Dr. Rydell Harrison is a forward-thinking keynote speaker, performer, consultant and executive leadership coach who partners with school and district leaders to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, and improve outcomes for all students.
A career educator and equity advocate, Rydell is the founder of Harrison Solutions, LLC where he works to provide human-centered professional learning experiences that inspire transformational, equitable and sustainable changes in individuals, organizations and communities. Drawing... Read More →
One of BTC's most powerful, yet difficult, aspects is consolidation. In this session, participants will explore how purposeful consolidation can build a classroom culture that values productive struggle and diverse thinking. Through engaging in mathematics tasks, we will demonstrate how to centre consolidation on student thinking using board work, exit slips, and Magma Math questions. We will discuss why consolidation is such an important component of learning and highlight why reasoning through the work of other students builds conceptual understanding. We will also investigate how Magma Math can support this process by replaying student work to truly centre processes over products.
Maegan Giroux (she/her) is an passionate instructional coach, dedicated to empowering educators across all levels to excel in their teaching practice. With a specialized focus on literacy and numeracy, she walks alongside teachers as they implement dynamic initiatives to enhance student... Read More →
This session explores how Cognitive Coaching can strengthen teacher growth by shifting the coaching stance from consulting toward cultivating teachers’ own noticing.
Participants will examine how planning and reflecting conversations supported deeper noticing of student thinking and classroom dynamics through coaching moves such as paraphrasing, pausing, and mediative questioning.
Topics of co-planning, co-teaching, and collaborative reflection with colleagues will be addressed through the Building Thinking Classrooms lens.
Participants will leave with an introduction to Cognitive Coaching foundations, practical conversation structures, and ideas for using coaching conversations to deepen noticing and support Building Thinking Classrooms implementation.
Takuya Umeki is a passionate mathematics educator and educational consultant, working with educators across Canada and Japan. With a master's degree in mathematics education from Simon Fraser University under Dr. Peter Liljedahl, Takuya's research analyzed students' thinking through... Read More →
Jerrold Wiebe (he/him) is dedicated to making mathematics, mathematical thinking, and problem-solving accessible to all. With four decades of teaching and consulting experience across early, middle, and senior years mathematics in Canada and internationally, as well as experience... Read More →
We hope that participants take away:Inspiration in the form of a template lesson design for humanities disciplines utilizing BTC practices, having experienced a model lesson together in the sessionUse of Courageous Conversations About Race compass as a tool for cultivating a Thinking Classroom (and courageous) cultureIdeas for how to plan and implement equitable instruction around topics related to sociocultural contexts & social justice education, having experienced a model lesson together in the session
Often overlooked in Building Thinking Classrooms, the first step—building culture and community—is where the real magic begins. In this immersive session, teachers will explore how magic and its deep connection to math can spark curiosity, trust, and connection, leaving with practical strategies to build culture before content in any classroom.
In this session, the CT Noyce Math Teacher Leader (MTL) Fellows join Peter Liljedahl to highlight the work of math teacher leadership in advancing instructional change. Through interactive discussion and reflection, participants will consider the role of teacher leaders in the change process, and particularly in building capacity to implement Building Thinking Classrooms. We look at how leaders share practice with others, win over the doubters, and create structures to support colleagues as they take risks with new strategies. There will be time for Q & A and collaborative reflection on how to foster teacher-led changes across various school contexts. Whether you are currently leading from the classroom, supporting teacher leaders, or curious about shifting your school’s math culture, you will leave with practical strategies and a vision for empowering teachers as essential drivers of pedagogical change.
Building Thinking Classrooms is not a one-size-fits-all approach. This teaching strategy is highly effective, but what does it look like for a school district to shift the mindsets of principals and teachers, along with changing classroom instructional practices, to build thinking classrooms? This presentation details how an Urban/Suburban school district implemented Building Thinking Classrooms in Kindergarten-12th Grade.Participants will:Explore how a school district strategically shifted the mindsets of principals and teachers to support the implementation of Building Thinking Classrooms. Examine how the Math Block Framework provides a structured approach to organizing instructional time, fostering student thinking, and aligning with Competency-Based Educational Approaches, including the 5 Mathematical Practices, BTC structures, and a focus on addressing math trauma and identity.Identify the leadership moves, professional learning structures, and coaching supports that moved instruction from traditional, teacher-centered approaches to student-driven, thinking-rich mathematics classrooms.Leave with strategies and insights to strengthen a district’s capacity to create classrooms where every student is positioned as a capable and confident mathematical thinker.Reflect on their current implementation of BTC or other math initiatives and plan next steps to build teacher buy-in, nurture student agency in mathematics, and close opportunity gaps.
Participants will take away classroom management strategies through collaboration and discussion with other participants. Participants will have a chance to share their needs in regard to classroom management and will be able to share what has worked in their classrooms. There will be an emphasis on the power of evaluating behaviors using rubrics.
Participants will explore the texts and photographs while led through a series of Thinking experiences using VNPS that they can immediately incorporate into their literacy and math classrooms. We will use thinking habits of mind that cross contents to highlight how picture books can help launch math tasks as well as teach literacy standards.
Heidi Sabnani is always surprised that she works in math education. She developed math anxiety as a young student and spent much of her school life and early career avoiding math. After teaching English in the United States and Guatemala, and earning her MA in World Literature, she... Read More →
I hope participants leave with practical tools they can use right away—specifically a Navigation Tool, a mastery-based rubric, and ideas for using AI to design discovery tasks. My goal is to give a clear, realistic picture of what full BTC implementation can look like in daily classroom practice
High School Math Teacher, Franklin Community School Corporation
I am a high school math teacher at Franklin Community High School and the creator of BTC in Motion. Since observing Peter Liljedahl teach in Hawaii in 2023, I have been implementing Building Thinking Classrooms strategies to create more collaborative, student-centered math experiences... Read More →
In this hands-on session, participants will explore efficient ways to harness formative and summative assessment tools to guide instruction, foster student agency, and provide equitable feedback. You’ll complete a sample student-choice assessment, practice grading for mastery with a clear rubric, and learn strategies for scaffolding within assessments and assessing learning meaningfully. Discover time-saving techniques to communicate progress effectively with students and parents while keeping assessments manageable and impactful.
