BTC Update #17

Friends, thank you for your interest in, and support of, the work being done to build thinking classrooms all over the state. If you know of others who would benefit from receiving these updates, please give them this link to sign up. If you are new to these updates, you can catch up by reading the previous updates using this link, which is part of our PEL/BTC website. 

This BTC update is dedicated to our biggest announcement to date:

PEL is hosting the 4th Annual National Building Thinking Classrooms Conference in New Haven, CT on June 29 and 30th, 2026!!

If you are interested in receiving updates for this event, you are in luck, as we will communicate all details for the conference via the BTC update. If you know someone who would be interested in staying informed on the conference and they do not subscribe to this update, send them this link to sign up.

There will be much more to come over the next few months, but if you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out.

BTC Update #16

Friends, thank you for your interest in, and support of, the work being done to build thinking classrooms all over the state. If you know of others who would benefit from receiving these updates, please give them this link to sign up. If you are new to these updates, you can catch up by reading the previous updates using this link, which is part of our PEL/BTC website. 

1. Peter Liljedahl is returning to Connecticut! We are pleased to be hosting Peter for the third year in a row. He will be with us for 2 weeks this fall, and registration for his sessions is now open to readers of the BTC Update, just before the email goes out to entire mailing list (which will be next week). Please note that each session has its own unique registration link below. Please make sure you are selecting the correct date and location.

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BTC Workshops with Peter Liljedahl
September 29 - October 10, 2025

Day 1 Workshop (Introduction to BTC)
Sept 29 - Manchester
Oct 10 - Hamden

This is a workshop for those just embarking on their journey with Building Thinking Classrooms.  Participants will be introduced to the BTC framework and the research behind it.  Additionally, attendees will learn everything they need to begin implementing both curricular and non-curricular lessons.

Day 2 Workshop (Consolidation and Note-Making)
Sept 30 - Manchester
Oct 2 - Manchester
Oct 9 - Hamden

This is a workshop for those who already have a foundation with Building Thinking Classrooms and are looking to dive deeper into specific practices. Attendees will learn how to use hints and extensions to maintain flow, experience different forms of consolidating the lesson, and hear about the latest findings related to note making and check-your-understanding questions.  Having read the BTC book is a prerequisite for these sessions.

Thin Slicing
Oct 3 - Manchester
Oct 7 - Hamden

This interactive workshop is on "thin-slicing"—the strategic design of lesson progressions that build student thinking step by step. Learn how to craft effective task sequences that promote deep understanding and maintain productive struggle in a Thinking Classroom. Perfect for educators ready to fine-tune their instructional moves for maximum impact. Having read the BTC book is a prerequisite for these sessions.

Leadership
Oct 6 - Hamden

This workshop explores what it takes to lead and sustain Thinking Classrooms at the school and system levels. Designed for coaches, administrators, and teacher leaders, it offers practical insights into supporting teacher growth and fostering a culture of collaboration and curiosity. Note: This session is currently full, but you may add your name to the waitlist.

If you have any questions about registration, please contact Bridget at bnahabedian@partnersforel.org 

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2. Also, as an extension of the BTC adjacent workshops we ran last year, Partners for Educational Leadership is offering additional professional learning opportunities focused on supporting High Quality Instruction in Mathematics. We’re excited to offer in-district support to staff, coaches, and leaders, helping to strengthen the implementation of high-quality instructional strategies both in classrooms and throughout their districts. Check out this flyer or this infographic for further details on the services offered and how to contact us.

3. We are also offering two other professional development opportunities this fall. The Student Voice Institute will focus on harnessing the power of student perspectives to drive meaningful school change. Our 3-Day Coaching Institute will guide educators through establishing trusting relationships, facilitating powerful reflective conversations, and embedding coaching practices that support instructional improvement and collaboration.

BTC Update #15

Friends, thank you for your interest in, and support of, the work being done to build thinking classrooms all over the state. If you know of others who would benefit from receiving these updates, please give them this link to sign up. If you are new to these updates, you can catch up by reading the previous updates using this link, which is part of our PEL/BTC website. 

1. PEL is partnering with Dr. Lindsay Keazer, professor of education at Sacred Heart, to run a free virtual community of practices for coaches focused on supporting the implementation of BTC. Details include:

When: The first meeting will be Tuesday, February 25th, 3:30-4:45pm EST. 

