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Building Thinking Classrooms

The WGRESA Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics Microcredentialing pathway will consist of four 100% virtual modules.

Student difficulty with mathematics has been a pervasive and systemic problem since the advent of public education—not because students can’t learn mathematics, but because, by and large, students can’t learn it by being told how to do it. Since the publication of the NCTM Principles and Standards (1998), there has been a concerted effort to change this reality by transitioning to more progressive and student-centered pedagogies. And progress has been made. Yet, something is still missing. Systemically, we are still struggling with high failure rates, low self-efficacy, and massive student disengagement.

Teachers often find it difficult to implement lessons that help students go beyond rote memorization and repetitive calculations. In fact, institutional norms and habits that permeate all classrooms can actually be enabling “non-thinking” student behavior. Sparked by observing teachers struggle to implement rich mathematics tasks to engage students in deep thinking, Peter Liljedahl has translated his 15 years of research into this practical guide on how to move toward a thinking classroom. Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics, Grades K–12 helps teachers implement 14 optimal practices for thinking that create an ideal setting for deep mathematics learning to occur.

There will be four modules in the Building Thinking Classroom Microcredential. The expectation is that each module will take 7-10 hours to complete and will include some type of classroom implementation and reflection.

The four modules are:

Toolkit 1
What Types of Tasks We Use in a Thinking Classroom
How We Form Collaborative Groups in a Thinking Classroom
Where Students Work in a Thinking Classroom
How We Arrange the Furniture in a Thinking Classroom
Toolkit 2
How We Answer Questions in A Thinking Classroom
When, Where, and How Tasks are Given in a Thinking Classroom
What Homework Looks Like in a Thinking Classroom
How We Foster Student Autonomy in a Thinking Classroom
Toolkit 3
How We Use Hints and Extensions in a Thinking Classroom
How We Consolidate a Lesson in a Thinking Classroom
How Students Take Notes in a Thinking Classroom
Toolkit 4
What We Choose to Evaluate in a Thinking Classroom
How We Use Formative Assessment in a Thinking Classroom
How We Grade in a Thinking Classroom
Pulling the 14 Practices To Build a Thinking Classroom

Candidates will need to purchase a copy of Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl.

Participants will need a computer and internet access to complete this course. 

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