Participants will experience and explore how to create thinking tasks and meaningful notes that incorporate mathematical vocabulary by using experience and problem solving to understand language, adapting GLAD strategies to a BTC context.
Responsibility—not accountability. There’s a difference, and it changes everything.
Building a Thinking Classroom depends on more than tasks and vertical whiteboards—it depends on behavior. Student independence, collaboration, perseverance, and responsibility are the foundation that make thinking possible. These behaviors don’t happen by accident—and they don’t happen overnight. They must be built from the beginning. If you’ve struggled with off-task behavior, uneven participation, or helping students engage productively in collaborative work, you’re not alone.
In this session, we’ll explore practical ways to intentionally build the habits, routines, and classroom conditions that support student responsibility and lasting behavior change. Participants will leave with concrete strategies, actionable next steps, and a plan for cultivating the student behaviors that make deep thinking possible.
A middle school math and science educator in El Dorado County from 2002 to 2018, Chelsea spent 16 years guided by the belief that all students can learn to the highest levels. From 2018 to 2026, she served as a Math Curriculum Specialist for the Sacramento County Office of Education... Read More →
BTC Team Consultant, Building Thinking Classrooms & KP Mathematics
Dr. Kim Rimbey (Ph.D. in mathematics curriculum & instruction) loves teaching and learning! She loves exploring the ways in which children think about math and challenging teachers to rethink their assumptions about how to make math meaningful for children. With degrees in both mathematics... Read More →
In this hands-on sesison, participants will experience two Building Thinking Classrooms tasks designed for ELA and other non-math content areas. Together, we will explore how familiar BTC moves can support reading, sequencing, central idea, evidence, and interpretation. Participants will leave with practical structures they can adapt for their own grade level and content area, along with time to reflect on what stays the same and what changes when BTC moves beyond mathematics.
How do we extend the work of Building Thinking Classrooms beyond the classroom walls? In this session, I’ll share a 4-part parent workshop model that helps families reframe their own math identities and more effectively support their children as confident, capable mathematical thinkers, all through the lens of BTC. We’ll also explore how engaging families in BTC practices helps parents better understand the pedagogical shifts happening in today’s math classrooms—and why those shifts matter.
Tom Lewis (he/him) is a consultant on the BTC U.S. Team and has been supporting teachers, schools and districts with implementing Building Thinking Classrooms in grades K-12 since 2021. He is currently working with Peter Liljedahl, Author of Building Thinking Classrooms, on several... Read More →
My hope is that participants leave this session both inspired and equipped to intentionally cultivate a culture of flexibility, grit, and belief within their own contexts. I want teachers, coaches, and district leaders to experience how rich problem solving and the Building Thinking Classrooms framework can transform student engagement, strengthen mathematical identity, and foster perseverance. Above all, I hope participants embrace a shift from focusing solely on product to valuing process, discovering the joyful and meaningful moments that problem solving can bring to classrooms, schools, and districts.
Curriculum Integration Specialist and Professor, Bethel Public Schools and Sacred Heart University
Danielle Legnard is a Professor at Sacred Heart University’s Isabelle Farrington College of Education and a K–2 Curriculum Integration Specialist in Bethel, Connecticut. With more than 25 years in education, she has served as a classroom teacher, math and reading specialist... Read More →
During the session, participants will engage in multiple interactive activities taken from a five-part workshop series based on Mathematics Tasks for the Thinking Classroom, targeting math teachers K-12. Not only will the educators engage in several non-curricular tasks, curricular thin slicing tasks, as well as rich tasks; they will also take part in learning experiences that address other practices such as the use of banners, consolidation, note-making, and evaluating what you value.
Join us for a special screening of Counted Out, a powerful documentary that explores how math shapes everything from economic opportunity to democracy. Don’t miss this chance to be part of an important conversation.
Ultimately, participants should purposefully and systematically incorporate Translanguaging into their instructional planning. This session will reinforce that joining Thinking Classrooms and Translanguaging is a shift in mindset and practice that leads to greater equity and deeper understanding. Participants will: Adopt an Explicit Asset-Based Stance: Recognizing that multilingualism is an asset is the foundation. Implement an explicit Translanguaging Policy (e.g., All languages and speaking styles are valued) to legitimize students’ full linguistic repertoire for thinking and problem-solving. Emphasize multimodality in Collaboration: Integrate the use of non-linguistic resources (gestures, models, drawings, symbols) alongside linguistic repertoires that sometimes include multiple named languages (for example, English and Spanish) within collaborative student work. This allows students to demonstrate and contribute to knowledge, ensuring the rigor of mathematics content is maintained. Bridge Conceptual Understanding: Intentionally facilitate practices where students use the language of access (their existing linguistic repertoires) to clarify, contextualize, and express complex semantic relationships needed for mathematical reasoning, before transferring that understanding to the language of access (academic American-English mathematics-speak). Leverage Technology for Access: Utilize tools like translation apps and generative AI to provide instantaneous linguistic support, or draft culturally relevant explanations and analogies.
We will explore three techniques for thin-slicing, which the teachers at our school have dubbed: sliced complexity, sliced chunks, and sliced scaffolds. Participants will come away with an understanding of how and why to use each each technique, and how to blend them in order to build their toolkit for thin-sliced Building Thinking Classroom tasks that are accessible, engaging, and sequenced to lead students from the familiar to the new while fostering autonomy.
