In this session, participants will explore how to plant and nurture the “growing conditions” needed for Thinking Classrooms. Through hands-on, cognitively engaging tasks, we’ll examine how choice, access, and experience—not mandates or formulas—help teachers build deep conceptual roots. Our districtwide journey of cultivating systems that support the 14 practices will be shared and we will invite reflection on barriers, opportunities, and leadership intersections. Participants will analyze their own contexts and identify actionable “tweaks” to strengthen their implementation journey.By participating in this session, attendees will be able to:Identify district and school “growing conditions”—systems, structures, and cultural factors—that support or hinder the implementation of Thinking Classroom practices.Analyze how choice, access, and experiential learning deepen conceptual understanding and foster authentic engagement for teachers.Reflect on their own district’s context to notice strengths, barriers, and opportunities in their implementation journey.Apply actionable “tweaks” that strengthen their leadership approach and support teachers in building sustainable Thinking Classrooms.Design next steps for cultivating their district’s “growing conditions,” aligning instructional research with system-level coherence.
