Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics: A Comprehensive Guide for Grades K-12 (3 book series)

Engage Students in Deep Mathematical Thinking Across Diverse Settings

Peter Liljedahl’s Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics series provides practical, research-based strategies to foster deep thinking and enhance learning in K-12 mathematics classrooms. Drawing from over 15 years of research, Liljedahl and co-author Maegan Giroux offer educators a comprehensive framework for implementing 14 optimal teaching practices that drive student engagement and meaningful mathematical learning.

The series starts with Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics, Grades K-12, a guide that explains the what, why, and how of each practice, including firsthand accounts, macro and micro moves, and rich tasks to promote thinking. Teachers will find an array of strategies to transform their classrooms into dynamic spaces for deep learning.

The follow-up supplement, Modifying Your Thinking Classroom for Different Settings, adapts these practices for a wide range of teaching environments, including socially distanced classrooms, virtual, hybrid, and homeschooling settings. It provides guidance on how to implement and adapt thinking practices to fit 12 distinct settings, offering updated tools, suggestions for unfinished learning, and recommended sequences for each context.

In Mathematics Tasks for the Thinking Classroom, Grades K-5, Liljedahl and Giroux provide practical tasks aligned with the 14 thinking practices. With 20 non-curricular and 30 curricular tasks, this resource offers step-by-step guidance on launching, facilitating, and consolidating math tasks, along with examples of student solutions, teacher prompts, and assessment strategies. The book also includes access to a companion website with downloadable resources and templates to help teachers craft their own thinking tasks.

Together, these resources empower teachers to create engaging, thinking-focused math classrooms that can adapt to any setting, providing students with meaningful learning experiences that enhance their mathematical understanding.