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 →
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).
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.
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 →