What: These virtual monthly sessions will offer support and opportunities for collaborative strategizing around cultivating and bolstering momentum for building thinking math classrooms in your school or district. 

Who: math coaches, district math decision-makers, and anyone who seeks to spread and support BTC practices in your school or district.  

Cost: Free

Asks: As part of joining this group, you agree to take relevant next steps/actions and bring your progress back to share in subsequent meetings. Examples of potential actions include: 

• Observe math teachers (non-evaluatively) who are attempting BTC practices. Note successes and challenges using look-fors provided.

• Find a teacher not yet trying BTC, and collaboratively co-plan a noncurricular thinking task with them and co-facilitate it together. 

• Selecting a thinking task with a grade level or department and planning and testing the launch script, 

• Collaborating with a teacher team on experimenting with practices to create group interdependence while students are working at the boards 

To RSVP, fill out the linked survey to inform us about your context. 

2. Jo Boaler is coming to CT! She will be the keynote of a special screening of her new film Counted Out. This free event is taking place on March 5 at Central Connecticut State University. See the attached flyer for further details about the event, including how to register.

3. Also, as an extension of the BTC related workshops we ran last year, Partners for Educational Leadership is offering additional PL opportunities focused on supporting High Quality Instruction in Mathematics. We’re excited to offer in-district support to staff, coaches, and leaders, helping to strengthen the implementation of high-quality instructional strategies both in classrooms and throughout their districts. Check out this flyer or this infographic for further details on the services offered and how to contact us.

4. We will be focusing our Coaching In-Depth workshop this spring (May 15) specifically on the work of high school coaches—not focused solely on BTC, but definitely related to supporting the kind of innovative, thinking-centered classrooms that BTC exemplifies. Registration has begun and you can find more details here. Be sure to reserve your seat soon, as this is always a popular event.

5. Finally, our “Next Level Instructional Leadership Workshop” in CT is very close to being full; however we still have seats available in both our MA and RI locations. Additional information, including details about registration, can be found on this flyer. Again, while this is not specifically about BTC, it draws its inspiration from what we have learned from supporting the implementation of BTC, and uses BTC practices as both an example of what high quality instruction might look like and as a basis for the facilitation of the workshop.

BTC Update #14

Friends, thank you for your interest in, and support of, the work being done to build thinking classrooms all over the state. If you know of others who would benefit from receiving these updates, please give them this link to sign up. If you are new to these updates, you can catch up by reading the previous updates using this link, which is part of our PEL/BTC website. (We know that there is considerable overlap between the information in this update and Isobel’s most recent Coaching Letter, but we wanted to make sure you knew how we are thinking about these opportunities in terms of BTC).

1. As many of you already know, we ran several very popular workshops last year which focused on how coaches and leaders could support BTC, which reached over 600 participants from 86 districts in New England. This year, as an extension of that work, we are hosting a 2 day workshop called “Next Level Instructional Leadership.” Here, we will focus specifically on the work of leaders in creating conditions for instructional improvement. It takes many of the ideas and concepts we introduced last year in the BTC-centered workshops and builds upon them by integrating our latest thinking and resources. We are running this workshop 3 times in different locations over the next several months. Additional information, including details about registration, can be found on this flier. Again, while this is not specifically about BTC, it draws its inspiration from what we have learned from supporting the implementation of BTC, and uses BTC practices as both an example of what high quality instruction might look like and as a basis for the facilitation of the workshop.

2. Also, as an extension of the BTC related workshops we ran last year, Partners for Educational Leadership is offering additional PL opportunities focused on supporting High Quality Instruction in Mathematics. We’re excited to offer in-district support to staff, coaches, and leaders, helping to strengthen the implementation of high-quality instructional strategies both in classrooms and throughout their districts. Check out this flyer or this infographic for further details on the services offered and how to contact us.

3. We will be focusing our Coaching In-Depth workshop this spring (May 15) specifically on the work of high school coaches—not focused solely on BTC, but definitely related to supporting the kind of innovative, thinking-centered classrooms that BTC exemplifies. Registration has begun and you can find more details here. Be sure to reserve your seat soon, as this is always a popular event. 

4. And speaking of high school, my colleague Isobel and I are really hoping to be able to turn the expressed interest in HS instruction of several districts we work with into the creation of another Networked Improvement Community (NIC)—one which specifically focuses on high school teaching and learning. If you are interested in being a part of this NIC for the 25-26 school year, or are just interested in hearing more about it, please reach out to Isobel at istevenson@partnersforel.org. 

