Building Thinking Classrooms 2025 Annual Conference: Full Schedule

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8:00am PDT

Building Thinking Writers: Making the English Classroom More Inclusive

Tuesday July 1, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT

Unlock the power of the Building Thinking Classrooms instructional framework to transform how you teach writing. In this interactive workshop, explore strategies that engage students in deeper thinking, foster inclusivity, and improve writing outcomes. Experience hands-on activities designed to model the framework in action, demonstrating how it makes writing instruction more effective and equitable. Walk away with ready-to-implement techniques to energize your English classroom and inspire confident, thoughtful writers.

2025 Conference Presenters

Sharelle Van Natten

Literacy Coach, Kempsville High Virginia Beach City Public Schools

X - @MsVBLitCoach, Blue Sky - @iheartSharellev.bsky.socialKempsville High School, located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, is part of the Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) district, serving a socially and economically diverse population of approximately 2,006 students in grades... Read More →

Tuesday July 1, 2025 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
Grand Ballroom #1

BTC in Other Content Areas, Secondary

9:15am PDT

Connecting Indigenous Ways of Learning: Capturing & Celebrating the Development of Problem Solvers

Tuesday July 1, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT

Grand Ballroom #1

Many North American Indigenous cultures use a Medicine Wheel as a foundation for teaching and learning that shows how different parts of life are connected and balanced. In this session I will share how we have been using a Problem-Solving Medicine Wheel with BTC instruction in my classroom as well as my colleagues’ classrooms to connect to non-colonial ways of knowing to create spaces of belonging for all students, to communicate the value of students and their thinking, and to enhance student learning by focusing on celebrating students' skills, knowledge, mathematical practices, and attributes.

2025 Conference Presenters

Denise Smith

Legacy Teacher

Tuesday July 1, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am PDT
Grand Ballroom #1

Connections to Indigenous Education, General

11:00am PDT

How Digital Interactives Enhance a Thinking Classroom

Tuesday July 1, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT

Grand Ballroom #1

Wondering how to utilize technology in a thinking classroom? This session is for you! Come and find out how to incorporate digital interactives to enhance thinking tasks. After a brief comparison of building thinking classroom practices with those incorporated in digital lessons, you will experience a lesson that integrates the best of both experiences. You will leave the session with an understanding of how to recreate the experience for your classroom.

2025 Conference Presenters

Robin Kubasiak

Math Teacher and Department Head, Sturgis High School

Robin has taught mathematics at both middle school and high school levels for 24 years. She has a passion for mathematics education and continues to innovate her teaching with research based routines that allow students to become mathematical thinkers. Robin’s goal is for all students... Read More →

Tuesday July 1, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Grand Ballroom #1

Connections to Equity and Access, General