What happens when Building Thinking Classrooms moves into an additional language classroom? This session explores how its principles can be applied to language learning. Using strategies such as vertical non-permanent surfaces, random grouping, and open-ended tasks, we will create spaces where students think together, use the target language more naturally, and make their learning visible. The focus shifts from producing perfect language to building confidence, encouraging risk-taking, and using language as a tool for meaning making. Participants will leave with practical ideas and adaptable tasks that can be used immediately to promote engagement, thinking, and authentic communication in additional language classrooms.
Picture books paired with joyful math problems spark curiosity, foster collaboration, and build a sense of belonging in a Thinking Classroom. Learn how these story-driven learning experiences support your students in developing a growth mindset, perseverance, and a positive math identity. Leave with practical strategies and ready-to-use lessons to help all students see themselves as mathematicians and problem solvers. Most importantly, come experience the joy of connecting an amazing picture book to a great math problem!
Numeracy Lead Teacher, Grande Prairie and District Catholic Schools
Alicia Burdess has been a teacher, assistant principal, and math coach with Grande Prairie and District Catholic Schools since 2005. She has served as the President of the Math Council of the Alberta Teachers' Association and the Chairperson of the National Council of Teachers of... Read More →
Get a glimpse of a BTC classroom, in rural Alberta, in action. This session will focus on how one grade 8 math outcome has been taught over multiple classes. The first day consists of an opening sequence at the board, random groups made using cards, thin sliced questions using banners and a consolidation task of ranking questions. The second day consists of an opening sequence at the boards, a few more thin sliced questions and then notes made as a class. Participants will get an opportunity to be immersed in the experience, as well as see some videos of me, in my classroom, doing this with my students.
Universal Design for Learning looks at ways to increase access for all students. Come examine the principles of Building Thinking Classrooms through a UDL lens to explore how the practices support all learners. Participants will actively engage in a thinking task before examining how the planning for and facilitation of the task follow the principles of UDL.
This assignment brings Building Thinking Classrooms to life through image, story, and shared inquiry. Students interpret an image of an Indigenous rider overlooking the land, connected to She Holds Up the Stars by Sandra Laronde, a novel centered on identity, belonging, and voice. Framed by a personal narrative, students are invited to give voice to an untold story. In randomized groups, they co-construct a narrative using evolving sentence constraints, fostering creativity, risk-taking, and collective meaning-making.
This session is for those who provide PD and/or support teachers in their math teaching practice. In this session, the Math Collaborative Team from Riverside School Board (QC) will engage participants in tasks and reflective experiences focused on planning and facilitating professional learning grounded in the Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) approach. We will explore how the team at RSB has used and adapted the BTC approach for teaching teachers about mathematics teaching (it’s very meta!). This workshop will demonstrate how “Teacher Tasks” and other professional learning structures can be used to develop specific BTC practices, such as Giving Hints and Extensions. This workshop will provide practical strategies and insights for designing impactful, BTC-aligned professional development.
Join us as we reflect on one school district’s journey implementing the 14 Practices and explore the steps they are currently taking to strengthen their educational system.
Through shared experiences, participant engagement, and reflective dialogue, we will examine how systems-level change develops over time. The session will highlight conversations, insights, and reflections gathered throughout the district’s implementation process, offering practical perspectives for educators and leaders seeking to foster meaningful, sustainable change.
Experience BTC from the inside! Originally tested in high school, this immersive session is open to all grades and subjects. We’ll dive into a non-curriculum task—it's a concept that puts everyone on equal footing as pure learners. Step into students' shoes! Working in collaborative groups on vertical surfaces, you’ll tackle progressive, "thin-sliced" tasks requiring zero prior knowledge. You will: Discover how thin-slicing sustains engagement in any subject or grade level. Feel how BTC pedagogical flow builds confidence when facing unfamiliar content. Leave with concrete, actionable ideas to use in your classroom tomorrow.
One of the biggest hurdles in implementing BTC for Mathematics is figuring out how to engage students in differentiated practice, without falling into mimicry or procedural sequences. The value of practice is to help students note where they are so that they can do something about it; additionally, it is essential to have formative assessments to adapt pacing or identify specific needs. Proposal: present a “recipe” for constructing a practice thinking task for any grade level. Task name: Mild, Medium, Spicy.
In summarizing the task creation, connections to a myriad of BTC principles would be referenced. The presentation would emphasize the benefits of this organization for the teacher as well as the students while guiding attendees through an example of the preparation & action processes.
What happens when a compelling phenomenon meets a Thinking Classroom? In this interactive session, participants will experience a sea turtle phenomenon as learners while exploring how BTC practices support scientific thinking and sensemaking. Participants will work at VNPS to notice patterns, ask questions, analyze evidence, develop explanations, and revise their thinking. We will examine how the phenomenon creates a reason to learn science content and how intentional task sequencing, questioning, and consolidation move students toward deeper understanding. Participants will leave with a practical process for transforming phenomena into rich thinking tasks that can be adapted to any science curriculum.
Peter Liljedahl is a former math teacher and current professor of Mathematics Education known for his significant contributions to the field of mathematics education, particularly in the development of "Building Thinking Classrooms." With a passion for fostering deep mathematical... Read More →
Friday November 6, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am MST Macleod Hall
