Building Thinking Classrooms Part 2

Part 2 of Building Thinking Classroom for K-12 will dig deeper into the 14 practices and effective implementation strategies. This is not for novices or anyone new to BTC. You must be a K-12 educator or leader who has completed BTC: Part 1 OR you have read the book and are actively attempting to implement the first three toolkits.

Come engage in a professional learning community to learn more about a thinking classroom and collaborate with peers to share ideas and implementation strategies. A thinking student is an engaged student!

Built on 14 key practices teased out over 15 years of research, it’s a way of teaching that gets students up on their feet, collaborating and thinking through challenging problems on a daily basis.

A thinking classroom looks very different from a typical classroom. Students are working in groups rather than individually, they are standing rather than sitting, and the furniture is arranged so as to defront the room. Closer inspection will reveal that the teacher is giving instructions verbally, is answering fewer questions, and has drastically altered the way they give “homework.”

Part 2 focuses on the fine tuning implementation of the first eleven practices and delving into the assessment practices from the following chapters:

Chapter 12: What We Choose to Evaluate in a Thinking Classroom

Chapter 13: How We Use Formative Assessment in a Thinking Classroom

Chapter 14: How We Grade in a Thinking Classroom

All participants are expected to bring their own copy of Building Thinking Classroom in Mathematics, 14 Teaching Practices for Enhanced Learning.

Meeting Dates: January 28, February 26, March 25, 2026, 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM

Price: $450/participant* (High-needs/low resourced schools - MAY participate at no cost PENDING the approval of grant funding. To verify if your school district /school meets the PDE definition of High-needs, check here); Administrators may attend with the teacher(s) from their district/building at no additional cost.

Audience: K-12 educators and leaders who have completed BTC: Part 1 OR you have read the book and are actively attempting to implement the first three toolkits.

Location: Allegheny Intermediate Unit, 475 E. Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA 15120