On Episode 92 of the #LearningStories podcast I chat with Purvi Vora. She has a P.hD. in Science Education from Teachers College at Columbia University. She has worked in the education sector for close to a two decades. She started her career teaching science and media literacy in an inner city school in Manhattan. She moved to India in 2007 and joined the Akanksha Foundation as a school leader for charter school in Mumbai. She later worked at the American School of Bombay as the Community and Social Responsibility coordinator supporting K-12 teachers at the school in implementing service projects. She also taught science in 7th grade at the school. With her business partner, Sangita Kapadia, Purvi setup Reniscience Education LLP a coutique education consulting firm and think tank born out of a desire to promote learning that is empowering, joyful and relevant to the 21st century learner. You can find Purvi on Linkedin and learn about their work and impact at reniscienceeducation.com.

Show Chapters

(00:05) - Podcast Introduction

(00:40) - Guest Background

(02:50) - Stories from your childhood

(03:00) - "I'm a Mumbai girl"

(03:10) - "I went to girls school in Prabhadevi"

(03:30) - "There were 60 students in each class"

(03:40) - "School was all about friends and not learning

(04:00) - Memories of my teachers

(05:10) - Getting into trouble at school

(06:10) - Learning and exposure at home

(06:30) - "I grew up in a very open minded home"

(06:45) - "I had lots of friends and lived in a large society

(08:00) - Love for reading and books

(08:50) - What kinds of free play do you remember engaging with as a student?

(11:00) - Experience in high school and college

(12:40) - What were the first books you loved reading as a young person?

(16:40) - Helping my son become a reader as a parent in Mumbai

(19:00) - Learning in high school

(19:30) - "I loved geography and did not like commerce

(20:00) - "I studied Science in Grade 11 and 12"

(20:10) - What subject did you study in university as an undergraduate student and why?

(21:10) - "I always wanted to teach and decided to go abroad for studies"

(21:30) - What subject did you study in university as a graduate student and why?

(22:00) - Why did you decide to pursue a P.hD. in Science Education?

(22:40) - "Biology is my favourite science and Evolution is my favourite topic"

(24:00) - The two best classes I ever took were...

(25:00) - Experience studying microbiology at Rutgers University for 3 years?

(26:00) - What was the topic of your microbiology master's thesis?(27:00) - What was your experience pursuing a P.hD. in Education for 5 years?

(32:00) - What was your experience teaching in classrooms in New York?

(34:00) - What were the findings of your P.hD. thesis?

(40:00) - Experience as a school leader at a charter school in Mumbai for 4 years

(45:00) - Learning from other teachers and school leaders

(46:00) - Tapping into the funds of knowledge in the community

(51:00) - The mistakes I made as a school leader

(51:50) - What was your experience working at a private school in Mumbai?

(1:01:00) - Why did you decide to start an education consulting firm?

(1:02:40) - Our first clients and projects as education entrepreneurs in India

(1:06:00) - What is City as Lab (project based learning program in India?)

(1:10:40) - Learning as a parent

(1:13:40) - Goals as an educator and entrepreneur for the coming ten years

(1:16:00) - Book Recommendations

(1:19:00) - Closing Notes

Show Links

Purvi on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/purvi-vora-76690a20/

Reniscience Education Website - https://reniscienceeducation.com/about/

City as Lab Website - https://cityaslabindia.org/what-is-cal/

Show Description

#LearningStories is an audio and video show where we interview a diverse set of learners from the 21st century. Each guest profiled here has a unique story to share about how they acquired a set of valuable skills and knowledge in a creative and innovative manner.