Building Thinking Classrooms in GVSD - Pine Ridge School
It seems obvious that students are thinking in school, but what happens when students are learning, but not really thinking? Peter Liljedahl, author and researcher behind the philosophy he calls “Building Thinking Classrooms,” explains, “Thinking is a necessary precursor to learning, and if students are not thinking, they are not learning.”
Liljedahl realized through observations in classrooms that many students were great at mimicking the actions of the teacher, while others were simply faking, stalling, or slacking their way through questions. Very few were trying problems alone and thinking their way through math problems.
His work asks the question, “What structures can we set up that to create an environment where students actually think, rather than simply going through the motions of schooling?”
Liljedahl’s work is centered around math but can be applied across all areas of learning. He presents fourteen teaching practices that enhance learning in the classroom and challenges students to really think through problems. By looking at:
- how problems are presented in the classroom,
- what approaches students and teachers take to solving problems,
- making the learning meaningful through hints, extensions and meaningful note-taking, and
- assessing students in a way that values process over product,
Peter presents an approach that takes some of the most challenging pieces of teaching and makes them attainable – in a way students love and benefit from!
Teachers across GVSD are investing in Peter Liljedal’s approach and our students are reaping the benefits. Pine Ridge Elementary and Parkland School look forward to professional development around Building Thinking Classrooms in October and April this school year, and collaborative learning groups are taking place throughout the division for teachers to explore the how’s and why’s around getting our students really thinking in the classroom.
Ultimately, this is a philosophy that takes so many of the traditional pieces of education that are no longer working in our current age, flips them on their side and takes a new approach that students are responding positively to.
“Not only do the 14 practices enhance thinking, but they also enhance other competencies in students such as collaboration, perseverance, risk-taking. Further, they enhance access and equity to learning and student autonomy and ownership of learning,” (Building Thinking Classrooms Website).
We see this approach as going hand in hand with our GVSD mission statement: Creating an environment where everyone is inspired to reach their full potential as learners and citizens. What an exciting way to move forward in our teaching practice! We look forward to learning more and seeing the results of student’s thinking!