BTC Update #13

Friends, thank you for your interest in, and support of, the work being done to build thinking classrooms all over the state. If you know of others who would benefit from receiving these updates, please give them this link to sign up. If you are new to these updates you can catch up by reading the previous updates using this link which is part of our PEL/BTC website. 

Before we dive in, I want to let you know that I have started my own Substack, The Core of the Matter, in which I will discuss the hottest takes and latest research on effective instruction. I would be very grateful if you would subscribe; here is the link. Not all the posts will be about BTC directly, but they will definitely be useful for teachers implementing BTC in their classrooms. And if you have any requests for topics you’d like to see me address, please let me know.

1. The book study for Mathematics Tasks for the Thinking Classroom, Grades K-5 (aka “the task book”, aka “the green book”) we ran throughout the summer was a major success. We brought folks together from around the country and beyond to discuss the new book and learn from one another about how to best run a thinking classroom. Peter Liljedahl even joined us during session 4 to answer all of our burning questions. If you want the resources from those sessions, they are available here.

2. My colleague Isobel and I created this BTC guide for administrators resource in response to a request from one of our breakout groups in the book study. It is still in draft form so we would be grateful if you could take a moment to check it out and give us feedback (you should be able to make suggestions right on the doc). Also, if you have other requests regarding useful BTC resources please let us know, we would love to take a stab at those as well.

3. Partners for Educational Leadership is offering additional PL opportunities focused on supporting High-Quality Instruction in Mathematics in response to the demand of the BTC related workshops we ran last year, which reached over 600 participants from 86 districts. We’re excited to offer in-district support to staff, coaches, and leaders, helping strengthen the implementation of high-quality instructional strategies both in classrooms and throughout their districts. Check out this flyer  or this infographic for further details on the services offered and how to contact us.

4. We will be continuing our webinar series on Systems for Instructional Improvement (SII) on October 7th with guest author Professor Kara Jackson. The topic of the session is the Teacher Learning Subsystem. SII is not about BTC specifically, but it does provide a very helpful framework for how a district might go about supporting equitable and ambitious math instruction as embodied by BTC. If you missed any of the previous sessions you can access the recordings and resources on our SII website. When you visit the website don’t forget to join the mailing list for the virtual book study. 

5. We are currently working on the design of some follow-up workshops to our enormously popular BTC for Coaches and BTC for Leaders series. More details coming soon!

BTC Update #12

Friends, you are receiving this email because you signed up for regular updates from Partners for Educational Leadership on our work supporting BTC. If you are new to these updates you can catch up by reading the previous updates using this link. We are hosting a book study this summer for Peter Liljedahl’s new book! The information that we have so far is below. So that we can keep a handle on how many people might actually show up to the book study, we ask that you register separately if you wish to participate. Click here to register for the book study.

1. The launch of the book study for Mathematics Tasks for the Thinking Classroom, Grades K-5 (aka “the task book”, aka “the green book”) is July 11, 2024, at 4 pm Eastern.

2. Peter Liljedahl will join us for the first portion of the first session for an inspiring kick-off!

3. The Zoom link for all the sessions will be sent to the book study mailing list, not to this mailing list.

4. Subsequent sessions will all be held at 4 pm Eastern on the following dates:

   1. July 18

   2. July 25

   3. August 1

   4. August 8

   5. August 15

   6. August 22

   7. August 29

5. The first portion of every session will be recorded, i.e. the portion before we assign participants to breakout rooms.

6. We are unable to provide certification of contact hours for participants, sorry.

If you have any questions or suggestions for how to make the book study most helpful to teachers, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

BTC Update #11

Friends, thank you for your interest in, and support of, the work being done to build thinking classrooms all over the state. If you know of others who would benefit from receiving these updates, please give them this link to sign up. If you are new to these updates you can catch up by reading the previous updates using this link which is part of our PEL/BTC website. Here is the latest news:

1. We are delighted that so many people got to experience a Peter workshop in person last week. He was here the same week that his new book (the green book) was released, and in a very cool moment, we got to give him the book, which was the first time he had seen it! A photograph of that moment, along with lots of other pictures, are now posted on our BTC website.

