What would it mean to you if you looked around your math classroom and noticed that you had total participation? All the students in your class were actively solving problems and engaging in discussions (about math!) with their classmates.
Does that sound like a dream? Well, that’s actually what it can look like in a Thinking Classroom.
The Building Thinking Classrooms approach to teaching math was started by Peter Liljedahl. (Click here to read more about his research.) It’s a teaching strategy that emphasizes the development of students’ thinking and problem-solving skills through collaborative learning and a combination of open-ended problems and carefully sequenced tasks.
Building Thinking Classrooms has seriously changed the way I think about teaching math.
Before we dig into all the reasons why you should read the book and try out some of the building thinking classroom strategies, let’s be clear. This is not the only practice I use in my class. I deeply value number talks to activate student thinking and math workshop to meet with my students in small groups.
It doesn’t have to be the only approach you take in your class but it’s definitely one you should explore. So, here are 5 reasons you should give the strategies in Building Thinking Classrooms a try.
1.The Building Thinking Classrooms Approach Increases Participation
You know it. I know it. Your students know it. It’s way easier to sit back, relax, and let someone else do all the work.
Just sit at the back of the room and let the kids who like to participate do their thing.
The Building Thinking Classrooms approach prevents that from happening. Students can’t hide. They are standing up and visible which means that you can see who is participating and who isn’t.
2. Differentiation happens more naturally
There is a wide range of learners in your classroom. Instead of creating a whole bunch of different lesson plans for different grade levels, you can create one plan for everyone. Open-ended problems that let students choose friendlier numbers or show their thinking in different ways or tasks that start off simple and gradually get more challenging, allow all your learners to enter into the math.
3. The Building Thinking Classrooms Approach Promotes Collaboration
Working in groups of three, enables students to really collaborate. Problem-solving requires discussion and sharing ideas. Being able to see other groups’ solutions on the whiteboards posted around the room, allows knowledge to mobilize. Students can check out what other groups are doing and get the missing piece they need to solve their problem.
4. It Boosts the Energy Level in the Room
Seeing a Thinking Classroom in action is pretty cool. There’s an energy that you can see and feel as students are working out problems on their whiteboards, moving around to check out other groups’ work or to get the next question. The teacher is circulating around the room, checking in on strategies, asking “keep thinking” questions and circling answers on the boards to debrief with students later. The room is definitely buzzing.
5. This Approach Get Students Thinking
Here’s the best part, though. More of your students are thinking than before. I’m not promising there will be 100%, total engagement and participation every single lesson, but there will be a lot more.
The complaints about doing math decrease as students realize that they can grapple with challenging problems; that they can work together and think about math; that math is more than algorithms, formulas, and non-stop text book questions.
If you are looking to see a shift in your students’ attitudes and mindset about math, you need to give the Building Thinking Classrooms approach a shot. Whether you embrace all 14 practices or just the first 3, I know you’ll see positive results in your classroom.
I’m Lauren, from “From Math to Music” – your go-to person for all things Math and Classroom Community.
Being a middle-school teacher and a mom of 3, I know how hard it is for busy teachers to create resources that allow for deep thinking and build classroom community. That's why I love sharing tips and tricks that you can you use in your middle school classroom right this minute.
