Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Niranjan is Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education, having retired from Monash in Nov 2020. . Originally trained as a geographer, he worked as a teacher and educational leader in secondary schools and international education for over 30 years before moving into tertiary education, teaching and researching across postgraduate and graduate courses in curriculum, assessment, pedagogy and Humanities education. He has been recognized professionally for his work as an educator in Australia and internationally. His tertiary leadership experience included being Acting Director Initial Teacher Education Programs and Course Leader for Primary and Secondary Education (under- and postgraduate).
Amongst other interests outside educatrion, Niranjan now maintains a small, focused research & publication program alonsgide occasional consultancy work.
Research interests
Niranjan's current research remains 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 an especial focus on its relevance to contemporary society.
He has 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). He also writes on on inquiry teaching & learning within and across the disciplines, including (with Gillian Kidman) Inquiry based teaching and learning across disciplines: Comparative theory and practice in schools (Palgrave, 2017).
Niranjan's current research projects and publications are concerned with:
(a) the building and evaluation of the transcultural capability and capacity of teachers, with particular reference to their employability in a globalised educational environment;
(b) the nature of cultural education in schools, with particular emphasis on the role of geographical education.;
(c) global citizenship education: and
(c) the impact of childhood education in Sri Lanka on the Australian migrant experience (with Dr Howard Prosser, Dr Fiona Longmuir and Peter van Cuylenburg).
His past international research in these areas includes a 2017 IB-funded project (with Lucas Walsh) of the transcultural capacity of teachers in Canadian and Australian PYP schools, using his work in the reconceptualisation of cultural education.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Research area keywords
- curriculum
- pedagogy
- multiculturalism
- interculturalism
- transculturalism
- cultural capacity of teachers
- problem solving
- colonial education
- transnationalism
- international education
- Teacher Identity
- Teacher Professional Development and Learning
- Geography education
- Humanities Education
- Cross-Cultural Studies
- educational leadership
- inquiry capacity of teachers
- Inquiry Learning
- Inquiry Based Learning
- Inquiry Teaching
- Transdisciplinary Learning
- globalisation and curriculum innovation
- Education and globalisation
- Transforming teaching and learning
- Educating for diversity and inclusion
- Reimagining educational leadership
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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[Auto]ethnographic intercultural sojourns: reflections on experience
Casinader, N. & Manathunga, C.
3/06/15 → …
Project: Research
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FPSPI 19: Future Problem Solving Program International: Research & Development Grant 2019
1/07/19 → 15/05/20
Project: Research
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TC-PYP: Transcultural capacity in teachers in PYP schools: comparative study of Canada and Australia
1/01/17 → 15/12/17
Project: Research
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School alumni associations in modern Australia as transcultural conduits of migrant identity: the Sri Lankan experience
Casinader, N., Prosser, H., Longmuir, F. & van Cuylenburg, P., 2025, In: South Asian Diaspora. 17, 1, p. 83-101 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
School alumni, transnationalism and Asian diaspora: an unexplored potential for researchers
Casinader, N., Prosser, H., Longmuir, F. & van Cuylenburg, P., 2023, Routledge Handbook of Asian Transnationalism . Sahoo, A. K. (ed.). 1st ed. Abingdon UK: Routledge, p. 171-180 10 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (Book) › Research › peer-review
1 Citation (Scopus) -
Transnationalism
Casinader, N., 2023, International Encyclopedia of Education: Globalization and the Shifting Geopolitics of Education. Tierney, R. J., Rizvi, F. & Ercikan, K. (eds.). 4th ed. Netherlands: Elsevier, Vol. 1. p. 45-51 7 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Encyclopaedia / Dictionary Entry › Other › peer-review
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Cultural perspectives in primary geography
Casinader, N., 9 May 2022, Teaching Primary Geography: Setting the Foundation. Kidman, G. & Schmeinck , D. (eds.). 1st ed. Cham Switzerland: Springer, p. 45-60 16 p. (Key Challenges in Geography).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (Book) › Research › peer-review
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Leadership of cultural education in the current age: an exploratory investigation of culturally responsive capacity through the lens of transculturalism
Longmuir, F., Casinader, N., Prosser, H. & van Cuylenburg, P., 2022, In: Journal of Educational Administration and History. 54, 4, p. 420-439 20 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Prizes
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Award for Geographical Education
Casinader, Niranjan (Recipient), Aug 1998
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Early Career Researcher Award
Casinader, Niranjan (Recipient), Dec 2013
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Early Career Researcher Fellowship
Casinader, Niranjan (Recipient), Feb 2014
Prize: Competitive Fellowships
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John Daughtery Memorial AWard
Casinader, N. (Recipient), Jun 2005
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Activities
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Council of International Schools
Niranjan Casinader (Keynote/plenary speaker)
29 Aug 2019Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference
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IB Global Conference
Niranjan Casinader (Invited speaker)
24 Oct 2019 → 26 Oct 2019Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference
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Seminar Series: Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Institute of Education, University College London
Niranjan Casinader (Invited speaker)
1 Apr 2019Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to workshop, seminar, course
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University College London
Niranjan Casinader (Visiting researcher)
25 Mar 2019 → 17 Apr 2019Activity: Visiting an external institution types › Visiting an external academic institution
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Future Problem Solving Program International (External organisation)
Niranjan Casinader (Advisor)
1 Jan 2019 → …Activity: Industry, Government and Philanthropy Engagement and Partnerships › Consultancy
Press/Media
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TO UNDERSTAND RACISM KIDS MUST EMPATHISE WITH ITS IMPACT
14/06/21
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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Expanding-childrens-horizons-combating-racism-in-schools
19/05/21
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Profile/Interview
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To understand racism, kids must empathise with its impact — and teachers must embrace discomfort
10/05/21
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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Arabic online newspaper: Asharq Al-Awsat June 9th 2014 Issue 12977
9/06/14
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Article/Feature