Are your students engaged in deep thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration—or are they just waiting for answers? In this dynamic session, we’ll explore Building Thinking Classrooms strategies that shift students from passive receivers of information to active thinkers and doers. Rooted in Peter Liljedahl’s research, these strategies empower students to take ownership of their learning while fostering curiosity, critical thinking, and perseverance.
What You’ll Learn: ✅ Strategies for forming randomized, collaborative groups that increase participation and accountability ✅ Techniques to reduce student dependency on direct instruction while increasing engagement ✅ Practical ways to shift classroom norms so students take risks, share ideas, and develop persistence
Why Attend? Expect an interactive, hands-on experience where you’ll engage in thinking tasks just like your students would. Walk away with ready-to-use strategies that can be implemented immediately in any secondary classroom—whether you teach math, science, or humanities.
This session will serve as a Q & A for administrators. The Elementary Curriculum Team will be available to answer any questions, troubleshoot, problem-solve, and share tips and tricks for a great start to the new school year! Student engagement, core instruction, intervention, assessment--nothing is off the table! Let's collaborate!
Monday July 21, 2025 11:00am - 11:50am CDT Room 207
Looking for ways to boost student participation and ensure no one falls behind? This session explores how to effectively use PearDeck to transform traditional lessons into interactive experiences that actively engage students in real time. Learn strategies for increasing student voice, maintaining focus, and collecting formative data through this powerful platform.
But engagement doesn't stop when students are absent! We’ll also dive into using Screencastify to provide clear, concise, and easily accessible academic instruction. Discover how to record key lessons and directions, deliver content asynchronously, and support students who miss class—without doubling your workload.
