulties in Experimentation Among Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students. In Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER) Conference, University of Minnesota, USA, 20-24 July 2023.
  • Meena Kharatmal & Nagarjuna G. (2013): Representing Change Using Concept Maps. In G. Nagarjuna et.al. (Eds.) Proceedings of epiSTEME 5 -- International Conference to Review Research on Science, Technology and Mathematics Education, p. 124-131. India: Cinnamonteal
  • Nagarjuna G. & Meena Kharatmal (2011): A Proposal for Developing a Primer for Constructing and Analyzing Conceptual Structures. In S. Andrews et al. (Eds.), Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence: Vol 6828. Conceptual Structures - Learning Teaching and Assessment. In International Conference on Conceptual Structures: Conceptual Structures for Discovering Knowledge (p. 402-405). Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag. Doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-22688-5_36
  • Meena Kharatmal & Nagarjuna G. (2010): Introducing Rigor in Concept Maps. In M. Croitoru, S. Ferre, and D. Lukose (Eds.), Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence: Vol. 6208. International Conference on Conceptual Structures 2010: From Information to Intelligence (p. 199-202). Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag. Doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-14197-3_22
  • Nagarjuna G., Meena Kharatmal (2010): Building Dependency Network for Teaching-Learning of Conceptual Structures,  In Polovina, Simon; Andrews, Simon; Hill, Richard; Scharfe, Henrik; Øhrstrøm, Peter (Eds.)  Proceedings of the First Conceptual Structures – Learning, Teaching and Assessment Workshop (CS-LTA) at the 18th International Conference on Conceptual Structures (ICCS 2010), Published by MIMOS BERHAD » Technology Thrust Areas » Knowledge Technology (ISBN: 978-983-41371-5-1), Kuching, Malaysia.
  • Meena Kharatmal (2006): Concept map on cell structure and function. At IHMC Public Cmaps Meena (India) Cell Structure and Function Cell Structure and Function. http://skat.ihmc.us/servlet/SBReadResourceServlet?rid=1139090479160_113084903_8482&partName=htmltext

Popular Science Articles

  • Meena Kharatmal (2023). Draw What's Inside Your Body! Teacher Plus. Bangalore: Azim Premji University. March 2023.

  • Meena Kharatmal (2023). Bharatachi Montessori Maata -- Tarabai Modak. (India's Montessori Mother -- Tarabai Modak). Shikshan Sankraman. Pune: MSBSHSE, March 2023.

  • Meena Kharatmal (2023). Aala Aala Paavsaala -- He Paala ani He Taala (Dos and Don'ts in Monsoon). Aanandi. Mumbai: HBCSE. September 2022, Issue No. 7.

  • Meena Kharatmal (2021). An Interactive Webinar -- Observing the Microbial World. Azim Premji University's Youtube Channel. October 2021.

Proceedings, Reports

  

International Visits on Deputation: 

  • University of North Carolina at Wilmington, USA

  • Institute of Human and Machine Cognition, Florida, USA

  • Costa Rica

  • Sofia, Bulgaria

  • Barcelona, Spain

  • Malaysia
  • Germany
  • Estonia, Sweden, Finland

  

International Conferences: 

  • epiSTEME --7, HBCSE, Mumbai, India, International Conference to Review Research in Science, Technology and Mathematics Education, India, January 2018
  • AABE -- Asian Association of Biology Education, Goa, India, September 2016
  • 7th International Conference on Concept Mapping, Estonia, Sweden, Finland, September 2016
  • epiSTEME --6, HBCSE, Mumbai, India, International Conference to Review Research in Science, Technology and Mathematics Education, India, January 2015
  • Second International Conference on Education in Chemistry, Mumbai, India, December 2014
  • Summer School on Methodology of Task Design -- How to Construct Exercises for Learning, Technische University, Dresden, Germany, 2014
     
  • epiSTEME --5, HBCSE, Mumbai, India, International Conference to Review Research in Science, Technology and Mathematics Education, India, 2013
  • 20th International Conference on Conceptual Structures, Mumbai, India, 2013
  • Workshop on Modeling States, Events, Processes and Scenarios, ICCS 2013, Mumbai, India, 2013
  • International Policy Dialogue Forum on Teacher Challenges for Education For All, New Delhi, India, May 29-30, 2012
  • epiSTEME -- 4, HBCSE, Mumbai, India, International Conference to Review Research in Science, Technology and Mathematics Education, India, 2011
  • First International Conference on Education in Chemistry, India, 2010

  • 18th International Conference on Conceptual Structures, 2010 Malaysia

  • First International Workshop on Conceptual Structures -- Learning, Teaching and Assessment, ICCS 2010, Malyasia
  • epiSTEME --3, HBCSE, Mumbai, India, International Conference to Review Research in Science, Technology and Mathematics Education, India, 2009 

  • Free Knowledge in Free Technology, Spain, 2008

  • Science, Education and Learning in Freedom, India, 2008

  • epiSTEME -- 2, HBCSE, Mumbai, India, International Conference to Review Research in Science, Technology and Mathematics Education, India, 2007

