Building Thinking Classrooms Conference 2026: Full Schedule

9:35am EDT

Techniques for Thin-Slicing Building Thinking Classroom Tasks

Monday June 29, 2026 9:35am - 11:45am EDT

Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 302

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.

Speakers

Joe Grogan

Math Teacher, Academy for Careers in Television and Film

Shaziya Agron-Ali

Math Teacher, Academy for Careers in Television and Film

PhD

Gerald Tabaosares

Math Teacher, NYC Dept of Education

Monday June 29, 2026 9:35am - 11:45am EDT
Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 302 177 College St, New Haven, CT 06510, USA

Teaching, Medium

Grade Level or Subject Area K-2; 3-5; 6-8; Algebra; Geometry; Trigonometry; Statistics; Calculus; Instructional Coaches

9:35am EDT

The Proof Is in the Practice: Geometry as the Ultimate Thinking Classroom

Monday June 29, 2026 9:35am - 11:45am EDT

Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 405

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

Speakers

Jillian M. Cavanna

Leah M. Frazee

Jason T. Shea

Monday June 29, 2026 9:35am - 11:45am EDT
Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 405 177 College St, New Haven, CT 06510, USA

Teaching, Medium

Grade Level or Subject Area Geometry

10:50am EDT

Consolidating Thick Slices: Making Rich Problems Stick

Monday June 29, 2026 10:50am - 11:45am EDT

Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 240

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.

Speakers

Robin Kubasiak

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 →

Monday June 29, 2026 10:50am - 11:45am EDT
Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 240 177 College St, New Haven, CT 06510, USA

Teaching, Medium

Grade Level or Subject Area 6-8; Algebra; Geometry; Instructional Coaches; Building Leaders

10:50am EDT

Crafting Consolidation and Closure in a Secondary Thinking Classroom

Monday June 29, 2026 10:50am - 11:45am EDT

Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 326

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)

Speakers

Elizabeth Kielty

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 →

Monday June 29, 2026 10:50am - 11:45am EDT
Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 326 177 College St, New Haven, CT 06510, USA

Teaching, Medium

Grade Level or Subject Area 6-8; Algebra; Instructional Coaches

1:20pm EDT

Equitable Engagement: How BTC strengthens learning in the IB MYP

Monday June 29, 2026 1:20pm - 2:15pm EDT

Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 326

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.

Speakers

Samantha Sewpersaud

Teacher, CIS 303/NYC DOE

Danielle Sargent

Teacher, CIS 303

Monday June 29, 2026 1:20pm - 2:15pm EDT
Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 326 177 College St, New Haven, CT 06510, USA

Teaching, Medium

Grade Level or Subject Area 6-8; Instructional Coaches; Building Leaders; Other!

2:35pm EDT

My Math, My Story: Amplifying Confidence, Identity, and Belonging in the Elementary Thinking Classroom

Monday June 29, 2026 2:35pm - 3:30pm EDT

Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 301

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.

Speakers

Tammy McMorrow

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 →

My Math My Story pdf

Monday June 29, 2026 2:35pm - 3:30pm EDT
Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 301 177 College St, New Haven, CT 06510, USA

Teaching, Medium

Grade Level or Subject Area K-2; 3-5

2:35pm EDT

Using BTC when Students have Unfinished Learning: Situating Mathematics in Contexts Worth Exploring

Monday June 29, 2026 2:35pm - 3:30pm EDT

Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 329

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.

Speakers

Brandon Pelter

Teacher, Bridgeport Public Schools

Pelter Situating Mathematics in Contexts Worth Exploring BTCC 2026 pdf

Monday June 29, 2026 2:35pm - 3:30pm EDT
Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 329 177 College St, New Haven, CT 06510, USA

Teaching, Medium

Grade Level or Subject Area Algebra

8:00am EDT

Stick the Landing: Consolidation, Guided Notes, and CYU That Drive Learning

Tuesday June 30, 2026 8:00am - 8:55am EDT

Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 329

Participants will see the value in trying different BTC consolidation strategies and see what’s works for different classes and concepts. We want them to take away an example of a process to get the consolidation up and working and give time for them to plan and practice. Planning time is so valuable when trying something new.

Speakers

Dee Dee Dyer

Teacher, CIS303 Leadership and Community Service Academy

Damen Davis

Assistant Principal, CIS 303: The Leadership and Community Service Academy

Tuesday June 30, 2026 8:00am - 8:55am EDT
Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 329 177 College St, New Haven, CT 06510, USA

Teaching, Medium

Grade Level or Subject Area Algebra; 6-8; Instructional Coaches

8:00am EDT

Teaching Precalculus Through the Toolkit Functions: A Thinking Classroom Approach

Tuesday June 30, 2026 8:00am - 10:10am EDT

Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 330

This session offers a clear, adaptable framework for teaching precalculus through the 11 toolkit functions in ways that feel coherent, student-centered, and aligned with Building Thinking Classrooms practices. Rather than memorizing isolated transformation rules, participants explore how the toolkit functions can anchor a semester-long arc that helps students recognize structure, connect function families, and link graphing to solving equations. Through thin-sliced tasks, vertical non-permanent surface work, and purposeful gallery walks, we build from parent functions to layered transformations and increasingly complex equations. Participants gain ready-to-use tasks, questioning strategies, and consolidation routines that elevate thinking, collaboration, and joy in the precalculus classroom.

