Dr. Anjali Khirwadkar

Assistant Professor (BEd, MEd, MSc, PhD)

Office: WH 178
905 688 5550 x6633
[email protected]

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Dr. Anjali Khirwadkar is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at Brock University, where she teaches mathematics education to teacher candidates in the Teacher Education and Bachelor of Early Childhood Education programs. She earned her Ph.D. from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India, with a focus on integrating technology into teaching and learning. Dr. Khirwadkar has taught in India and Canada, including as a Visiting Professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA and at Brock University, Canada. Her teaching emphasizes joyful, inquiry-based, and activity-rich learning that helps future educators build confidence and creativity in teaching mathematics. Dr. Khirwadkar’s work explores innovative, technology-enhanced, and inquiry-based approaches to mathematics teaching and teacher education, with a strong commitment to improving learning experiences and outcomes for diverse learners.

Research Interests and Activities

  • My extensive experience in Mathematics Education has led me to explore makerspace in K-12 education to promote learning in math more effectively. I initiated a makerspace program for teacher candidates who teach mathematics at the Primary Junior (PJ) and Junior Intermediate (JI) levels, thereby making the learning experience more tangible and hands-on. 
  • Initiated a project on developing preservice teachers’ mathematical knowledge of teaching among JI teacher candidates, considering the pedagogical expectations as per the 2020 Ontario Mathematics Curriculum.
  • Exploring the impact of an elementary Mathematics Education methods course on teacher candidates’ preparation for collaboration and leadership in their mathematics teaching.
  • Part of the team working on the Assessment of Teacher Education Candidates in Brock University’s Teacher Education Program- considering the trauma-informed practices (Primary/Junior/Intermediate Divisions). 

Professional Affiliations and Accreditation/Certification

  • Ontario College of Teachers (OCT), Ontario 
  • Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) 
  • Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group (CMESG) 
  • Canadian Society for the Study of Education – Technology in Teacher Education (CSSE-TATE)

Recent Publications

Khirwadkar, A., Welbourn, S., & Figg, C. (2025). Early childhood education student-teachers experiencing virtual math makerspaces: organizing playful learning environments. International Online Journal of Primary Education, 14(3), 88-98. https://doi.org/10.55020/iojpe.1672265 

Chaudhari, P., & Khirwadkar, A. (2024). Effectiveness of multimedia package on student-teachers’ achievement in information and communication technology (ICT) in education course. International Journal of Instruction, 17(4), 669-680. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2024.17437a 

Welbourn, S., Khirwadkar, A. & Figg, C. (2023). Virtual makerspace experiences for early childhood educators: design-based research to support quality makerspace design. In E. Langran, P. Christensen & J. Sanson (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 1608-1613). New Orleans, LA, United States: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/222037/. 

Khirwadkar, A., Welbourn, S., Figg, C., & Pelchat, K. (2022). Virtual makerspaces: effective learning environments for developing preservice teachers’ TPACK for teaching elementary mathematics. In Jacobsen, M. & Smith, C. (Eds.) Online Learning and Teaching from Kindergarten to Graduate School (pp. 491-525). Canadian Association for Teacher Education. http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/40509  

Khirwadkar, A., Khan, S., Mgombelo, J. (2021). Evaluation of a software solution for refreshing preservice teachers’ mathematics content knowledge. Sacristán, AI, Cortés-Zavala, JC & Ruiz-Arias, PM (Eds.). (2020). Mathematics Education Across Cultures: Proceedings of the 42nd Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Mexico. Cinvestav/AMIUTEM/PME-NA. https://doi.org/10.51272/pmena.42.2020     

Figg, C., Khirwadkar, A. & Welbourn, S. (2020). Making ‘Math Making’ virtual. Brock Education Journal, 29(2), 30-36. doi: https://doi.org/10.26522/brocked.v29i2.836 

Khirwadkar, A., Khan Ibrahim, S., Mgombelo, J., Ratkovic, S., & Forbes, W. (2020). Reimagining mathematics education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Brock Education Journal, 29(2), 42-46. doi:  https://doi.org/10.26522/brocked.v29i2.839 

Khirwadkar, A., Figg, C., Welbourn, S. & Pelchat, K. (2020). TPACK for teaching elementary mathematics through math-making virtual makerspaces. In T. Bastiaens & G. Marks (Eds.), Proceedings of Innovate Learning Summit 2020 (pp. 482-488). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).  https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/218840/ 

Figg, C., & Khirwadkar, A. (2019). Preservice teachers using makerspaces to address the challenges of teaching digital learners: A self-directed creative exploration. In Proceedings of ED-MEDIA 2019 –World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications (7 pages). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). 

Khirwadkar, A. & Figg, C. (2019). Makerspaces for developing TPACK: A self-directed creative exploration for learning mathematics. In K. Graziano (Ed.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 2463-2468). Las Vegas, NV, United States: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). 

Research and Project Funding

Faculty of Education R&D Fund 

  •  2024 Principal Investigator. Makerspace in the Mathematics Classroom Workshop. $ 1,000. 

 Faculty of Education GRAD Fund 

  • 2024 Principal Investigator. Exploring the impact of an elementary Mathematics Education methods course on teacher candidates’ preparation for collaboration and leadership in their mathematics teaching. $ 1,800. 
  • 2019 Principal Investigator. Exploring the impact of an elementary Mathematics Education methods course on teacher candidates’ preparation for collaboration and leadership in their mathematics teaching.  $ 1,800. 
  • 2019 Co-investigator. Makerspace in the Mathematics Classroom Workshop. $ 1,800. 

Courses Taught

  • EDBE 8P29 Mathematics Part-I J/I
  • EDBE 8P54 Mathematics Part 2 (Year 2 course JI)
  • EDBE 8P39 Mathematics Part 1 P/J
  • EDBE 8P44 Mathematics Part 2 (Year 2 course PJ)
  • ECEC 4P14 Mathematics in the Early Years
  • EDBE 8Y43 Teacher as Researcher P/J
  • EDBE 8R77 Teacher as Researcher – Technological Education
  • EDUC 8P21 J/I Mathematics
  • EDUC 8P31 P/J Mathematics