Student self-assessment within the BTC framework is essential. Using technology to do this provides great opportunity, but takes some planning. Come learn how to use several different platforms including Amplify Activity Builder and Padlet to have students check their own understanding, beyond just checking teacher provided solutions. Discuss how this can allow in-class time to be most effective and meaningful with and for your students!
Participants will leave the session with practical strategies to integrate data science into Thinking Classrooms. They will understand how Building Thinking Classrooms practices and a data mindset work together to foster critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving. Attendees will gain other ways to incorporate Toolkit #1 and #2 in their classroom.
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 →
Participants will explore how curricular Navigation Maps can transform assessment from a process focused on grades into one that communicates learning, growth, and next steps. Using a traditional unit test, we'll examine how conventional assessments often provide limited information about student understanding and then redesign the assessment using a Navigation Map to generate more meaningful evidence of learning. Through authentic student examples, participants will practice providing targeted feedback and explore how Navigation Maps support transparent, standards-aligned assessment and grading. Designed for Grades 7–9 educators familiar with Building Thinking Classrooms, this session offers practical strategies for making assessment more informative and reflective of student learning.
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.
Building true team synergy remains one of the most practical challenges in any collaborative classroom. This session presents an RWS (Reader, Writer, Speaker) adapted workshop designed to bridge the gap between individual contribution and collective success. By using the logic game SET, participants must navigate the "fog of uncertainty" by relying on strictly defined roles. Drawing from 30 years of experience as a math teacher and textbook author in Croatia, the presenter demonstrates how this specific RWS adaptation helps students identify their strengths and actively address their weaknesses. Through a final SWOT analysis, participants will explore how to enhance group agency and ensure that every student finds a functional, empowered space at the whiteboard.
Special Education students in streamed classrooms can be provided with opportunities to engage in rich thinking opportunities, either in the small classroom environment or integrated with grade-level classmates. With supporting documents from Lambert, Karp, and NCTM/NCSM Position Papers, I engaged in pilot opportunities to expose grade-level material to students with IEPs. The use of random groups, learning skill continua, priming (pre-teaching), and access to rich tasks led to an increase of student engagement, student achievement, and teacher confidence. This session will explore some of the supporting research, summarize key takeaways from the experience, lay the groundwork for new inquiry this school year, and build a professional learning community from the attendees.
Many teachers struggle with confidence in mathematics, which often leads them to rely on rote procedures rather than engaging with students' thinking. Furthermore, a lack of deep conceptual understanding can make it difficult to teach ideas flexibly or address student misconceptions effectively. This session tackles these challenges. By providing sustained, classroom-connected professional learning, teacher confidence and conceptual understanding can be strengthened alongside more dynamic instructional practices. Using the Building Thinking Classrooms framework, curriculum leaders will learn how to engage educators in meaningful collaboration. Specifically, participants will dive into hands-on exploration of additive and multiplicative relationships using Cuisenaire rods.
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.
The real-world implementation of BTC at Lucerne Valley Middle High School, a rural 7–12 site. Attendees will learn how the site introduced BTC in ways that honored teacher voice, reduced overwhelm, & created early wins. A key focus is coaching to sustain change by co-teaching, real-time feedback, & lesson design experimentation in a safe & supported environment. Leadership modeled vulnerability, encouraged risk-taking, & framed struggle as productive & a shared experience. Attendees gain practical strategies to navigate resistance, address challenges, & maintain momentum through reflection. Through a consolidation activity, attendees will gain actionable strategies for BTC implementation, supporting teachers at varying levels, & building a culture where thinking drives instruction.
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.
