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Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) is an innovative educational approach developed by Dr. Peter Liljedahl, a professor of mathematics education at Simon Fraser University in Canada. Sparked by observing many teachers struggle to engage students in deep thinking and problem solving, Dr. Peter embarked on a 15-year research journey. He broke numerous institutional norms to discover what could get students to think more deeply and for longer periods. From this extensive research, 14 specific teaching practices emerged, proven to significantly enhance thinking and learning in classrooms worldwide. These practices also promote collaboration, perseverance, risk-taking, and student autonomy.
How can we get more students to think and to think longer?
This is the question that Dr. Peter Liljedahl set out to answer as he did the research that led to the development of Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) and is certainly one of the questions that many of us have grappled with in our classrooms and schools. At Magma Math, we have developed a relationship with Dr. Peter over the last few years. In a presentation at the 2023 BTC Conference in Indiana, we reflected that we are a bit like chocolate and peanut butter in the early Reese's commercials. You can watch that presentation here:
Magma Math is the first product that Dr. Peter has ever endorsed, and he is the first member of our Advisory Board. We have been thinking about how Magma supports a Thinking classroom and how we can specifically support teachers who are implementing BTC in their schools, and we hope that this series of blogs will support teachers who are implementing BTC and/or Magma to leverage both to enhance student thinking and learning in their classrooms.
In writing this series of blogs, I’ve re-read my already well-worn copy of Building Thinking Classrooms. I’m struck by how well the two complement each other and also aware that some elements of BTC happen outside of Magma Math. For example: much of BTC's approach happens with very little technology present. Magma is a technology platform. Does this mean that BTC and Magma are at odds? (Like peanut butter and chocolate?)
In short, my answer is no, and I will convey that through this blog series. Even in the foundational stages, Magma can be used to generate problems for group solved problems.
Where Magma shines within BTC is in supporting deeper individual practice, centering student thinking, and mobilizing student knowledge. Over the next few blogs, we hope to explore these questions:
- How can Magma Math make individual practice safe and relevant through Check Your Understanding assignments?
- How does centering student thinking in Magma support defronting the classroom, mobilizing student knowledge, and consolidating understanding from the bottom up?
- How can we use Magma to support student self-assessment via Navigation guides?
- What might grading look like in a BTC classroom with Magma?
We hope that we will be able to involve you, dear BTC-Magma reader, in this journey of how to get our students thinking in our math classrooms.
Learn More: Discover how Magma Math enables research-based math instruction and equips school and district leaders with the tools to support data-driven decision-making. Visit our Learn More page for resources, tips, and detailed descriptions of Magma's features to help you systematically improve student achievement.
About the Author: Dr. Leslie Nielsen, a distinguished math educator with over 40 years of experience, complements this innovative approach. With degrees in Mathematics and Psychology, Curriculum and Instruction, and Mathematics Education, Leslie has dedicated her career to advancing math education. She is currently the Director of Learning & Teaching at Magma Math, a platform designed to support teachers in making informed instructional decisions and fostering deeper student-driven discourse and collaboration.
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