I hope participants will leave with a renewed vision of what geometry and proof can be in a Thinking Classroom. They will see how BTC routines can support not just content understanding, but also meta-cognitive thinking, logical reasoning, and epistemic awareness.Participants will walk away with:A concrete progression for scaffolding proof through BTC practicesIdeas for embedding informal argumentation starting from the first day of classA rationale for teaching formal logic as a bridge to deductive proofAn understanding of how Euclidean geometry supports epistemological developmentAnd an open invitation to connect with me and others in this work, to share ideas, materials, and continue growing a community of educators committed to reimagining geometry through the principles of BTC
Building Thinking Classrooms is powerful, but it is also inherently messy. When teachers are actively facilitating a BTC lesson, it is impossible to simultaneously observe the full range of student thinking, teacher moves, and flow of the task. Peer observation provides the perspective needed to refine practice, reveal blind spots, and elevate the quality of student thinking across classrooms.Participants in this session will:Experience BTC from multiple perspectives: as students, teachers, and observersLearn and practice a clear, non-evaluative feedback protocol aligned with BTC practicesRecognize key teacher moves (questioning, autonomy, hints, extensions, consolidation) that are best developed through observationAnalyze a real classroom video to surface strengths and growth areas in BTC implementationPlan how to bring peer observation back to their site to strengthen collective practice
Participants will be able to describe the characteristics of an effective whole-class discussion and consolidation of learning (synthesis) during a Building Thinking Classrooms lesson (inquiry-based lesson).
Technology can serve as a powerful platform to greatly enhance students' active learning experiences in a thinking classroom. We will deeply explore curricular tasks through which interacting with technology as an exploratory, computational, and coding tool can greatly and meaningfully enhance student groups' active learning experiences. Here, we emphasize effective use of technology for learning in a thinking classroom. Participants will learn, through powerful, interactive, ready-to-use task examples, different ways through which technology can enhance student engagement within thier learning by exploring, computing, and coding. With respect to teaching, we will explore interactive task examples ways through which technology can help teachers foster hints and extensions, provide a platform for students to create and construct, and also code. We will also explore how we can effectively use technology to implement variation theory within the creation of thin-slice activities, as well as exploring the importance and vitalness of its use within students' active learning experiences. We will also explore and discuss alterations and additions teachers can implement within an existing thinking-classroom environment to help maximize student engagement and flow.
We hope participants leave our session inspired to see Building Thinking Classrooms as more than a math framework. It's a structure for belonging, confidence and deep thinking across all subjects. Educators will learn how BTC structures can build belonging and agency across disciplines. They will also explore how thin slicing and consolidation work together to build thinking skills that can work across disciplines and identify ways to make thinking, identity, and equity visible in classroom dialogue. This session will highlight how collaborative thinking is essential in the classroom because it enhances academic performance, student engagement, and builds essential life skills. Participants will take away collaborative strategies for designing lessons that strengthen student confidence, promote meaningful reflection, and foster a sense of belonging. Ultimately, participants will leave with practical tools to help every student see themselves as a capable, valued thinker.
Once the vertical whiteboards are up, how do we make learning stick? As one math coach learned, the “close” is where the magic happens. This session unveils how professional development and coaching helps teachers master lesson synthesis for all students. We will dive into how modeling and co-teaching “closing” strategies impact student learning. Through “in the moment” coaching, we can make learning accessible to more students.
We will give participants a map and strategies for how they can coach/support math teachers in instructional change towards student-centered BTC-inspired instruction, by thin slicing change into a series of smaller instructional shifts. We will talk about the challenges and needs for support that teachers will have with each shift and ways in which coaches can provide those supports.
We hope participants leave our session with a clear understanding of how intentional community-building practices can strengthen student agency throughout the year—not just during the first week. Participants will experience a BTC task designed to cultivate belonging and autonomy, see examples of routines and teacher moves that sustain productive collaboration, and reflect on how these strategies connect to BTC Practice #8. Ultimately, we hope educators walk away with practical structures and a renewed belief that agency develops when students feel safe, valued, and trusted to think. Our goal is for every participant to envision how these ideas can be adapted to their own context so that all students see themselves as capable mathematical thinkers.
Clare Bunton's school: Wyoming High School, located in Wyoming, Michigan, serves approximately 1,284 students in grades 9-12. The student body is diverse, with 51.1% Hispanic, 25.5% White, 14.3% African American, 2.6% Asian, and 6.3% identifying as two or more races. Additionally... Read More →
Emerging Multilingual Learners thrive through mathematics that is meaningful, relevant, and accessible in a safe place - thinking classrooms! This session will provide an opportunity to explore and experience Mathematical Learning Routines and how they enhance BTC practices. Participants will reflect on the strategies used to position Emerging Multilingual Learners for success in thinking classrooms.
Our hope is that participants will be inspired and equipped by our examples of co-leadership. We will demonstrate how a partnership between teacher leaders and district leader can create a secure and supportive environment for implementing BTC, detailing the scaffolded and timely support essential for sustainable practice.
I have been teaching for 20 years; 10 in California and 10 in Hawaii. Teaching ELA has been my passion until about 5 years ago when I started learning and using Building Thinking Classrooms. Now I adore teaching math and I love a great launch!
We hope that participants will gain insight into how BTC can be implemented on a schoolwide level and ideas to build buy-in and implement BTC more consistently, whatever the context.
Join Achievement First for a Hiring Workshop designed to help you prepare for your next opportunity. During this session, our team will review resumes, share interview tips, and provide guidance on how to highlight your experience, skills, and academic background effectively.
Please bring a physical or virtual copy of your resume and transcripts so our team can provide personalized tips on formatting, content, professionalism, and ways to strengthen your application materials. You’ll leave with practical advice to help you feel more confident throughout the hiring process, from submitting your resume to preparing for interviews.
Achievement First Public Charter Schools prepare every student to excel in college and career, deepen their knowledge of self and community, and lead lives of purpose. In partnership with our families and communities, we work to disrupt the legacy of inequity in education.
