Subhadip Chowdhury

Pedagogy

Training in Collaborative Learning for Undergraduate TAs

Collaborative Learning Pedagogy and Content Analysis Training - Autumn 2024 - Winter 2025 - Spring 2025

Professional Development Training for Graduate Student Lecturers

The University of Chicago, co-led with Prof. Sarah Ziesler

Understanding cognitive demand - selecting appropriate mathematical tasks to foster student engagement - Autumn 2024

Selecting and designing exam questions that align with learning goals - Autumn 2024

How to interpret and act on student evaluation feedback - Winter 2025

How to write a syllabus and why - Winter 2025

Exploratory Teaching Group for Instructional Faculty

Discussion on Implementing Alternate Grading and Redesigning Assessment in Math - AY2024-25, co-led with Prof. Kale Davies

Seminar and Conferences

Implementing Collaborative Learning through POGIL in High-Enrollment Calculus Tutorials - Summer 2025, Session on Inquiry-Based Learning, MAA MathFest 2025, :Abstract

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Abstract: During this academic year, we implemented a Collaborative Learning model in undergraduate TA-led tutorials for a high-enrollment Calculus course at UChicago, utilizing principles from POGIL. The new format emphasizes structured team roles, peer discussion, and guided inquiry, supported by problem sets crafted to promote active exploration and conceptual reasoning. To support this shift, we created a year-long training program that equips TAs with tools to facilitate this model effectively. Weekly pedagogy sessions addressed strategies for motivating students, managing time, navigating group dynamics, and guiding discussions without lecturing. Weekly content analysis and journal reflections explored the use of backward design. In this talk, I’ll share how we adapted POGIL ideas to fit our context, what we learned from this first implementation and student survey data, and strategies for supporting a sustainable, scalable model for collaborative inquiry in large mathematics courses.

Understanding Intellectual Growth - Applying Perry’s Scheme to Support Metacognition - Autumn 2024, University of Chicago Math Pedagogy Seminar, :Abstract

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Abstract: As educators, we understand that guiding students’ intellectual growth goes beyond delivering content—it involves nurturing their ability to reflect on how they learn. Yet, metacognition doesn’t come naturally for many students, especially when they hold unspoken beliefs about knowledge and their roles in the classroom that limit their engagement. Perry’s scheme of intellectual development offers a framework for identifying these beliefs, which helps us pinpoint students’ positions in their learning journey. In this seminar, we will discuss how recognizing these stages can inform our teaching strategies and enable us to foster metacognitive growth more effectively. We’ll conclude with an interactive classification of effective classroom practices, aligning them with different levels of Perry’s scheme!

Collaborative Learning in Undergraduate Mathematics - Winter 2024, University of Chicago Math Pedagogy Seminar, :Abstract

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Abstract: We will be discussing the five vital elements for productive cooperation in the classroom (following Johnson & Johnson, ‘98), obstacles for their practical implementation, and concrete strategies that work. Besides implementation, we will also talk about how to assess the success of a chosen strategy. I will be soliciting ideas from the attendees to personalize the suggestions in the context of undergraduate Math courses at UChicago.

Techniques Grading in an IBL-style Intro to Proofs Course - Mar 2022 (rescheduled from Joint Mathematics Meetings 2022), Project NExT session on Re-Imagining Grading - The Whys and Hows, :Abstract

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Abstract: In this session, I will talk about my reasoning, implementation, and experiences with using Techniques grading - a variant of MBG where (proof) techniques replace standards or specifications - in my Introduction to Proofs course. I will discuss my attempts at combining the system with an IBL course, how different types of assignments were assessed, and how I believe it helped to facilitate students’ transition into the correct mindset for future proofs-intensive courses.