Chrisann’s passion is to help create best-practice programs using research and knowledge gained from psychology and education to develop strategies that promote student-centered, inquiry-based learning. She is committed to helping teachers tap into students’ natural curiosity and expand their potential through methods that foster creativity and critical thinking.
She believes that the current model of education is incompatible with the needs of the 21st-century learner and wants to bring about a paradigm shift in the way teaching and learning are approached in schools. Through her own struggles in traditionally designed schools, she has come to the strong belief that spaces influence behavior and learning outcomes. At EDI, Chrisann plays a vital role in helping teachers at client schools transform their practice so that they can deliver the latest curriculum in new and renovated school buildings.
Chrisann has been a consulting psychologist since 2004, working with various high-profile independent schools. During part of that period she also maintained a private practice as a psychologist in affiliation with a local hospital. As a consulting psychologist she has conducted awareness programs on academic and emotional guidance with both parents and students at private schools in Mumbai. She also has extensive classroom experience, including teaching Psychology to IB students at the Ambani School in Mumbai.
Her experience as a trainer includes a stint at St Margaret’s Institute for Teacher Training. She also helped therapists in training and doctors better understand their clients through the use of psychological skills. Additionally, she has been involved in training teachers through various forums, including Podar Institute’s PICTER program. She has conducted sessions with teachers as part of the South Asian International Baccalaureate Schools Association (SAIBSA), facilitating sessions in Psychology and Theory of Knowledge at various schools.
Her sessions have focused not just on delivery of the IB curriculum but also on inquiry-based learning practices, student-directed learning, and the use of technology for student and teacher collaboration.
Chrisann’s expertise as a teacher and psychologist has been tapped by various media outlets including the Times of India, Hindustan Times, and Daily News and Analysis. She has also been quoted in articles for online portals such as shaadi.com and nari.com, and magazines including Mother and Baby and Parent Child, and served as a consultant on Rajat Kapoor’s TV show on NDTV Lounge.