Introduction to Building Thinking Classrooms
The Core Pillars of BTC
- Problem-based learning: Engages students with real-world problems and enhances critical thinking skills.
- Check Your Understanding opportunities (CYUs): Recontextualizes homework for students.
- Collaborative learning: Promotes teamwork, allowing students to learn from and with each other.
- Vertical Non-Permanent Surfaces (VNPS): Encourages physical and mental movement, making thinking visible and promoting risk-taking in problem-solving.
- Random and flexible grouping: Ensures diverse perspectives and interactions, fostering a dynamic learning community.
- Oral and written communication: Develops essential communication skills, preparing students for future success.
- Teacher as facilitator: Shifts the role from lecturer to guide, empowering students to take charge of their learning.
- Classroom environment adaptability: Creates an inclusive and supportive environment that is conducive to learning.
- Autonomy and accountability: Cultivates a sense of responsibility and independence in students.
- Assessing for learning: Helps students to see where they are and where they are going.
Integration with Education Perfect (EP)
| BTC concept | How EP can support you |
| Problem-based learning
Engages students with real-world problems and enhances critical thinking skills. |
A Real-World Focus
EP enriches the classroom with problem-based learning opportunities that challenge students to apply critical thinking to real-world scenarios. Teachers can utilize EPโs resources to engage students in meaningful problem-solving, enhancing their critical thinking skills and making learning relevant. |
| Check Your Understanding opportunities (CYUs)
Recontextualizes homework for students. |
Personalized support
EP transforms traditional homework into self-paced learning opportunities, enabling teachers to offer lessons that arenโt formally assigned but are available for students. This allows teachers to monitor understanding through instant feedback, providing insights into each studentโs progress. EP modifies the BTC approach by leveraging technology to support informal assessments and personalized learning paths. |
| Random and flexible grouping
Ensures diverse perspectives and interactions, fostering a dynamic learning community. |
Implementing new ideas
EPโs platform supports random grouping for tasks, helping teachers to ensure a diverse exchange of ideas among students. This feature aligns with the BTC strategy of varied team compositions, promoting a classroom culture of inclusivity and fresh perspectives. |
| Thinking and communication
Develops essential communication skills, preparing students for future success. |
Platform flexibility
EP supports the development of mathematical communication skills through assignments that require detailed explanations and forums for discussion. Teachers can leverage these features to encourage students to articulate their thinking both orally and in writing, in line with BTCโs emphasis on expressive skills. |
| Teacher as facilitator
Shifts the role from lecturer to guide, empowering students to take charge of their learning. |
Analytics and insights
EP equips teachers with detailed analytics and progress tracking, empowering them to identify areas where students may need additional support. This functionality enhances the teacherโs role as a facilitator, enabling a more tailored and responsive instructional approach. |
| Classroom environment adaptability
Creates an inclusive and supportive environment conducive to learning. |
Customizable content
The flexibility of EPโs content allows teachers to adjust the learning environment to meet the shifting needs of their classroom. This adaptability supports BTCโs aim for a responsive, student-centered learning experience. |
| Autonomy and accountability
Cultivates a sense of responsibility and independence in students. |
Balance
EP enables teachers to foster a learning environment that balances student autonomy with accountability. This approach encourages self-directed learning while ensuring students remain focused and engaged, supporting a classroom culture of independence and responsibility. |
| Assessing for learning
Helps students to see where they are and where they are going. |
Comprehensive data
EP provides a broad spectrum of evaluative data beyond traditional grades, including quiz results and mastery attempts. Teachers can integrate this data with their own observations to form a holistic view of student progress, reflecting BTCโs comprehensive approach to assessment. |
Impact on Learning
- Personalized Learning: EPโs adaptive technology can tailor educational content to meet individual student needs, aligning with BTCโs emphasis on fostering autonomy and critical thinking.
- Enhanced Engagement: The interactive and collaborative nature of BTC, combined with EPโs engaging digital resources, can increase student motivation and participation in the learning process.
- Data-Driven Insights: EPโs analytics provide educators with valuable insights into student performance and understanding, enabling them to adjust teaching strategies in alignment with BTC principles for maximized learning outcomes.
Potential for Classroom Transformation
- Foster critical thinking: By leveraging EPโs resources within a BTC framework, teachers can create diverse problem-solving opportunities that challenge students to think critically and creatively.
- Adapt to diverse learning styles: The flexibility of EPโs digital platform, combined with BTCโs inclusive teaching approach, can cater to a wide range of learning preferences, ensuring that all students are given the opportunity to succeed.
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