2. Speaking of the new book, we will be hosting a book study for Peter’s new book, starting this July. Register here.

3. We will be bringing Peter back to Connecticut in the fall of 2025!

4. Also on the BTC website are:

• All the BTC Updates we have sent out;

• The various recipes we have been testing with teams of teachers, many of which are BTC related;

• The PDF of the book that Peter mentioned a couple of times: Teaching Math as Storytelling;

• The slides and rubrics that Peter used on Day 3;

• The resources from the workshops with coaches (fall) and leaders (spring);

• The resources from the discussion of BTC (the orange book) last year.

5. If you haven’t already seen it, Coaching Letter #198 is all about BTC. Specifically, it is a 3,000 word refutation of critics of BTC who think that it can’t possibly be effective because it is “minimally guided instruction”, and a description of what BTC does that makes it equitable and ambitious instruction. Please share with colleagues who might be interested, and encourage them to subscribe to The Coaching Letter. 

6. We continue our webinar series on Systems for Instructional Improvement (SII). The first session, on April 30, featured a presentation by the very lovely Paul Cobb. We recorded it, and it is on our SII website. SII is not about BTC specifically, but it does provide a very helpful framework for how a district might go about supporting equitable and ambitious math instruction as embodied by BTC. Also visit the website to join the mailing list for the virtual book study. The next session is on June 4, featuring Jessica Rigby. We will post information about subsequent sessions here and on the SII website. 

7. Coaching for Leaders, July 23-25, 2024, is almost full. Our September Coaching Institute is full, and so we added another in October. Sign up here. These are not specifically about BTC, but as with so much of what we do these days, we have incorporated a lot of the BTC methodology into our facilitation. 

BTC Update #10

Friends, thank you for your interest in, and support of, the work being done to build thinking classrooms all over the state. If you know of others who would benefit from receiving these updates, please give them this link to sign up. If you are new to these updates you can catch up by reading the previous updates using this link which is part of our PEL/BTC website. Here is the latest news:

You’re probably not surprised to hear that the available spaces for Peter Liljedahl’s return to Connecticut sold out immediately. Also, the BTC for Leaders workshops that we are hosting this spring are also full. We are trying to figure out whether we can fit in another such workshop before the end of the year.

In the meantime, all of our materials for the workshops are available on our PEL/BTC web page.

In addition to BTC-specific workshops, we are offering the following:

1. Systems for Instructional Improvement Virtual Book Study, first session April 30

2. Coaching In-Depth, May 8, 2024

3. Equitable School Improvement Book Launch Party, May 30

4. Coaching for Leaders, July 23-25, 2024 

The Coaching Institute in September is also full, join our waitlist for that here. 

BTC Update #9

Friends, thank you for your interest in, and support of, the work being done to build thinking classrooms all over the state. If you know of others who would benefit from receiving these updates, please give them this link to sign up. If you are new to these updates you can catch up by reading the previous updates using this link which is part of our PEL/BTC website. Here is the latest news:

1. Peter Liljedahl is returning to Connecticut at the end of May! He will be facilitating 4 days of workshops all of which will be at the Lyceum in Hartford. Here are the workshops he will be leading:

Day 1 Workshop May 20: This is a workshop for those just embarking on their journey with Building Thinking Classrooms. Participants will be introduced to the BTC framework and the research behind it. Additionally, attendees will learn everything they need to begin implementing both curricular and non curricular lessons and will actually experience a full curricular lesson taught by Peter.

Day 2 Workshop May 21 AND May 22: This is a workshop for those who 

already have a foundation with Building Thinking Classrooms and are 

looking to dive deeper into specific practices. Attendees will learn about 

what homework looks like in a thinking classroom, how to foster student 

autonomy, how to use hints and extensions, consolidating the lesson, and 

note making. Additionally, participants will get the opportunity to begin 

designing their own curricular lessons. 

Day 3 Workshop May 23: This is a workshop for those who already have a foundation with Building Thinking Classrooms and are looking to dive about how these assessment practices can be used in their own classrooms.

Registration is now open for general admission. You can sign up through the fliers linked above. If you have any questions about registration please reach out to Bridget at bnahabedian@partnersforel.org.

2. Please encourage leaders at all levels in your district to sign up for one of our BTC for Leaders workshops. These will be held on April 5th and May 3rd in Derby (the second is a repeat of the first). You can register  through the fliers linked to the dates. 

