Building Thinking Classrooms 2025 Annual Conference

Teachers make countless in-the-moment decisions that are shaped by our beliefs and biases within a colonized system. This session explores these "discretionary spaces"—unplanned moments requiring a decision or judgment call—and their impact on our connections with students and students’ connections with each other. We rarely have time for individual reflection, let alone collaborative analysis of these moments. Let’s explore the discretionary spaces that emerge in a Thinking Classroom and how our responses can foster connection and care. Join us to name, reflect, and reframe these important decisions.