Think Thank Thunk – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In this episode, Kyle and Dean have a conversation with three of Dean's students about their experiences in his Thinking Classroom. Recorded just before the end of the last school year, the students share how this approach to learning math has transformed their perspectives and engagement. They discuss the social and collaborative benefits of Thinking Classrooms, how it has helped them overcome challenges, and the inclusive environment it fosters. Listen in to hear firsthand accounts of how the Thinking Classroom practices make significant impacts on our students' educational journeys.

Enter to win a free set of Wipebook Flipcharts for your Thinking Classroom: ⁠www.wipebook.com/TTT⁠

In this episode, Maegan and Kyle are delighted to welcome Alicia Burdess (@BurdessAlicia), a coach and numeracy lead from Grand Prairie Catholic School District. Alicia shares her inspiring journey from aspiring sports doctor to a passionate math educator and leader. She discusses her deep love of Building Thinking Classrooms and how it transformed her teaching approach. Alicia passionately talks about the power of 'big, beautiful problems' in mathematics education and how they can engage students of all ages. She also shares insights from her experience running math camps and the joy of connecting math concepts with children's literature. Alicia also gives us a glimpse into her self-published children's book, 'The Dragon Curve,' and its magical approach to teaching fractals. Tune in for an episode filled with enthusiasm, innovative teaching strategies, and a celebration of joyful learning in math.

Alicia's Problems Worth Solving in a Thinking Classroom.

Books mentioned by Alicia in the episode:

• Too Many Pigs and One Big Bad Wolf: A Counting Story : Cali, Davide, Balducci, Marianna
• A Bike Like Sergio's: Boelts, Maribeth, Jones, Noah Z

Enter to win a free set of Wipebook Flipcharts for your Thinking Classroom: ⁠www.wipebook.com/TTT⁠

In this episode of the podcast, Kyle and Dean are joined by Lana Steiner (@LanaSteiner4), a math teacher, coach, and administrator from Saskatchewan.

Lana shares her insights on how she employs rich tasks and mixes in other teaching methods with Thinking Classrooms to make math more meaningful for students. She also talks about the importance of growth mindset and math mindset in learning math, and how to address learning gaps. Lana shares expertise on documenting observations and conversations, and how she uses student-led conferences and connections to familiar literacy terms to make sense of math learning for parents. They also chat about setting up students for success beyond math class, and the incredible community of math teachers in Saskatchewan.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Table of Rich Tasks: http://bit.ly/SKmathtasks
• Baby Beats - 3 Act Math Task (tapintoteenminds.com)
• The Detention Buy-Out - 3 Act Math Task (tapintoteenminds.com)
• MathUP
• Tap into Teen Minds - Real World Maths Lessons, 3 Act Math Tasks and Resources
• Berkeley Everett – Visualize the math you teach.
• Steve Wyborney's Blog: I'm on a Learning Mission.
• Saskatchewan Mathematics Teachers' Society - (smts.ca)

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 transformative math education is sure to ignite your own passion for bringing Building Thinking Classrooms principles into your teaching practice. Plus, they offer practical advice for fostering a growth mindset in math, building a supportive classroom culture, and engaging all students in math class. Tune in and get ready to revamp your math classroom for a year of growth and inspiration!

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 inspiration from the principles of Thinking Classrooms, Maegan takes it a step further by introducing ideas that challenges teachers to transcend the boundaries of traditional pedagogies.

Discover how this innovative framework not only complements the 14 practices of a Thinking Classroom but propels educators to embark on a journey of reshaping their teaching methods. Maegan blends theory with practice by offering invaluable tips and ideas that empower teachers to embrace a new perspective and embark on the path of decolonizing their educational spaces.

If you're an educator, a student, or anyone passionate about fostering inclusive and equitable learning environments, this episode will undoubtedly spark your curiosity and drive to make a difference. Tune in to gain fresh insights, be inspired to push the boundaries, and join the movement to create a brighter, more inclusive future through decolonized mathematics education.

Contact Maegan on Twitter/X (@MaeganGiroux) or by email: m.giroux@rcsd.ca

View the framework here: https://thinkthankthunk.kylewebb.ca/ep-7/

References shared here: https://bit.ly/4Rs-references

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 the challenges presented when we see students being really successful in groups, but struggling on individual assessments and discuss the alternate pseudosequence provided for teachers who are already comfortable teaching in a Thinking Classroom.

Image of the 4 Toolkits: https://bit.ly/BTC-framework

Image of the 2 Toolkits for already experienced Thinking Classroom teachers: https://bit.ly/reBTC-framework

This episode is the final in the series where we go through each chapter of Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl.

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 Classroom. A large portion of this episode discusses questions addressed in the FAQ and builds on Maegan and Kyle's classroom experience.

The Myth of Objectivity in Mathematics Assessment by Lew Romagnano (PDF)

Image of the 3 different parachute packers: https://bit.ly/BTCparachutepackers

Image of a navigation instrument used to determine a grade: https://bit.ly/BTCnavgrade

This episode is the fifteenth in the series where we go through each chapter of Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl.

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, you'll hear them dive into the FAQ's and share some of their experiences implementing these in the classroom. Tune in to hear how these simple navigation instruments can become a game-changer in your Thinking Classroom for you and your students.

Image of a navigation instrument for Repeating Patterns: https://bit.ly/RPnavinstrument

Maegan's Marching Band example: https://bit.ly/MGmarchingband

This episode is the fourteenth in the series where we go through each chapter of Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl.

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 with how our students learn. This chapter is essential for fostering effective thinkers in our classrooms.

An example of one of these rubrics.

This episode is the thirteenth in the series where we go through each chapter of Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl.

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.ly/BTCnotes
• Facebook Webinar Recording: https://youtu.be/fWFzLrRWsys?t=480
• Ep 5 with Peter Liljedahl, where he discusses the quadrant notemaking method.

This episode is the twelfth in the series where we go through each chapter of Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl.