This session is designed for teachers in their first year participating in MCMI, and will help build a foundation with research-informed strategies that are critical in a student-centered classroom. Through experiences with project-based tools to support high-quality instruction, participating teachers will be able to apply effective practices in their own classrooms to promote the Standards for Mathematical Practice. Participants will engage in problem-solving and explore its key role in student learning, learn the structure of the formative assessment cycle, and see ways to help students to develop a growth mindset about mathematics.