Vishal Kumar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Manipal University Jaipur. His research lies at the intersection of science education, scientific literacy, environmental education, and community-rooted pedagogy. His work examines how community teachers engage with socio-ecological crises, particularly in agrarian contexts in India. His current research explores teacher agency, climate change education, language education for engineers, and pedagogical designs that connect scientific knowledge with lived community realities and future-oriented sustainability learning.
While here Vishal will be presenting the following:
- MSET Ed Research Group Discussion – Teachers as Interlocutors of Agrarian Futures – Science education is increasingly expected to prepare learners for socio-ecological crises, yet environmental issues in classrooms often remain detached from the lived realities of communities most affected by them. Focusing on agrarian contexts in northern India, this research-profile talk examines teachers as community-rooted interlocutors who mediate scientific knowledge, local experience, and climate-related concerns. Drawing on work across scientific literacy and teachers’ engagement with agrarian communities, it shows how teachers’ dual identity as educators and community members can open pathways for climate change education beyond the classroom. The talk argues for place-based, future-facing, and community-engaged science education.
- Regenerating Futures – Futures Forum #9: “The Anthropocene in the Language Classroom” – Thursday 18th June @ 3pm Anthropocene challenges demand educational spaces where learners can interpret crisis, communicate uncertainty, and imagine collective futures. Yet such work is often confined to science, sustainability, or environmental studies classrooms. This presentation focuses on undergraduate Communication Skills classroom for engineering students as generative sites for Anthropocene education. Drawing on classroom experiments designed to strengthen listening, speaking, reading, and writing capabilities, it shows how visual provocations, discussions, reflective writing, and oral tasks can create moments for education for collective futures. The presentation argues that language pedagogy can become a powerful transdisciplinary space for future-facing education.
- Participating in and presenting at the School of Education Research Conference – Geelong 24th and 25th June
Vishal is visiting prior to attending the ASERA conference in Brisbane.
Posted Jun 1, 2026