We believe in the unlimited potential within our students and their power to shape a more just society... Read More →
This session highlights the often overlooked power of consolidation: the final minutes where students make sense of their strategies, connect ideas from rich problems, and formalize their learning. Participants will see classroom examples, learn practical consolidation routines, and walk away with strategies that help students retain and apply their thinking long after the task is over.
Implementation Support Specialist, CPM Educational Program
Robin is currently an Implementation Support Specialist at CPM Educational Program. Robin has taught mathematics at both middle school and high school levels for 25 years. She has a passion for mathematics education and continues to innovate her teaching with research based routines... Read More →
By the end of this session, participants will:Have experienced a secondary thinking classroom, with a focus on what it looks, sounds and feels like for student thinking to be elevated. (~20 minutes)Engage in thoughtful conversations about selecting and sequencing student work to move toward a clear learning outcome. (~10 minutes)Develop an intentional approach for asking "just right questions" to consolidate student thinking. (~10 minutes)Developed some facility to think metacognitively about the role of consolidation and closure in supporting student understanding. (~10 minutes.)Create a personalized action plan to implement consolidation and closure strategies in their own classrooms. (~10 minutes)Gain strategies for inviting, encouraging, and supporting collaborative group work strategies in secondary classrooms. (throughout)
Facilitator & Research Analyst, All Learners Network
As a facilitator with All Learners Network, I am passionate about helping educators implement effective, evidence-based instructional strategies that foster conceptual understanding and empower students to become confident, independent learners. With over 13 years of experience in... Read More →
Join in for a jungle adventure to support the application of the Pythagorean theorem to word problems. Great for introductory geometry. Accessible to all teachers.
Step into a lively problem-solving space where conference attendees can collaborate on engaging math tasks facilitated by experienced Noyce Math Teacher Leader Fellows. Participants will tackle rich problems, and experience the creativity, challenge, and joy that come from doing mathematics together. This session will be interactive with room for Q & A.
Grade 8 Math Teacher, NOYCE Fellow, Meriden, NOYCE
I am a grade 8 math teacher at the middle school level in Meriden, CT. I have been in the education field for over twenty years. I have had the pleasure of teaching elementary school and middle school. I have taught grades 2, 6, 7, and 8. I am the Math Subject Area Specialist at my... Read More →
Join in on the Animal Arrangements task. Great for secondary students, accessible to all teachers.
Step into a lively problem-solving space where conference attendees can collaborate on engaging math tasks facilitated by experienced Noyce Math Teacher Leader Fellows. Participants will tackle rich problems, and experience the creativity, challenge, and joy that come from doing mathematics together.
This session will be interactive with room for Q & A.
Participants will leave with four concrete, ready-to-implement strategies that build student independence through structured feedback, purposeful questioning, self-assessment, and supported note-taking. By experiencing each tool as learners first, participants will better understand how these routines create consistent expectations, promote productive struggle, and help students take ownership of their thinking and learning.
This session shares highlights from an ongoing project at a public high school in New Haven. There are two main objectives of this project: to develop richer and more meaningful data and stories around math education, and to help students become confident and engaged citizens, learners, thinkers, and communicators. Across the year, students investigate their own quantitative and qualitative data to develop and broaden their mathematical identity and reinforce other valuable qualities such as critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. Through this work, my students and I construct a different story about what it means to be a strong mathematician and who is capable of fitting that description. This is done in the context of an untracked BTC classroom that serves students with diverse linguistic, learning, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
BTC Co-Author, Team Consultant, Building Thinking Classrooms
Kyle Webb (he/him) is a teacher, author, learning consultant, and professional development leader based in Saskatchewan, Canada. Never satisfied with the status quo, his passion is improving learning experiences for all students. With experience teaching grades 6 through 12, and in his roles as a teacher coach and school division numeracy consultant, Kyle works to transform classrooms. He has spearheaded the successful implementation of Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) and modern assessment practices, and... Read More →
Come jam out in a powerful experience of how concrete, representational, and abstract (CRA) models can serve as interconnected tools for unpacking strategies for subtraction with regrouping. Rather than viewing CRA as a linear progression, we will linger in the connections between these contexts, uncovering how each can highlight or obscure parts of the underlying mathematics. We will use our experience to explore how BTC moves can support students to prioritize connection over progression and deepen conceptual understanding.
Assistant Principal, Franklin Community School Corporation
I believe that presenting is the best way to confirm your own understanding and learn from others who are passionate about education. Driven by my motto, "Collaboration makes the world go round!", I am passionate about grading and redefining smart by moving away from compliance and... Read More →
High School Math Teacher, Franklin Community School Corporation
I am a high school math teacher at Franklin Community High School and the creator of BTC in Motion. Since observing Peter Liljedahl teach in Hawaii in 2023, I have been implementing Building Thinking Classrooms strategies to create more collaborative, student-centered math experiences... Read More →
I hope participants will walk away with an understanding of how they can take a lesson that meets all IB-MYP requirements and seamlessly incorporate BTC techniques.
My students are thinking. They're engaged. They're solving problems. But how do I ensure they leave with the learning I intended? In this session, I take a close look at consolidation and its role in transforming thinking into learning. Participants will learn how effective consolidation can not only make learning visible but also help steer it toward the intended learning goals of the lesson.
Problem solve with sample spaces, joint probability, and mathematical reasoning in this statistical task appropriate for grades 7–12.
Step into a lively problem-solving space where conference attendees can collaborate on engaging math tasks facilitated by experienced Noyce Math Teacher Leader Fellows. Participants will tackle rich problems, and experience the creativity, challenge, and joy that come from doing mathematics together. This session will be interactive with room for Q & A.
Problem-solve with systems of equations in this thin slice activity to reason about linear constraints. Accessible to all teachers.