3. We are organizing a book study on Systems for Instructional Improvement, which we think has broad repercussions for teacher professional development, and the work of instructional coaches, principals, and central office leaders. But it is fundamentally a book about leadership and strategy for ambitious and equitable instruction in mathematics, and we think it has strong connections to both Building Thinking Classrooms and the work we have been doing on standard work and recipes. Please sign up to join the Zoom book group meetings. The first one is April 30, 2024 at 3:15 pm Eastern.

4. Peter has a new book coming out this May.  It's called Mathematics Tasks for the Thinking Classroom, K-5 and it is available for pre-order now. No doubt we will organize a book study and possibly other support when the book is published. Stay tuned.

5. We are actively adding new instructional recipes to the recipes page of the BTC website. Thank you for the feedback we have received from those who have been busy testing them. We encourage you to try them out–and when you do please give us feedback. We would love to know about your experience, particularly any stumbling blocks you encountered or modifications you made. 

6. If you are interested in partnering with PEL to support your district with BTC implementation/ support, please email Jerry at jbelair@partnersforel.org 

7. In addition to BTC-specific workshops, we are offering the following:

   1. Coaching In-Depth, May 8, 2024

   2. Coaching for Leaders, July 23-25, 2024 

   3. Annual Coaching Institute, September 2024 

BTC Update #8

Friends, thank you for your interest in, and support of, the work being done to build thinking classrooms all over the state. If you know of others who would benefit from receiving these updates, please give them this link to sign up. If you are new to these updates you can catch up by reading the previous updates using this link which is part of our PEL/BTC website.

Here is the latest news:

1. We are excited to be building on the success we had with our BTC for Coaches workshop series by offering 2 sessions that focus on BTC for Leaders. These will be held on April 5th and May 3rd in Derby (the second is a repeat of the first). Registration is now open.

2. We have been busy adding to the recipes page of the BTC website. The page now includes several recipes for specific BTC practices like launching the task and consolidating the lesson. We encourage you to try them out–and when you do please give us feedback. We would love to know about your experience, particularly any stumbling blocks you encountered or modifications you made. 

3. Peter Liljedahl is returning to Connecticut at the end of May! He will be facilitating 4 days of workshops all of which will be at the Lyceum in Hartford. Here are the workshops he will be leading:

Day 1 Workshop May 20: This is a workshop for those just embarking on their journey with Building Thinking Classrooms. Participants will be introduced to the BTC framework and the research behind it. Additionally, attendees will learn everything they need to begin implementing both curricular and non curricular lessons and will actually experience a full curricular lesson taught by Peter.

Day 2 Workshop May 21 AND May 22: This is a workshop for those who 

already have a foundation with Building Thinking Classrooms and are 

looking to dive deeper into specific practices. Attendees will learn about 

what homework looks like in a thinking classroom, how to foster student 

autonomy, how to use hints and extensions, consolidating the lesson, and 

note making. Additionally, participants will get the opportunity to begin 

designing their own curricular lessons. 

Day 3 Workshop May 23: This is a workshop for those who already have a foundation with Building Thinking Classrooms and are looking to dive deeper into those practices specifically focused on assessment. Attendees will learn about what to evaluate in a thinking classroom, the role of formative assessment in BTC, and what grades look like in a thinking classroom. This will include opportunities for participants to begin to think about how these assessment practices can be used in their own classrooms.

We have a rolling registration process through which different districts can register at different times based on several criteria. We will let you know when general registration begins, so be on the lookout for that information, as we anticipate demand to be extremely high.

BTC Update #7

Friends, thank you for your interest in, and support of, the work being done to build thinking classrooms all over the state. If you know of others who would benefit from receiving these updates, please give them this link to sign up. If you are new to these updates you can catch up by reading the previous updates using this link which is part of our PEL/BTC website. 

Here is the latest news:

1. On December 14 we had the last in our series of our BTC for coaches workshops. This brings the grand total of participants to 350, which we are amazed at and grateful for.

2. We have decided not to offer any more BTC for coaches workshops in the spring; we think there is probably the demand for them, but we do not have the capacity to do as many workshops as we would like, and we also want to offer workshops that are focused on what leaders need to know to support BTC. To that end, we are offering two BTC for Leaders workshops in early spring:

   1. April 5, 2024

   2. May 3, 2024

3. The example “Model 1” and “Model 2” lessons have proven to be very popular! There are now 4 examples on the Model 1 and Model 2 page on the PEL/BTC website. If you have others, we would love to add them! Please let us know if you do! And if you have any feedback that would make them better, we would love to have that also.

