In the current school year, my team and I embarked on the journey of implementing Building Thinking Classroom (BTC) tasks. Our initial experiences were documented in a previous blog post. Since August, we have continued to employ strategies from the BTC framework, discovering valuable classroom practices while refining others through trial-and-error. This post provides a brief overview of our key practices.
Whiteboard Tasks:
Whiteboard BTC tasks, aligned with district-adopted resources, are assigned 2-3 times weekly. These tasks, sourced or created by team members (often put in a Google planning document), employ a playing cards method. Students are assigneda number corresponding to a specific whiteboard number. Students collaborate on the task for 10-15 minutes, utilizing a shared marker for each board.
Consolidation:
Upon completion (or work) of the whiteboard tasks, the class engages in two consolidation methods. Firstly, I guide the class to different boards, emphasizing diverse strategies. The class follows to the different boards during this time. Alternatively, students return to their desks for a seated discussion of the strategies on the boards. While both methods have shown promise, the latter has proven more effective due to increased student focus.
Pictures:
Following consolidation, students photograph their whiteboards, uploading the images to a Notability document. Adding captions to their pictures, students later submit them as assignments, fostering accountability and aiding in organizing their whiteboard tasks.
Checking Your Understanding:
Every 3-5 lessons, I administer assignments associated with a lesson group. This lessons are periodically worked on throughout the unit. On the due date, students review their work, compare it to a provided key, and make corrections using symbols like C, PC, or NY.
Notes to My Future Forgetful Self:
Aligned with the Checking Your Understanding assignments, Notes to My Future Forgetful Self tasks are completed independently by students. Submitted on Canvas, these notes and empahsis on vocabulary serve to review specific lesson sequences. Students sometimes include a picture of a BTC whiteboard task, providing insights in the form of captions.
Throughout the past months, our team has gained valuable insights into implementing BTC strategies. We have established a working routine and anticipate further integration of Peter’s ideas as the academic year progresses.
Educational Aspirations 