Step into a lively problem-solving space where conference attendees can collaborate on engaging math tasks facilitated by experienced Noyce Math Teacher Leader Fellows. Participants will tackle rich problems, and experience the creativity, challenge, and joy that come from doing mathematics together. This session will be interactive with room for Q & A.
PhD Student, Curriculum and Instruction, Secondary Math Ed, University of Connecticut Neag School of Education
In-training mathematics teacher educator (Ph.D.) at the University of Connecticut for secondary mathematics. Program Manager for the UConn Noyce Math Teacher Leaders (MTL). Former mechanical engineer, as well as Hartford Public Schools and CTECS teacher in Connecticut. Happy to be... Read More →
The goals of my session are for participants to be able to:Analyze the essential elements that make for a successful task launch.Implement strategies to build immediate student excitement and curiosity, fostering a desire to engage in productive struggle.Adapt existing lesson launches using simple, accessible adjustments to maximize cognitive activation and minimize instructional front-loading.
Participants will walk away with practical, ready-to-implement routines that help students reflect on their mathematical identity and thinking throughout the year. They will learn how structures like “Math History Timelines,”by MidSchoolMath’s Gladys Grahm, student self-assessment, reflection sprints after BTC tasks, and 1:1 learning conversations can deepen student ownership and strengthen the final BTC practices around responsibility, perseverance, and “Where to next?”Teachers will leave with concrete examples, templates, and prompts they can use immediately to help students notice their growth, name their strategies, and understand themselves better as mathematical thinkers. The session emphasizes identity and agency first, with data and assessment serving as one optional lens for reflection.
Teachers will walk away with how and when to use direct instruction in a BTC lesson. How to prepare for and teach into misconceptions, when to intervene, and when to let students productively struggle. They will come back with three different ways to use direct instruction in a BTC lesson.Teachers will experience how to blend direct instruction in BTC while promoting equitable access to thinking, using VNPS and randomized groupings. They'll also explore how to respond to student misconceptions in real time. Teachers experience the cognitive struggle their students feel.Random grouping and VNPS show how BTC promotes equity.Misconceptions give a realistic view of responsive teaching.Participants can see all three types of direct instruction in action.
Participants will leave with a clear understanding of the philosophy behind using student self-correction of their assessments and reflection as a way to empower students and help them tell their own math story. Participants will learn how centering student voice provides immediate, relevant feedback and shifts traditional power dynamics in the learning environment. The session will share the origins of this action research project, findings, and a concrete classroom example demonstrating how self-correction, scoring, and reflection function in practice.
Participants will leave this session with a 'think bigger' perspective on how to support teachers who are building thinking classrooms. They will have in hand the ideas and tools necessary to begin to spread their support for others by casting a wider net than their classroom or school. Most importantly, they will leave inspired to share their own thinking classroom journey with others, at whatever scale they are able to take on.
Jeff Harker has been in and around public education for 35 years. He spent 31 years as a middle school mathematics educator and cross country coach. He is currently the Secondary Mathematics Specialist for Keep Indiana Learning where he spends is time traveling around the state helping... Read More →
How do we incorporate manipulatives into the Thinking Classroom? How can we build thinking tasks based on manipulatives? How can we build conceptual understanding through thin-sliced tasks which utilize manipulatives? Can manipulatives be used for “spicy” tasks? Participants will have the opportunity to consider ways to use manipulatives when designing thinking tasks and thin-sliced tasks. In my work with teachers using Building Thinking Classrooms, many of them have immediately adopted using VNPS and try to incorporate using them into every lesson. However, the elementary teachers I support have struggled to incorporate manipulative use particularly if their boards are not magnetic. They see the value of both using manipulatives to help build conceptual understanding but wonder if that fits within the BTC model. We also want to remove any stigma of using a tool or manipulatives in the classroom. By creating thinking tasks that focus on manipulative use we help students (and teachers) see that these tools and representations are not just for students “who need them” but a resource that helps all students think deeply about mathematics.A remediation to this type of thinking is focusing on task creation. Selecting appropriate thinking tasks is critical to a thinking classroom. So helping teachers create thin sliced problems and thinking tasks that incorporate manipulatives still meet the thinking component of BTC. Allowing students to use both manipulatives and VNPS allows students to show their thinking with physical tools or pictorial representations on VNPS.This session will focus on using manipulatives to create larger thinking tasks and thin sliced tasks in elementary classrooms. Teachers will be able to collaborate on creating these tasks using manipulatives and pictorial representations.
Heidi Sabnani is always surprised that she works in math education. She developed math anxiety as a young student and spent much of her school life and early career avoiding math. After teaching English in the United States and Guatemala, and earning her MA in World Literature, she... Read More →
Key Takeaways: You will learn how to:Use BTC's Toolkits to create a climate of intellectual challenge for any subject.Integrate data analysis (scatter plots, functions) to build compelling inquiries in history and science classrooms.Implement non-math "thinking tasks" that require visible, peer-to-peer knowledge mobility.Design assessment and reflection tools (Meaningful Notes, Navigation Instruments) that synthesize learning across disciplines.