4. Also on the Model 1/Model 2 page is a prototype for “flipping” a lesson from more teacher-directed to more focused on student thinking. We would love you to try it out and give us feedback on that also! We are particularly interested in finding out what are the stumbling blocks you’ve encountered, or what detail you wish you’d had.

5. Peter Liljedahl will be back in Connecticut at the end of May. Here are the workshops that he will be leading. All of them will be at the Lyceum in Hartford. Obviously, we anticipate that demand for these workshops will be very high, but we will let you know when we are ready to start registration.

May 20: Day 1 Workshop: Introduction to BTC which covers everything that teachers need to do full lessons with both non-curricular and curricular tasks, and they experience a full curricular lesson.

May 21: Day 2 Workshop: Practices 7-11 and starting to design curricular lessons.

May 22: Day 2 Workshop: Practices 7-11 and starting to design curricular lessons.

May 23: Day 3 Workshop: Assessment.

6. In addition to BTC-specific workshops, we are offering the following:

   1. Facilitation Workshop, January 23, 2024

   2. Coaching In-Depth, May 8, 2024

   3. Coaching for Leaders, July 23-25, 2024 (registration just opened)

   4. Annual Coaching Institute, September 2024

BTC Update #6

Friends, thank you for your interest in, and support of, the work being done to build thinking classrooms all over the state. If you know of others who would benefit from receiving these updates, please give them this link to sign up. If you are new to these updates you can catch up by reading the previous updates using this link which is part of our PEL/BTC website. 

1. We are hosting five workshops for coaches this semester: three for math coaches and two for humanities/language arts. They are all full at this point, so we are trying to figure out how best to support coaches moving forward.

   • If you have not been able to sign up yet, please join the waitlist--this helps us determine demand.

   • If you have been to one of these workshops we have asked you to fill out an evaluation form that asks, in part, what support you would like next. If you have NOT already given us that information, please email Tom.

2. If you are interested in connecting with educators across districts who are implementing or thinking about implementing BTC PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINK, which will take you to a Google form where you can enter your contact information. We will use this information to populate a spreadsheet that we will share ONLY with the people on this list and on the PEL/BTC website, which is not a publicly listed site.

3. We want to give coaches interested in BTC first swing at signing up for our annual Coaching Institute, which is always over-subscribed. Here is the flier that contains the registration link. If you are not in a position to sign up right away but would like to hold a spot, email Bridget

4. In addition to the 3-day Coaching Institute, we are also holding a Facilitation Workshop on January 23, 2024, and a Coaching In-Depth on May 8, 2024.

5. Many of you have seen us facilitate activities to demonstrate the difference between a teacher-centered and a thinking-centered classroom. The resources to run those activities are a new page on our PEL/BTC website.

6. Professor Liljedahl is coming back to Connecticut in May of 2024. More information on this will be shared in the coming months.

BTC Update #5

Friends, we hope you have had a great start to the new school year.  We are excited to give you an update on our continued efforts to support the work of Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC). If you know of others who would benefit from receiving these updates, please give them this link to sign up. If you are new to these updates you can catch up by reading the previous updates using this link which is part of our PEL/BTC website.

• We will be holding workshops on October 18th and November 2nd at Mercy-by-the-Sea to support math coaches, both are full. However, we have scheduled a third session of this workshop in order to accommodate the demand. This will be held on December 14th  at Mercy-by-the-Sea. Click here for details on registration.

• We are running  workshops on November 1st and November 29th at Mercy-by-the-Sea to support NON-MATH teachers and coaches in thinking about how BTC could be employed in other subject areas. Both are full, but you can fill out this form to put on the waitlist.

• If you are interested in connecting with educators across districts who are implementing or thinking about implementing BTC PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINK, which will take you to a Google form where you can enter your contact information . We will use this information to populate a spreadsheet that we will share ONLY with the people on this list and on the PEL/BTC website, which is not a publicly listed site.

• If you are interested in partnering with PEL to support your district with BTC implementation or you have any feedback or suggestions regarding our continued efforts to support Building Thinking Classrooms, email Tom at tnobili@partnersforel.org.

