“If we want our students to think, we need to give them something to think about - something that will not only require thinking but will also encourage thinking.”
-Peter Liljedahl
“Teaching with problems worth solving in a thinking classroom can be life-changing for students and teachers alike!” -Alicia Burdess (me)
It is a magical experience to help students learn math through problem solving in a thinking classroom and I am going to help you start your journey in three steps!
First
Read Peter Liljedah’s book Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics:
I have crossed paths with Peter multiple times; he has been an integral part of my math education journey. I was able to learn from him during professional development sessions, at math conferences, and during my master’s degree from his university. I am so excited that he has compiled all of his research and directions on how to build a thinking classroom into this wonderful book.
Next
Join this Facebook Group:
There are teachers in this group that have been teaching this way for years, and there are teachers just getting started! Either way, the sharing of ideas, inspiration, and support is essential! There are also other groups for different grade levels and even different subjects. Twitter has a wonderful network of teachers to collaborate with as well (#thinkingclassroom) and don’t forget to follow Peter @pgliljedahl!
Then
Check out our collections of problems worth solving:
We compiled our favourite problems into 3 resources for teachers to use in their thinking classrooms. They are linked to specific grades so that we could link them to our curricular outcomes here in Alberta. All of the problems can, of course, be used across different grades. Read the “Read me First” section at the beginning to learn about our experiences in our classrooms.
Finally
Be brave, jump in, trust that your students can and will think when given the opportunities. Enjoy the learning and the magic in your classroom. Take risks, make mistakes, and don’t worry as much about the destination as about the journey!