Grade 8 Math Teacher, NOYCE Fellow, Meriden, NOYCE
I am a grade 8 math teacher at the middle school level in Meriden, CT. I have been in the education field for over twenty years. I have had the pleasure of teaching elementary school and middle school. I have taught grades 2, 6, 7, and 8. I am the Math Subject Area Specialist at my... Read More →
In Building Thinking Classrooms, what students think about is as important as how they think. This workshop illustrates how Justice-Centered Ambitious Science Teaching (JuST) can serve as a powerful companion to BTC by anchoring learning in intellectually demanding, justice-centered phenomena that cultivates deep reasoning, collaboration, and equitable participation. Drawing from the work of Morales-Doyle (2017), Philip & Acevedo (2017), and Luehmann et al. (2024) we frame justice-centered science instruction as a means of expanding whose knowledge counts, whose experiences matter, and whose questions shape the investigation. These scholars emphasize that equitable science learning must position students, especially those historically marginalized in STEM, as sensemakers navigating problems in their communities. This workshop will demonstrate how such justice-centered phenomena fuel the cognitive demand central to BTC and create inclusive spaces for students’ ideas to drive instruction. We will share the journey of our high school science department that partnered with university faculty, administrators, and community organizations to transform instruction by incorporating local, justice-centered data into inquiry-driven lessons over the past 5 years. Our work honors key BTC principles, such as visibly random groups, thinking tasks, and teacher moves that support student autonomy. We use iterative modeling, where students generate, revise, and revisit scientific models over time. These models allow students to externalize their thinking, track changes in understanding, and engage in public reasoning while still maintaining flexibility and intellectual risk-taking.Participants will engage in a justice-centered science task: interpret local data, construct initial models, revise thinking collaboratively, and examine authentic classroom artifacts. Through this, they will experience firsthand how justice-centered phenomena create the need for disciplinary knowledge and how BTC structures amplify student voice and participation within that work.This workshop highlights how instructional practices and partnership systems intersect to create an approach to building more equitable, intellectually challenging science classrooms. Participants will leave with concrete tools to adapt JuST and BTC principles to their own context.Participants will leave this session with a clear understanding of the following:How integrating justice-centered phenomena serves as a powerful catalyst for creating intellectually challenging tasks that demand thinking from every student.How thoughtfully adapted BTC structures can support justice-centered ambitious teaching in science and other disciplines.Practical strategies for cultivating meaningful, multi-level collaborations (educator, administrator, university, community) to build the systemic capacity for sustained, equity-focused instructional improvement.
What does Building Thinking Classrooms look like with our youngest learners? In Early Years classrooms, children often arrive full of curiosity, play, collaboration, and divergent thinking before many “studenting” habits have taken hold. This session will rethink the 14 BTC practices for ages 3–5, exploring how we can protect and extend the thinking already present in Preschool and Pre-K classrooms. Participants will leave with a clearer picture of how to adapt BTC in playful, developmentally responsive ways.
Maegan Giroux (she/her) is an passionate instructional coach, dedicated to empowering educators across all levels to excel in their teaching practice. With a specialized focus on literacy and numeracy, she walks alongside teachers as they implement dynamic initiatives to enhance student... Read More →
What if the most powerful coaching move isn’t observing and giving feedback—but stepping into the work alongside teachers? Join BTC team members for an interactive session that reimagines coaching through a Building Thinking Classrooms lens. We will focus on shifting from the traditional observation-feedback cycle to student-centered co-teaching. Grounded in research and classroom practice, this session introduces a 3-part coaching model that positions coaches and teachers as collaborative partners in planning, teaching, and reflection. Together we’ll explore how co-teaching can deepen teacher learning, center student thinking, and create more meaningful and sustainable instructional change in mathematics classrooms. Whether you’re a coach, math specialist, instructional leader, or administrator supporting BTC implementation, you’ll leave with practical co-planning tools, reflection prompts, and a replicable framework for strengthening coaching partnerships and supporting teacher growth.
BTC Team Consultant, Building Thinking Classrooms & KP Mathematics
Dr. Kim Rimbey (Ph.D. in mathematics curriculum & instruction) loves teaching and learning! She loves exploring the ways in which children think about math and challenging teachers to rethink their assumptions about how to make math meaningful for children. With degrees in both mathematics... Read More →
The first day of math class matters—and it matters a lot. It’s when we establish the culture that shapes how students experience math, their beliefs about who they are as mathematical thinkers, and how they act in math class. But what happens when that culture starts to slip? In this session, participants will experience a lesson and unpack the moves that position us to set the culture on day one—and reset it when math class isn’t working. We’ll explore how these moves influence student identity, voice, and participation, and how teachers can intentionally shape classrooms where more students see themselves as capable mathematical thinkers.
Takuya Umeki is a passionate mathematics educator and educational consultant, working with educators across Canada and Japan. With a master's degree in mathematics education from Simon Fraser University under Dr. Peter Liljedahl, Takuya's research analyzed students' thinking through... Read More →
Join us for a special screening of Counted Out, a powerful documentary that explores how math shapes everything from economic opportunity to democracy. Don’t miss this chance to be part of an important conversation.
Principal, author, presenter, former VP NCSM, West Hartford Public Schools, Charter Oak International Academy,
Georgina Rivera is a mathematics leader educator, coach, presenter, and author. Currently, she serves as the Principal for Charter Oak International Academy, an IB School in West Hartford, CT. Georgina has previously served as an Elementary STEM Supervisor, and district-wide elementary... Read More →
Many schools begin their Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) journey by adopting random grouping and vertical boards, yet these tools often lack a strategic purpose. Without moving beyond this mechanical implementation, students miss out on the genuine thinking, clear collaboration norms, and supportive environments necessary for making mistakes and formalizing learning. Designed for coaches and school leaders, this session focuses on how to support teachers in moving past these initial steps toward a deeper, more effective model. We will explore high-leverage practices—including sequencing thinking tasks to ignite curiosity, structuring consolidation to ensure shared understanding, and shifting note-making to occur after the learning has happened. Participants will leave with a clearer blueprint for scaling their implementation and concrete strategies to build their teachers' capacities and self-efficacy toward a sustainable Thinking Classrooms.
Participants will leave with a clear understanding of how to design and implement effective thin slicing that promotes sustained thinking, increases student ownership, and supports meaningful problem-solving in a Building Thinking Classroom, and will be equipped with practical strategies, ready-to-use examples, and planning tools to create thin slicing lessons that deepen student reasoning and keep learners actively engaged.
