In this session we will explore how using random groups with vertical non-permanent surfaces (VPNSs) helps to promote communication, collaboration and knowledge mobility among students. Following a shared experience where participants will participate in a lesson that follows the tenets of Building Thinking Classrooms we will explore some of the research outlining why random groups are so effective and delve into the positive impact this work has on a student’s math identity, self-efficacy and status.
This session is most relevant to grades 3 through 8, but all are welcome to attend.
Join us as we examine the different “recipes” we are using to create success in our grade 3-5 mathematics classrooms. Let's explore ways to engage learners and build mathematical thinkers using rich tasks, questioning, and active involvement. These are all essential elements in building thinking classrooms. Participants will leave the session with developed examples and recipes for cooking up a Building Thinking Classroom of their own.
This session explores how Peter Liljedahl’s Building Thinking Classrooms approach serves as a powerful tool for transforming classrooms and fosters educational equity. Participants will engage in hands-on activities, reflective discussions, and collaborative planning to implement BTC practices that create more inclusive and equitable learning environments.
We begin planning our unit of study in BTC through a macro lens. This includes the unit scope, thin slicing, consolidation points, and CYU resources. We will then bring it to a micro lens where we will choose one of those topics and create a thinking task and extend it through student anticipatory moves. The task will be scripted using the new meaningful notes template. This can apply to any curriculum from Envisions to Illustrative Mathematics to Reveal.
Engaging, inquiry-based lessons with low-cost materials can be easy to implement! The two educators from Connecticut selected to attend the Museum of Mathematics’s Rosenthal Prize Summer Institute will share highlights of three movement-based low-floor, high-ceiling lessons they sandboxed at the institute and have tried with elementary, middle, and high school students. From their experiences teaching these award-winning lessons, they will share lessons learned, resources to use the free lessons, and advice for creating environments that foster community and wonder.