Speakers

Laurie Allen

Mathematics Department Chair, Western Reserve Academy

Hi there! I love math and absolutely cherish the journey of teaching high schoolers how to think mathematically. As a presenter this year, I’m always eager to swap classroom stories and strategies. Off duty, you’ll find me outdoors—hiking, traveling, or hunting down the best... Read More →

Brad Justice

Mathematics Faculty, Western Reserve Academy

Tuesday June 30, 2026 8:00am - 10:10am EDT
Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 330 177 College St, New Haven, CT 06510, USA

Teaching, Medium

Grade Level or Subject Area Algebra; Calculus; Trigonometry

9:15am EDT

Making Thinking Visible: The BTC Note-Making Routine

Tuesday June 30, 2026 9:15am - 10:10am EDT

Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Black Box 118

I hope participants leave feeling confident that they can facilitate an intentional, student-centered note-making process in their own classrooms, using flexible, “in the moment” structures and concrete routines to support students from initial board work to meaningful notes.

Speakers

Angie Schuck

Math Teacher, Huntsville High School

I am in my 12th year of teaching - 6 years in CA, and now in Arkansas. I discovered BTC during Covid and it was just what I needed as we transitioned back to "normal" school. I have been incorporating BTC into my classroom for the past 4 years and still have a lot to learn, but I... Read More →

Note Making Not Note Taking 2026 pdf

Notes Template BTC pdf

Tuesday June 30, 2026 9:15am - 10:10am EDT
Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Black Box 118 177 College St, New Haven, CT 06510, USA

Teaching, Medium

Grade Level or Subject Area Algebra; Geometry; Instructional Coaches

10:30am EDT

Integrating BTC with District Requirements & Recommended Curriculums

Tuesday June 30, 2026 10:30am - 11:25am EDT

Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 304

It is my hope that participants understand that just because their district says they have to teach a certain curriculum and they may even say they have to teach a certain component a certain way, that doesn’t mean there isn’t wiggle room to be able to allow some discourse and student engagement, if not in math, then in some other subject. They wouldn’t be at the conference if they weren’t looking for that way in.

Speakers

Kristen Kuri

4th/5th Grade Split, Clover Park School District

Tuesday June 30, 2026 10:30am - 11:25am EDT
Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 304 177 College St, New Haven, CT 06510, USA

Teaching, Medium

Grade Level or Subject Area K-2; 3-5; 6-8

10:30am EDT

Square Pegs in Round Holes: 10 ways to make BTC get along with your curriculum resources...even Desmos!

Tuesday June 30, 2026 10:30am - 11:25am EDT

Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 240

Participants will take away creative strategies for getting students on their feet and thinking while using district perscribed resources. Strategies for adapting Amplify Desmos Math and other resources.

Speakers

Beth D'Angelo

Teacher, Plymouth Canton Community Schools

Tuesday June 30, 2026 10:30am - 11:25am EDT
Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 240 177 College St, New Haven, CT 06510, USA

Teaching, Medium

Grade Level or Subject Area 6-8; Instructional Coaches

1:00pm EDT

Evaluate What You Value: Building Competencies with Behavior Rubrics

Tuesday June 30, 2026 1:00pm - 1:55pm EDT

Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 327

Are your students struggling to collaborate, persevere, or stay engaged during Building Thinking Classrooms tasks? This hands-on workshop offers simple, practical solutions — including a ready-to-use tool you can bring into your classroom tomorrow.
By the end of this session, participants will:

Recognize the alignment between valued competencies and BTC structures
Reflect on their own classroom practices and identify opportunities to "evaluate what they value"
Understand how to co-create a rubric with students and leave with concrete ideas for implementing the K-5 behavior rubrics

Speakers

Jessica Curtis

Numeracy Coach, Milford CT Public

Tuesday June 30, 2026 1:00pm - 1:55pm EDT
Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 327 177 College St, New Haven, CT 06510, USA

Teaching, Medium

Grade Level or Subject Area K-2; 3-5; Instructional Coaches; Building Leaders

1:00pm EDT

The Power of BTC: How can BTC bring excitement to the least creative lessons in your curriculum?

Tuesday June 30, 2026 1:00pm - 3:10pm EDT

Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 405

When I talk about BTC or facilitate workshops, I often begin by engaging teachers in rich, low-floor, high ceiling tasks. As with students, beginning this way is incredibly powerful. However, in my opinion, the real power of BTC in the classroom is the way it transforms repetitive and mundane tasks. Too often, I have seen teachers lean towards only using BTC with rich tasks. I hope that participants will walk away from my session with the confidence to use BTC to enrich even the most procedural, repetitive parts of their curricula.

Speakers

Rachel Woolley

Math Coach, NYC DOE

Tuesday June 30, 2026 1:00pm - 3:10pm EDT
Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School - Room 405 177 College St, New Haven, CT 06510, USA

Teaching, Medium

Grade Level or Subject Area K-2; 3-5

9:35am EDT

9:35am EDT

10:50am EDT

10:50am EDT

1:20pm EDT

2:35pm EDT

2:35pm EDT

8:00am EDT

8:00am EDT

9:15am EDT

10:30am EDT

10:30am EDT

1:00pm EDT

1:00pm EDT

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