Participants will leave this session with a concrete understanding of how a well-designed BTC task can create immediate access, curiosity, and deep reasoning for all learners, including those who are disengaged or carry negative math identities. They will experience firsthand how non-procedural, low-floor/high-ceiling tasks break mimicry and generate authentic thinking, and they will see how BTC structures (random groups, vertical surfaces, and thinking-first routines) produce equitable participation and shared ownership of ideas.Participants will also come away with strategies and insights for working with students who have struggled in traditional settings. Through discussion and Q&A, they will gain practical approaches for building collaboration, persistence, confidence, and academic identity, especially for students who are math-phobic or historically marginalized. Finally, they will leave with a ready-to-implement task and a clear framework they can adapt to their own grade levels and content areas, both inside and outside mathematics.
📚 Meet the Author & Get Your Copy Signed! What does it take to turn a commitment to equity into real, lasting change? Equitable School Improvement: The Critical Need for the Human Side of Change by Rydell Harrison and PEL's Isobel Stevenson makes the case that improvement science alone isn't enough — it's the human side of change that makes the difference. The book guides school and district leaders through creating the conditions needed to pursue equity with intention, helping them develop the dispositions of an equity-focused leader, engage stakeholders productively and respectfully, and facilitate the kinds of conversations that move systems forward. It challenges deficit thinking, addresses power structures, and makes the tools of improvement science more accessible to leaders at every level. Don't miss your chance to grab a copy and have it signed at BTCC26!
Dr. Rydell Harrison is a forward-thinking keynote speaker, performer, consultant and executive leadership coach who partners with school and district leaders to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, and improve outcomes for all students.
A career educator and equity advocate, Rydell is the founder of Harrison Solutions, LLC where he works to provide human-centered professional learning experiences that inspire transformational, equitable and sustainable changes in individuals, organizations and communities. Drawing... Read More →
As teachers, so much of what drives our assessment practices revolves around numbers. But do these numbers really tell us what we think they do? In this session, we will unpack our grading and reporting practices, interrogate their purpose and validity, and explore whether they truly serve all of our students. We'll challenge some of the assumptions we hold about the numbers in our grade books and consider what might lie beyond them.
BTC Co-Author, Team Consultant, Building Thinking Classrooms
Kyle Webb (he/him) is a teacher, author, learning consultant, and professional development leader based in Saskatchewan, Canada. Never satisfied with the status quo, his passion is improving learning experiences for all students. With experience teaching grades 6 through 12, and in his roles as a teacher coach and school division numeracy consultant, Kyle works to transform classrooms. He has spearheaded the successful implementation of Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) and modern assessment practices, and... Read More →
It's our goal for participants to discuss the what, why, and how of layering strategies with BTC when planning lessons to move all students forward in their thinking. We will achieve this by reflecting on exemplars created for a specific standard that highlight that layering through calling attention to the micro-moves used in various given scenarios. Participants will walk away with a planning framework we have constructed to consider where pedagogies can be layered to best meet the needs of their learners. They will also gain access to our newsletter and playbook where we detail ways in which we see BTC providing equity to all learners.
Middle School Math coach, Prince William County Public Schools
Kylie Samko is a dedicated middle school math coach in Prince William County, Virginia, with 12 years of educational experience. She has primarily worked with middle school students and has recently expanded her expertise to consult with elementary and high school educators. Kylie... Read More →
Participants will explore a BTC task through the lens of complex instruction, focusing on actionable norms to promote classroom equity. The session will provide practical tools for implementing inclusive teaching practices and offering targeted feedback, ensuring equitable participation for all students. Educators will learn strategies to foster effective collaboration, making sure every student engages meaningfully in BTC tasks. This session aims to empower teachers with the resources needed to create more inclusive and equitable classroom environments.
Clare Bunton's school: Wyoming High School, located in Wyoming, Michigan, serves approximately 1,284 students in grades 9-12. The student body is diverse, with 51.1% Hispanic, 25.5% White, 14.3% African American, 2.6% Asian, and 6.3% identifying as two or more races. Additionally... Read More →
How do we build a sustainable learning community that truly supports teacher collaboration and the implementation of BTC practices across grade levels and content areas? In this interactive session, participants will experience our approach to facilitating a collaborative learning community designed to move BTC from initiative to sustained practice. We will share key structures, facilitation strategies, and lessons learned from our implementation journey. Participants will engage in team-based planning to identify actionable next steps for building or refining a learning community in their own districts that promotes meaningful collaboration and long-term professional growth for all teachers.
In this session, participants will develop a customized, differentiated action plan to support multiple teachers as they grow their BTC practice. Through guided reflection and structured planning, participants will analyze their own unique school environment to plan leadership moves, routines, and culture-building strategies that will lead to whole-school implementation of BTC.
In this session, teachers, school and district leadership will learn about an innovative model supporting K-12 math teachers across all schools in the Hartford Public School system during the first two years of implementation of the Building Thinking Classrooms practices. Attendees will explore the components of this model, including the use of collaborative learning teams and a problem of practice protocol. Additionally, the presenters will share research and data from teachers and key takeaways for facilitators. Session attendees will be encouraged to consider ways to apply this model in their own district or context and leave inspired to empower teachers within their own district to become transformative teacher leaders.
We hope participants walk away with...A deeper understanding of how BTC structures can be leveraged to create equitable access for multilingual learners.Practical strategies for integrating language supports without lowering cognitive demand.A framework for designing and adapting thinking tasks across content areas so that all students can think, communicate, and engage deeply.A set of tools they can adapt for their own purposes.
"But will this work for my students?" This is the most common question asked by teachers of students with disabilities, significant learning gaps, or executive functioning challenges. Leveraging my special education background as a general education teacher, I asked the exact same question. The answer is yes, but it requires intentional design. We must dismantle the myth that the Building Thinking Classrooms framework is only for students with conventional learning profiles and embrace the reality that all kids can thrive when we give them the space to succeed.
