Building Thinking Classroom (BTC) is a practice most well known for having students working on thinking tasks, in random groups, and at vertical whiteboards - all of which take place during the body of the lesson. Much of how classrooms look and much of what happens in the present day is guided by institutional norms laid down at the inception of an industrial-age model of public education. These norms have enabled a culture of teaching and learning that is often devoid of student thinking. In this session, I present some of the results of over 15 years of research into how teachers can transform their classrooms from a space where students mimic to where students think. 

This introductory session outlines some of the 14 practices outlined in the book by Dr. Peter Liljedahl. All content areas invited. Participants will experience learning through a “Thinking Classroom” environment, and learn how to implement their own “Thinking Classroom”, including how to “launch” the environment, and build in additional strategies over time.