The mission of the BTC27 Canada Conference is to inspire and connect educators across public, Catholic, independent, and First Nations school systems through bilingual professional learning that advances Building Thinking Classrooms practices, promotes equitable and inclusive learning environments, honours Indigenous ways of knowing and learning, and builds collective capacity for transformative education.

The conference recognizes that while the ways students reason, inquire, communicate, analyze, problem-solve, and create manifest uniquely across disciplines, every classroom can intentionally foster conditions that empower all learners to think deeply.

By bringing together educators from across grade levels, disciplines, and leadership roles, the conference builds a nationwide professional community dedicated to transforming learning environments across Canada.

Overarching Question

How can we cultivate classrooms, schools, divisions, and boards across Canada in which student thinking is expected, supported, visible, and valued—while honoring the diverse identities, languages, and histories of our communities?

The conference aims to:

• Advance Thinking Classrooms in Canadian Contexts: Connect K–12 math educators, researchers, and system leaders to explore, deepen, and scale Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) practices across diverse provincial, territorial, and local educational frameworks and across a variety of teaching subjects. 

• Foster Inclusive & Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: Model learning environments where every student sees their identity, language, culture, and unique strengths reflected, embedding Culturally and Historically Responsive Pedagogy (CHRP) within mathematics and other disciplines. 

• Honour Indigenous Ways of Knowing: Respectfully weave Indigenous ways of learning, spatial reasoning, and relational thinking into mathematics education and other subjects in alignment with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.

• Offer Accessible Bilingual Professional Learning: Provide meaningful opportunities for professional dialogue and learning in both English and French to support mathematics education in both official languages. 

• Build Collective System Capacity: Empower collaborative math networks across school divisions, boards, districts, and First Nations education authorities to drive sustainable, transformative change in mathematics education and other subjects.

The conference is designed for K–12 mathematics education professionals across roles within public, Catholic, independent, and First Nations school systems, including:

• K–12 Classroom Educators & Mathematics Teachers 

• Instructional Coaches, Consultants, and Teacher Leaders, especially in mathematics

• School Administrators (Principals and Vice-Principals) supporting math and cross-curricular instruction

• District, Division, and Board System Leaders (Superintendents, Directors of Education)

• Curriculum, Program, and Assessment Leaders, especially in mathematics

• Mathematics Teacher Educators, Faculty of Education Instructors, and Math Education Professionals

Participants may be at any stage of their Building Thinking Classrooms journey: from those beginning to explore the framework in their local schools to experienced practitioners seeking to deepen, refine, or scale thinking practices across their boards and divisions.

Professional learning will be organized around cross-curricular strands, including:

• Building Content and Pedagogy Sessions will address subject-specific content grounded in provincial and territorial curriculum frameworks (e.g., Ontario, BC, Alberta). Content will emphasize deep thinking, rich task design, and numeracy development that reflect Canadian contexts.

• Building Assessment Sessions will explore diagnostic, social-emotional learning (SEL), and navigation assessments aligned with Canadian assessment directives (e.g., Growing Success). Presenters will share strategies for triaging evidence of mathematical learning through observation, conversation, and student products to support fair, equitable evaluation.

• Building Equity Sessions will center Culturally and Historically Responsive Pedagogy (CHRP) alongside Indigenous ways of knowing and learning, honoring the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action in math education. Content will also address actionable supports for French Immersion/FSL learners, English Language Learners (ELL/MLL), Special Education, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in diverse Canadian classrooms.

• Building Technology Sessions will incorporate the ethical, critical, and responsible use of technology, math tools, and AI, guided by Canadian digital literacy standards. Focus areas include leveraging digital tools to make mathematical thinking visible and foster collaborative problem-solving.

• Building Teams Sessions will foster educational coaching, system leadership, and collaborative learning cultures across Canadian school boards, divisions, and districts. Topics will include building meaningful partnerships with parents, local Indigenous communities, and national educational organizations.

Advisors in Indigenous, Equity, and French will advocate for balance and representation.

As a result of participating in this conference, attendees will be able to:

• Refine & Extend Math BTC Practices: Implement and adapt core Building Thinking Classrooms practices (such as rich mathematical task design, random groups, and vertical non-permanent surfaces) to foster deep mathematical thinking and problem-solving across grade levels.

• Embed Indigenous & Equitable Perspectives in Math: Integrate Indigenous pedagogies and CHRP frameworks directly into math routines, task design, and assessment practices.

• Enhance Assessment & Triangulation in Mathematics: Utilize diagnostic and formative assessment strategies to gather rich evidence of mathematical learning through observation, conversation, and student products.

• Leverage Digital Tools Responsibly in Math: Evaluate and adopt emerging math technologies and AI critically and ethically to make student thinking visible while adhering to Canadian digital literacy standards.

• Strengthen Collaborative Math Networks: Build lasting partnerships across schools, boards, and local math communities, establishing a shared capacity to coach, lead, and sustain cultures of mathematical thinking nationwide.

Info and photos to come