In this interactive session, participants will experience a "Thinking Classroom" intentionally designed to support diverse cognitive needs. We will engage in a thin-sliced lesson from launch to consolidation, explicitly modeling the teacher moves that lower anxiety and raise engagement for students who have historically been marginalized in math spaces. By exploring how vertical surfaces and specific consolidation routines like the "Mild, Medium, Spicy" ordering structure serve as powerful Tier 1 interventions, you will leave with a toolkit of practical, universal accommodations that maintain rigor while ensuring access for every learner.
6th Grade Math/Science Teacher, Norwalk Public Schools
I’m a 6th-grade math and science teacher who is passionate about creating classrooms where every single student feels capable of high-level thinking. Outside of the classroom, you can usually find me hanging out with my wife and our daughter or sneaking away for a day trip somewhere... Read More →
Participants will leave with:A clear understanding that IM already provides rich thinking tasks suited for BTC implementation.Strategies to thin slice IM activities to maintain flow and cognitive engagement.Practical ideas for using VNPS and random groups while staying true to the IM lesson structure.Confidence that BTC and IM complement each other—enhancing reasoning, collaboration, and student ownership.
How students see themselves in math shapes not only what they learn, but how they engage, persevere, and grow. As Liesl McConchie notes, “A student’s emotional relationship with math is foundational to their cognitive relationship with math.” In this session, participants will explore practical strategies to help students author their own math stories—stories of confidence, competence, and belonging. Through hands-on examples and reflective activities, teachers will leave equipped to create classroom experiences that nurture positive mathematical identities, strengthen student agency, and make every learner feel seen, valued, and capable beyond what the thinking classroom already provides.
teacher, Cynthia Mann Elementary, Boise School District
Tammy McMorrow has been teaching first grade for 32 years in Kuna, Idaho. In 2022 she began building a thinking classroom inspired by the work of Peter Liljedahl and was quickly won over by its magic and messiness. Determined to start a movement, she created a Facebook page for K-2... Read More →
Join in to problem-solve a curricular thinking task involving the volume of a cone.
Step into a lively problem-solving space where conference attendees can collaborate on engaging math tasks facilitated by experienced Noyce Math Teacher Leader Fellows. Participants will tackle rich problems, and experience the creativity, challenge, and joy that come from doing mathematics together. This session will be interactive with room for Q & A.
Join in a fun problem solving session with a curricular thinking task that models rabbit populations to explore geometric sequences and exponential growth. Grades 7 - 12. Accessible to all teachers.
Step into a lively problem-solving space where conference attendees can collaborate on engaging math tasks facilitated by experienced Noyce Math Teacher Leader Fellows. Participants will tackle rich problems, and experience the creativity, challenge, and joy that come from doing mathematics together. This session will be interactive with room for Q & A.
There are two main objectives. 1) Participants will explore tasks that utilize tangible contexts - a scaffold to help students make sense of abstract mathematical procedures. 2) Participants will identify next-steps in their own practice to improve the rich tasks and thin slices that they utilize in their classrooms in an effort to create access for more students.
This session will explore how to integrate McGraw Hill's Reveal Math curriculum with Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) strategies for 6-12 learners. Participants will experience a modeled lesson and leave with a lesson plan template to help implement these approaches in their own classrooms, enhancing engagement and problem-solving for middle and high school students.
High School Math Teacher, Franklin Community School Corporation
I am a high school math teacher at Franklin Community High School and the creator of BTC in Motion. Since observing Peter Liljedahl teach in Hawaii in 2023, I have been implementing Building Thinking Classrooms strategies to create more collaborative, student-centered math experiences... Read More →
Participants will leave this session confident in their ability to transform word problems into meaningful sense-making opportunities for all students. By experiencing and scripting a 3 Listens Launch, educators will learn how to adapt the familiar 3 Reads language routine to promote thinking, collaboration, and equitable access to any word problem. Through active participation—experiencing the routine as learners, analyzing its structure, and practicing with peers—participants will gain the tools to design and facilitate verbal launches that keep students from “number-plucking” and steer them instead to problem-solving as they surface key quantities and construct mathematical meaning in context.
A middle school math and science educator in El Dorado County from 2002 to 2018, Chelsea spent 16 years guided by the belief that all students can learn to the highest levels. From 2018 to 2026, she served as a Math Curriculum Specialist for the Sacramento County Office of Education... Read More →
Kyle Ferreira van Leer (he/him) firmly believes that all students are capable of high level mathematics engagement. He began his educational career in the middle school sphere. Kyle spent 8 years - from Boston to Sacramento - teaching 7th and 8th grade math in Title I schools, mostly serving migrant students... Read More →
Homework doesn't work. The students who should be doing it aren't, and the students who are doing it often don't need it. Check-your-understanding questions (CYUs) are different. Students do them. Everyone does them. And many students actually enjoy doing them. Why is that? In this session, I explore the key differences between homework and CYUs and what it is about CYUs that creates such a dramatically different experience for students. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of what makes CYUs so effective and how they can be used to increase student participation, engagement, and learning.
I will be going into my 6th year using the BTC-framework in my classes. I primarily teach in the resource room setting (special education), but also have inclusion classes. I currently teach Algebra 1 & Algebra 2!
Regional Mathematics Coordinator, Capital Region ESD 113
Daniel is a former middle-level and high school-level mathematics teacher and current mathematics coordinator and coach for an Educational Service District in Western Washington State. Daniel supports up to 44 school districts across Western Washington, with a primary focus on schools... Read More →
Principal, author, presenter, former VP NCSM, West Hartford Public Schools, Charter Oak International Academy,
Georgina Rivera is a mathematics leader educator, coach, presenter, and author. Currently, she serves as the Principal for Charter Oak International Academy, an IB School in West Hartford, CT. Georgina has previously served as an Elementary STEM Supervisor, and district-wide elementary... Read More →