Finally, we have some other workshops in the coming months that are not BTC specific, but are definitely related in terms of their focus on adult learning, coaching, continuous improvement, and high quality instruction. Details are below.

• Educator Evaluation Convening - Oct. 23, 2023

• Facilitation Workshop - Jan. 23, 2023

• Coaching In-Depth - May 8, 2023

BTC Update #4

Friends, we hope you have had a rejuvenating and enjoyable summer. We have been busy with our continued efforts to support the work of Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) and are excited to give you an update. If you know of others who would benefit from receiving these updates, please give them this link to sign up. If you are new to these updates you can catch up by reading the previous updates using this link which is part of our PEL/BTC website. 

1. The Noyce Fellows who are a part of The CT Noyce Math Teacher Leaders Program are offering a free online workshop on August 22 on thin slicing. Here’s the flyer. And here’s the registration link if you want to go directly there.

2. We will be holding a workshop on October 18 at Mercy-by-the-Sea to support math coaches in particular, which is already full. However, we have scheduled a second session of this workshop in order to accommodate the demand. This will be held on November 2 at Mercy-by-the-Sea. Click here for details on registration.

3. We are running a workshop on November 1 (which is already full) at Mercy-by-the-Sea to support NON-MATH teachers and coaches in thinking about how BTC could be employed in other subject areas. Due to the demand we will be offering a second session of this workshop at Mercy-by-the-Sea on November 29. Click here for registration details.

4. If you are interested in connecting with educators across districts who are implementing or thinking about implementing BTC PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINK, which will take you to a Google form where you can enter your contact information . We will use this information to populate a spreadsheet that we will share ONLY with the people on this list and on the PEL/BTC website, which is not a publicly listed site.

If you are interested in partnering with PEL to support your district with BTC implementation or you have any feedback or suggestions regarding our continued efforts to support Building Thinking Classrooms, email Tom at tnobili@partnersforel.org 

BTC Update #3

Friends, we hope you are enjoying your summer so far. We are excited to update you on PEL’s continued effort to support the work of Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC). If you know of others who would benefit from receiving these updates, please give them this link to sign up. If you are new to these updates you can catch up by reading the previous updates using this link which is part of our PEL/BTC website. 

1. On June 30th we held a successful convening of teachers and coaches who are supporting BTC at the classroom level. We engaged in a thinking task to illustrate how the BTC change package is constantly evolving and now includes practices and techniques that are not in the book. We also spent some time unpacking the basics of improvement science in order to understand how it can be a useful methodology to continue to learn more about BTC implementation. Finally, participants had the opportunity to network with others engaged in similar work. Thanks again to Derby for hosting!

2. We will be holding a workshop on October 18 at Mercy-by-the-Sea to support math coaches in particular, which is already full. However, we have scheduled a second session of this workshop in order to accommodate the demand. This will be held on November 2 at Mercy-by-the-Sea. Click here for details on registration.

3. We are running a workshop on November 1 (which is already full) at Mercy-by-the-Sea to support NON-MATH teachers and coaches in thinking about how BTC could be employed in other subject areas. To join the waitlist for that workshop please fill out this form.

4. In the last update, we filled you in on what we came up with to connect educators across districts who are implementing or thinking about implementing BTC, So if you are a teacher or coach who would be willing to share what you’re doing with BTC with others, PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINK TO FILL OUT A GOOGLE FORM. We will use this information to populate a spreadsheet that we will share ONLY with the people on this list and on the PEL/BTC website, which is not a publicly listed site.

5. If you are interested in partnering with PEL to support your district with BTC implementation or you have any feedback or suggestions regarding our continued efforts to support Building Thinking Classrooms email Tom at tnobili@partnersforel.org.

BTC Update #2

Friends, this email is to keep you informed about PEL’s support for implementing Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC). If you know of others who would benefit from receiving these updates, please give them this link to sign up.

We continue to be amazed by the enthusiasm for BTC. Here’s the latest news. For the previous update, click here. We will also archive the updates on the PEL/BTC website.

1. As mentioned in Update #1, Derby hosts a regular community of practice for leaders in a variety of roles. The June 5 meeting was devoted to BTC implementation, and we had around 80 leaders attend that, which was fantastic! Most of the morning was spent on what implementation of BTC might look like in a classroom setting that is NOT math, and how that connects to a district’s definition of high quality instruction. And then there was time for leaders to connect across districts and hear what others are doing. Thank you, yet again, to Derby for hosting.