  • Second International Conference in Concept Mapping, Costa Rica, 2006

  • epiSTEME -- 1, Goa, India, International Conference to Review Research in Science, Technology and Mathematics Education, India, 2004

  • International Workshop on History and Philosophy of Science: Its Implications for Science Education, India, 1999
  • Indian Science Congress, Chennai, Jan 1998
  • Indian Science Congress, Hyderabad, Jan 1997
  • Orientation Course on History of Science in Science Education, HBCSE, Mumbai, India, Oct 1998
  • Orientation Course in Biology Education, HBCSE, Mumbai, India, Dec 1996

  

National Conferences: 

  • epiSTEME

  • Peoples Education Congress, Mumbai, 2010

  • National Conference in Open Source Software, Mumbai, 2009

  • Science Education in India, Mumbai, 2008

  • Recent Advances in Information Technology, Kalpakkam, 2005

  • History of Science in Education, Mumbai, 1998

  • Orientation Course on Biology Education, Mumbai, 1996

 

 Past Projects

COVID Gyan Resource Generation

In the outbreak of COVID-19, TIFR has launched COVID Gyan, a pan-institutional website of collection of resources in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Generating content and resource related to COVID-19:

 

STEMGAMES Content and Resource Generation

Developing content and resources on STEMGAMES related to CUBE, COVID-19, biology education, etc.

Teacher Education

Developmental Projects

Academic Programs

Others

  • Orientation courses and workshops
  • GNU/Linux operating system

 

School Science Research and Development

Conducted Summer Camp Activities for Nutan Vidya Mandir Class 3 Students. The focus of the activities has been to encourage children to observe, write, draw, ask questions. The work can be read from articles in English and Marathi.

Teacher Education 

Currently I am working in the area of teacher education. I conduct activity based sessions related to teacher professional development on various topics. In the process, the resource material in the form of questionnaire, worksheets, handouts, etc. for TPD is being developed. I also organize TPD workshops.

  • Joint Review Mission on Teacher Education

I was involved in the Joint Review Mission on Teacher Education for Punjab. The  main objective of the JRM is to review status of progress and to also consider issues related to programme planning, implementation,  monitoring and evaluation, with respect to each of the programmatic interventions under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Teacher Education, in respect of each level of institution. The visit culminated into a detailed JRM Report. More information about JRM can be viewed from its website: http://www.teindia.nic.in/jrm.aspx

 

  • Capacity Building Program of the DIET Faculty

I have been involved in the MHRD-HBCSE project on teacher professional development in Bihar and West Bengal. As part of the project, we visited DIETs, SCERTs in-field in Bihar and West Bengal. Later, I was involved in conducting a two week intensive workshop on capacity building program for DIET faculty.  Further, as part of the project, I was involved in a follow-up in-field workshop for the DIET faculty. 

My areas of interest at the workshops have been -- activity based science experiments, textbook analysis, NCF and teaching of science. I am involved in developing activity based science experiments, developing resources for teacher educators at elementary education level. More information about the project can be viewed from its website: http://teacher-ed.hbcse.tifr.res.in 

 

Ph.D. Project in Science Education

I am also a Ph.D. Student at the Centre. My research interest is broadly in the area of knowledge representation in biology education. I am using concept maps to characterize scientific knowledge, understand students' representation (understanding) of a domain, to compare novice's knowledge structure with that of an expert's knowledge structure.

Please visit my profile as a Ph.D. Student in the area of "Refined Concept Maps in Science Education".

I blog at Okeanos mostly on science education, concept maps, knowledge representation,  etc.

Areas of Interest:

Knowledge Representation; Concept Mapping

Cognitive Studies of Science Learning

Science Education

Teacher Education

Biology Education ; Language in Biology Textbook

 

History and Philosophy of Science in Science Education

Organization Member:

 

  • Workshop Co-chair: Second Conceptual Structures - Learning, Teaching and Assessment 2011, @ 19th ICCS 2011, University of Derby, UK
  • Organizing Committee: epiSTEME 4, HBCSE, Mumbai, India
  • Organizing Committee: International Conference on Education in Chemistry, HBCSE, Mumbai, India
  • Convenor: Exhibition on Science Education, Peoples Education Congress, HBCSE, Mumbai, India
  • Organizing Committee: Peoples Education Congress, HBCSE, Mumbai, India
  • Organizing Committee: Free Knowledge Free Technology, Barcelona, Spai
  • Organizing Committee: Science, Education and Learning in Freedom, HBCSE-TIFR, India
  • Organizing Committee: International Workshop on History and Philosophy of Science: Implications for Science Education, HBCSE, Mumbai, India, Feb 1999
  • Organizing Committee: Orientation Course on History of Science in Science Education, HBCSE, Mumbai, India, Oct 1998
  • Organizing Committee: Orientation Course on Biology Education, HBCSE, Mumbai, India, Dec 1996

Links:

 

Knowledge Organization in Science Education Knowledge Organization Approach for Biology Education International Visits Conferences
Talks and Seminars Graduate Courses - credited
 Portal site for Science Education History of Science
About Me My Blog - Okeanos  Gnowledge Project  SELF Project
Contact Me My Photo Gallery  Biology Education Concept Mapping

 

Contributors
Meena Kharatmal