Building Thinking Classrooms 2025 Annual Conference

I’ve got ADHD and love BTC. Why does BTC work so well for “kids like me?” Maybe it’s because practices for thinking classrooms include common ADHD accommodations found on IEPs/504s! Come explore these connections and learn what more we can do! This session delves into how to blend BTC and ADHD strategies, enhancing math learning and access. You will leave with an updated understanding of neurodiversity and how BTC continues to evolve to be more supportive of students with ADHD, plus definitive action steps that will improve students’ lives immediately. And probably some other interesting things that pop into my mind mid-session. Join us to discover how BTC can foster a more inclusive, supportive, effective environment for kids like me!

Discover how Kempsville High School implemented the Building Thinking Classrooms framework to enhance rigor and drive schoolwide improvement. This session highlights the impact on our Plan for Continuous Improvement across Core, Inclusion, Honors, AP, Dual Enrollment, Elective, and Industry Certification settings. Learn about our implementation strategies, including in-service planning, monthly professional learning, and walkthroughs. Explore how we supported teachers with interactive PD, modeling, co-planning, and co-teaching. Participants will collaborate to start designing plans tailored to their school’s unique needs.

Multiplication and division of fractions can be daunting for students and teachers alike. Because many of us were inundated with procedures to memorize, we’ve struggled to make sense of these operations. This interactive session will use “thin slicing” as a way to navigate the teaching and learning of fraction computation. We’ll discuss fractions, make sense of them as numbers, explore what we know about whole number computation, and leverage all of these strengths to make sense of strategies for multiplying and dividing fractions. Participants will leave the session with slides and activities to use in their classrooms as well as connections to a network of educators working toward understanding these complex topics in meaningful ways.

This session explores the alignment between the Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) framework and cognitive science research. It highlights how core BTC practices—such as the launch, flow, consolidation, and check-your-understanding questions—are grounded in cognitive science principles like cognitive load, schema acquisition, and the role of prior knowledge. By unpacking these practices, the session demonstrates how they support effective learning and cognitive development. It also examines the implications for classroom instruction, emphasizing how understanding these connections can help teachers provide equitable, high-quality learning experiences for all students.