2. We are going to host a meeting for teachers who are interested in talking about how to "fill in the gaps" in BTC, i.e. provide further detail on implementation that teachers can use, so that they benefit from the wisdom of each other and don't have to learn everything about implementation from their own trial and error. We hope this turns into a robust and supportive community of practice. The first meeting will be on June 30th, 9am-noonish. THERE WAS SO MUCH DEMAND THAT WE HAD TO MOVE FROM THE MILFORD BOE TO THE DERBY FIELDHOUSE. There was so much demand that we closed registration, so if you want to join the waitlist please email Bridget.

3. We have scheduled a workshop on October 18 at Mercy-by-the-Sea to support math coaches in particular, which is also already full. If you would like to join the waitlist, again, please email Bridget.

4. This is new: We have scheduled a workshop on November 1 at Mercy-by-the-Sea to support NON-MATH teachers in thinking about how BTC could be employed in other subject areas. Registration just went live: click here.

5. We know that there are many schools and districts where there is interest in implementing BTC but they don't have anyone in-district who has any experience with the 14 practices. In the last update we shared that we were going to figure out a way to put schools and districts in this position with teachers and coaches who are already implementing BTC—and here’s what we came up with. If you are a teacher or coach who would be willing to share what you’re doing with BTC with others, PLEASE CLICK ON THIS LINK TO FILL OUT A GOOGLE FORM. We will use this information to populate a spreadsheet that we will share ONLY with the people on this list and on the PEL/BTC website, which is not a publicly listed site. And the form asks for your email address but not your phone number, as we figured that the former is already easily accessible, but a phone number is a bit different.

We are working on supporting a couple of other avenues, so stay tuned! If you have any other feedback, or suggestions for how we can further support efforts to implement BTC, please email Isobel at istevenson@partnersforel.org.

BTC Update #1

The response of the folks who got to see Peter in person was overwhelmingly positive. And we know that there are many other math teachers who were not at one of the workshops but who’ve read the book and are starting to implement the 14 practices in their classrooms. We want to support these efforts! As a result, here is what we are thinking so far—we would love your suggestions:

1. We have already booked Peter to come back to Connecticut next May.

2. Everyone who registered for one of Peter’s workshops has been added to a separate mailing list, and if you are interested in being part of the BTC community of learners, please use this link to sign up. Anyone can add their name. And if you know anyone who is implementing or interested in BTC, please send them the link to the mailing list. You won’t be snowed with emails—you’ll hear from us occasionally when we have something new to share—and of course you can unsubscribe at any time.

3. We will keep this website updated, and eventually expand it, so that it becomes a hub for relevant information.

4. We have created a small advisory group including folks from the state department of education, universities, district central office, and we hope to add a couple of teachers and building leaders.

5. Derby hosts a regular community of practice for leaders in a variety of roles—there’s a meeting coming up on June 5th, and we are going to devote that meeting to following up on the BTC workshops. The details (start and end time, for example) have yet to be ironed out, but it will be most of the day, and we can accommodate a large group in the space, the Derby Fieldhouse, which is a wonderful facility. (Shout out to the superintendent, Matt Conway, who has allowed us to use the space on a number of occasions—much appreciated!) If you’d like to join us, register here, no cost.

6. We are hosting a workshop for math coaches who are supporting the implementation of BTC on October 18 at Mercy-by-the-Sea. We'll talk about the relationship between BTC and a district's strategy and vision for high quality instruction, and how to create the conditions for implementation of BTC. And coaches will be able to network and learn from each other. Register here, $90 per person, including breakfast, lunch, and a copy of Making Coaching Matter.

7. We know that there are many schools and districts where there is interest in implementing BTC but they don't have anyone in-district who has any experience with the 14 practices. We would like to create a database of interested folks so that expertise can be shared across districts—we have some design work to do on that, but stay tuned!

8. We are going to host a meeting for teachers who are interested in talking about how to "fill in the gaps" in BTC, i.e. provide further detail on implementation that teachers can use, so that they benefit from the wisdom of each other and don't have to learn everything about implementation from their own trial and error. We hope this turns into a robust and supportive community of practice. The first meeting will be on June 30th, 9am-noonish, at the Milford BoE. Register here, no cost.

If you have any other feedback, or suggestions for how we can further support efforts to implement BTC, please email Isobel at istevenson@partnersforel.org.