Subrata Bhowmik

Subrata Bhowmik

Positions

Associate Professor (Teaching)

Werklund School of Education, Specialization, Language and Literacy

Contact information

Email

sbhowmik@ucalgary.ca

Phone number

Office: 403.210.8429

Location

Office: EDT1020

Background

Educational Background

PhD English , Arizona State University, 2012

M.A. English, Arizona State University, 2009

M.A. Applied Linguistics & ELT, Dhaka University , 2001

B.A. English , Dhaka University , 1999

Biography

Subrata Bhowmik is associate professor of teaching at the Werklund School of Education where he teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses. He studies L2 writing and sociocultural approaches to L2 education. Bhowmik's work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals such as TESOL Quarterly, TESL Canada Journal, Language & Literacy, TESOL Journal, Writing & Pedagogy, Language and Sociocultural Theory, Discourse & Writing, and The Journal of Asia TEFL. He has presented his work at various international conferences, including the annual conferences of American Association for Applied Linguistics,  TESOL International Association, Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics, TESL Canada, Canadian Association for the Study of Discourse and Writing, and the Symposium on Second Language Writing.

Professional & Community Affiliations

Currently, Subrata Bhowmik is affiliated with the following national and international professional organizations.

  • TESL Canada
  • Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics
  • Canadian Association for the Study of Discourse and Writing
  • ATESL (Alberta TESL)
  • Asia TEFL

Research

Areas of Research

Scholarly Activity

Subrata Bhowmik’s research revolves around the social and cultural factors affecting second language (L2) education. In particular, he is interested in how various social and cultural factors affect L2 writing literacy. A few of the projects that Dr. Bhowmik is currently working on are: (a) teacher preparedness and challenges of teaching L2 writing in K-12 settings in Canada; (b) pedagogical approaches and classroom techniques in the K-12 ESL writing classroom; (c) learn-to-write (LW) and write-to-learn-language (WLL) approaches to ESL writing instruction in K-12 settings; and (d) incorporation of a genre-based approach to ESL writing instruction in the elementary classroom.

Interests:
  • Sociocultural approaches to L2 education
  • ESL writing in K-12 contexts
  • Language and culture
  • Second language education
  • Applied linguistics

Projects

ESL writing instruction in Alberta schools: Teacher preparedness and pedagogical challenges

This Alberta Advisory Committee for Educational Studies (AACES) funded project investigates: (a) the factors that influence teacher preparedness about teaching ESL writing in K-12 contexts in Alberta; (b) challenges teachers encounter in teaching ESL writing; and (c) what can be done to help teachers overcome these challenges. 

The efficacy of experiential learning through peer feedback in graduate education programs

The goals for this SoTL project (funded by the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning at UCalgary) are: (a) to create an experiential learning opportunity for professional graduate students by setting up peer review networks for exchange of feedback on academic writing using the Experiential Learning Cycle, and (b) to examine student perceptions about the efficacies of this process.

Connecting resilience to places and spaces in adopted homelands

This SSHRC-funded project (PI: Dr. Rahat Zaidi; Co-Applicants: Drs. Kim Lenters, Erin Spring, Subrata Bhowmik, and Sylvie Roy) revolves around the following research questions about newcomers to Canada: (a) What can stories of resilience through encounters with space and place tell us about newcomers' experiences? (b) How can working with walking methodologies and processes of mapping provide newcomer families with opportunities to make sense of their encounters with space and place? (c) How can examining families' multimodal communicational repertoires amplify our understandings of newcomer resilience?

Awards

  • University of Calgary Teaching Award 2019--Senior Instructor (Nominated), 2019
  • Werklund Teaching Excellence Award 2019 (Nominated), 2019
  • University of Calgary Teaching Award 2018--Senior Instructor (Nominated), 2018
  • Werklund Teaching Excellence Award 2018 (Nominated), 2018
  • ATESL Bursary for Conference Presentations , Alberta TESL. 2016
  • TESL Canada Travel Grant , TESL Canada Federation. 2014
  • Albert H. Marckwardt Grant, TESOL International Association. 2012
  • Graduate and Professional Student Association Travel Grant , Arizona State University. 2012
  • Graduate College Dissertation Fellowship, Arizona State University. 2011
  • TESOL Professional Development Scholarship, TESOL International Association. 2011
  • Marvin M. Fisher Book Award, Department of English, Arizona State University. 2008

Publications

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