Think Thank Thunk

Join Kyle, Dean, and Maegan as they candidly discuss the early days of the school year in Building Thinking Classrooms. They share their experiences and provide insights for educators at any stage of their journey into this innovative teaching approach.

In this episode, our hosts also reveal their aspirations for the upcoming year, largely focused on meaningful notes and improving assessment practices. Their enthusiasm for transfor...

Join Kyle as he sits down with Maegan for an enlightening discussion on mathematics education through the lens of decolonization. In this episode, Maegan unveils her 4R's of Decolonizing Mathematics Education: Respect, Responsibility, Relevance, and Reciprocity.

Dive into an exploration of a powerful framework designed for personal reflection, aimed at dismantling colonial constructs within math classrooms. While drawing direct...

Join Kyle and Maegan as they dive into Chapter 15 from Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl.

They address the big question surrounding how teacher can realistically implement all of the Thinking Classroom practices without overwhelming themselves and their students. They get into the four toolkits laid out in the book and share some tips and ideas on how to best implement each toolkit. Additionally, they briefly address ...

Join Kyle and Maegan as they dive into Chapter 14 from Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl.

They discuss the big question most teachers have about Thinking Classrooms: how do we grade our students? By utilizing the navigation instruments as grading tools, they share how teachers can shift from a points-gathering paradigm towards a data-gathering paradigm and better reflect the achievement of learners in a Thinking Class...

Join Kyle and Maegan as they dive into Chapter 13 from Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl.

They discuss how all assessment should be formative assessment, and some of it will end up being summative. We dive into how to use the navigation instruments suggested in the book and explore how they can better support students in better understanding where they are in their learning journey. In the second half of the episode, ...

Join Kyle and Maegan as they dive into Chapter 12 from Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl.

They discuss the idea of evaluating what we value in our Thinking Classroom. If we value perserverence, risk-taking, and collaboration we need to evaluate these in order to develop these competencies in our students. Listen in for a simple, but effective, way of remixing traditional rubrics into something that connects better wit...

Join Kyle and Maegan as they dive into Chapter 11 from Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl.

They discuss the idea of shifting note taking to note making for students by having students write notes to their future-forgetful-selves. Listen in for some simple shifts to make in how you approach notes that will result in making notes a thinking activity, rather than a mindless activity.

• 5 Steps into Notes: https://bit....

Join Kyle and Maegan as they dive into Chapter 10 from Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl.

They discuss the importance of consolidation in a Thinking Classroom and share some of the different ways teachers can consolidate. Listen in for some tips and tricks that they've learned through trial-and-error to help you refine your consolidation practices.

This episode is the eleventh in the series where we go through ea...

It's summer break for us and in this episode, we take a different direction by revisiting and resharing a recording from our previous podcast. Listen in as we talk directly to students in Thinking Classrooms from a few of our schools. You'll hear from students in a wide range of grades as they share how math has been different this year, what they've liked and disliked, and what they hope for the future of math class. E...

Join Kyle and Maegan as they dive into Chapter 9 from Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl.

They discuss the concept of flow and why we need to be so aware of the states our students are in during Thinking Classroom tasks. They also discuss thin-slicing, the banner method and Maegan shares a fun way she incorporates a joker card into her deck for random groups. This episode is all about how we can get through the content...

Join Kyle and Maegan as they dive into Chapter 8 from ⁠Building Thinking Classrooms⁠ by Peter Liljedahl.

They discuss ways we can build student autonomy by allowing students to think for themselves and manage their own learning. They also share some teacher moves to help build student autonomy and get into some of the benefits of leaning into this practice.

This episode is the ninth in the ⁠series ⁠where we go through each chapter ...

In this episode, Dean, Maegan and Kyle interview Peter Liljedahl (@pgliljedahl), author of Building Thinking Classrooms and lead researcher behind the transformational teaching practices.

We discuss the popularity of the book and how it has become a game-changer for educators worldwide. Explore new and innovative methods for consolidation and notemaking that empower students to become active thinkers and problem solvers in the clas...

Join Kyle and Maegan as they dive into Chapter 7 from ⁠Building Thinking Classrooms⁠ by Peter Liljedahl.

They discuss the challenges of homework, the disconnect between teachers and students regarding its purpose, and how Thinking Classrooms can implement Check-Your-Understanding questions as a reframing of homework that promotes thinking in learners.

This episode is the eighth in the ⁠⁠series⁠ ⁠where we go through each chapter of ...

In this episode, Kyle and Dean are joined by Lisa Eberharter (⁠@lisaebe⁠), a Curriculum Consultant with Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Education. They discuss the intersection of Building Thinking Classrooms and multiple representations in math class. The conversation highlights the importance of the concrete-pictorial-symbolic continuum (sometimes called concrete-representational-abstract) and ways to integrate more manipulatives and ...

Join Kyle and Maegan as they dive into Chapter 5 from ⁠Building Thinking Classrooms⁠ by Peter Liljedahl.

They discuss the types of questions we face as teachers and some of problems they present. Listen in for ideas on how to shift our focus from answering every question towards using questions as a way to promote thinking.

Here is a link to Laura Wheeler's (@wheeler_laura) #ThinkingClassroom Question Prompts Graphic.

This epi...

Dean and Kyle are joined by Geoff Krall (⁠@geoffkrall⁠), who wears multiple hats as an author, PhD student, math leader, and professional developer.

Geoff unveils the enlightening insights he has gathered in his book Necessary Conditions⁠. Together, we delve into the fascinating realm of academic safety, effective facilitation, and quality tasks, all while forging meaningful connections to the transformative practices of Building ...

Join Kyle and Maegan as they dive into Chapter 3 from ⁠Building Thinking Classrooms⁠ by Peter Liljedahl.

They discuss why where we have students work matters, how implementing vertical non-permanent surfaces (VNPS) can promote student engagement, thinking, collaboration, and reduce anonymity. Throughout the conversation, they provide valuable insights and practical tips for maximizing the benefits of VNPS in the classroom setting.

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