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 →
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.
Teaching AP Calculus in high school often feels like a sprint to get through the curriculum. For many teachers, the thought of using BTC in the AP Calculus classroom seems impossible given the time constraints. My session will provide concrete examples of how to use BTC in the AP Calculus classrooms. Participants will leave with lesson plans and ideas on how to incorporate BTC into their classrooms immediately.
Students with neurodiverse profiles or learning disabilities often face unique challenges in traditional classrooms. The Building Thinking Classrooms framework, with its emphasis on collaborative and student-centered practices, offers powerful opportunities to meet these needs while benefiting all learners. By starting with a problem and implementing these strategies, educators can create an environment where students feel valued, capable, and empowered to think critically.Session Objectives:Start With a Problem:Demonstrate how beginning lessons with a meaningful problem, combined with connection-before-content activities, engages students immediately, builds community, activates prior knowledge, and sets the stage for collaborative thinking.Explore the Power of Randomization:Demonstrate how random groupings and seating arrangements minimize social hierarchies and increase opportunities for all students to engage meaningfully in collaborative problem-solving.Maximize Engagement Through VNPS:Highlight how vertical non-permanent surfaces encourage risk-taking and creative thinking by providing low-stakes opportunities to share ideas, test solutions, and iterate in real time.Use Navigation Tools for Clarity and Accessibility:Present the use of unit maps as a tool for scaffolding complex concepts and supporting executive functioning, ensuring students can navigate their learning journey with confidence.Incorporate Thinking-Focused Directions:Explain how concise, action-oriented directions, delivered while standing, support student autonomy and reduce cognitive load, allowing learners to begin thinking quickly without lengthy verbal instruction.Address Challenges and Share Solutions:Discuss potential obstacles educators may encounter when implementing these strategies, including starting with a problem and connection-before-content activities, and provide evidence-based solutions to overcome them.
Participants will leave this session with practical strategies and structures for applying Building Thinking Classrooms practices in small group intervention settings. They will learn how to adapt BTC elements - such as thinking tasks, random groupings, and visible thinking spaces - to meet the needs of students who require targeted support. By the end of the session, teachers will have concrete examples, planning tools, and renewed confidence to foster deep mathematical thinking, engagement, and independence among all learners, even within small intervention groups.
This session incorporates elements from Building Thinking Classrooms and NCTM’s 8 Effective Teaching Practices while modeling NCTM’s 5 Practices to facilitate mathematical discourse. Participants will:Connect and learn about strategies that build community while promoting thinking for deep understanding and meaningful discourse; Engage in a rich math task planned to prioritize elements of increased access to content and discourse;Reflect on actionable steps to incorporate elements of discourse while supporting student autonomy in a collaborative classroom community. Time will be divided between task engagement, debrief of facilitation, and space for reflection. We will make connections to the standards of mathematical practice by engaging in reasoning and justification while exploring how various solution strategies highlight multiple representations and mathematical relationships.
Professional Learning Specialist, CPM Educational Program
Jessie Thiel is a Professional Learning Specialist with CPM Educational Program from Port Washington, WI. She has taught high school mathematics in three different states, including at Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, IL. During her 25 years in the classroom, she has taught... Read More →
