Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics, Grades K-12: 14 Teaching Practices for Enhancing Learning (Corwin Mathematics Series)

After implementing the first three practices, my students are begging for math tasks when they walk into the classroom each morning. They want to start math early to see what challenge I have for them that day and there's excitement about who they get to work with on these tasks. There is a new found energy and excitement for our math block now for both me and my students!

There are several fantastic ideas that help teachers to get their students thinking rather than mimicking aka copying what we write on the board. I highly recommend it.

This book provides a plethora of suggestions to get your students thinking. My favorite part is the FAQ section of each chapter. It provides real scenarios and real answers to those hard questions about implementing a new teaching philosophy.

It is often obvious that traditional teaching method is wrong, but people just don't know what's the right thing to do. Everyone is so busy chasing KPIs, no one has the time and energy to reflect on the original purpose of education, then spend energy to figure out a better way. This author's work is thorough in thinking, creative in the approach, and scientific in establishing better ways with evidence.

Highly recommended not only for math teachers, but also teachers of other subjects, as well as inquisitive parents like me.

School has to be about thinking and creativity, and inspiring kids to want to learn, not rote memorising of procedures and facts which are bound to destroy kids natural ability and desire to learn.

Literally changed every single thing I do in my classroom based on the methods in my book. My struggling students LOVE my math class now and are so much more engaged. Got mostly 4's (out of 4) on my latest teacher evaluation (my principal usually only gives out all 3s). My kids were in the middle of working on a math problem when the principal interrupted my class to announce that my para had won para of the year, and my kids just kept working during the whole chaos because they were so into the problem.

Highly recommend this book if you want to change the way you teach math! No more standing in front and lecturing, or I do we do you do. This will change your thinking and your classroom!

Every math teacher should read this book, which describes the biggest and best change I've ever made in my teaching! I was stuck in the rut of direct instruction for 30 years, which I now realize did not require my students to think very much as they copied notes and mimicked my methods. Now I have the tools I need to get them thinking for themselves about math, and I feel like my classes, which were half-asleep before, have come alive! Thank you, Peter, for teaching me a better way!

Every math teacher should read this book, which describes the biggest and best change I've ever made in my teaching! I was stuck in the rut of direct instruction for 30 years, which I now realize did not require my students to think very much as they copied notes and mimicked my methods. Now I have the tools I need to get them thinking for themselves about math, and I feel like my classes, which were half-asleep before, have come alive! Thank you, Peter, for teaching me a better way!

This book has some excellent concepts to ensure that students are taking charge of their learning process in the classroom. I want to read the supplement to this book. I am also glad that I did this as a book study with some other math teachers and academic coaches in our county as I am a special education teacher and some of the ideas are challenging to translate to what my students need in their learning process. If you want your students to learn how to think then read this book.

This book is full of ideas that will ensure lower behaviour problems and ways to keep math from becoming 'boring'. It stresses having the students be the thinkers and problem solvers. A must have for all grades.

If you want students to think outside of the box you have to remove the box. What we've been doing isn't working. I'm game to try anything. I am looking forward to trying this model in my classroom. I'll keep what works and modify others. There are some great ideas in this book!

If you want students to think outside of the box you have to remove the box. What we've been doing isn't working. I'm game to try anything. I am looking forward to trying this model in my classroom. I'll keep what works and modify others. There are some great ideas in this book!

I enjoyed reading this book during the summer. There are good ideas inside backed by research that makes you question the way you been doing things. I’ll take some ideas with me next school year for sure. You should have an open mind and if you read it then that’s the first step.

I enjoyed reading this book during the summer. There are good ideas inside backed by research that makes you question the way you been doing things. I’ll take some ideas with me next school year for sure. You should have an open mind and if you read it then that’s the first step.

You'll find that his suggestions address problems you've been eager to fix related to your delivery of instruction, grouping stratgeties, student collaboration/participatio and more. It's an easy read and everything he mentions will be very familiar. You'll feel like he has been a visitsor in your classroom and wants to help YOU.

If you are thinking about buying this book just do it. It changed who I am as a teacher, inspired me to take over the math department and inspired my capstone research. Amazing book.

This was recommended by a friend and it is amazing! I have been working towards changing my classroom to be like this, but have had a lot of questions and am just not sure how to get started. The research that supports the main components is really what we as teachers know to be true. If you are willing to make big changes for the betterment of your students and truly create a student-centered classroom, then this book is for you!

A lot of food for thought and practical strategies! I just loved how the practices, though requiring mindset shifts, are things one could actually do in a classroom.

Many books have been written on creating thinking classrooms. This is the first one I have read that is a practical guide to actually accomplish this lofty goal. I cannot recommend it enough if this is your goal.

So much useful practical ideas and details of how to implement the recommendations. It's clearly been written to help teachers put the ideas into practice. Lots of helpful Q&As and chapter takeaways at the end of each chapter. Would highly recommend to any teachers of Maths, whether new graduates or seasoned veterans.

This book has become my bible for teaching math. I can't say enough about it. My only regret is I didn't buy it soon. COMPLETELY changed my teaching for the better!

Purchased this book for summer reading. I have implemented some if the strategies and my students are loving it. I like how you dont feel pressured to implement all of the strategies at once.

I bought this for every member of our department from those with one year experience up to those with 40. Great resource. Great food for thought and, sure, not all ideas are for everyone but many can be implemented in a variety of school settings.

I can’t wait to implement these strategies myself. They make sense and they’re well-researched! I’m sure there are some strategies that will be more challenging than others, but I can’t wait to work them all out and figure out how I can fit them into my overall teaching practice.

Excellent! Research-based, with clear guidance as to how to implement philosophy/strategies in the classroom. I read “Mathmatize it!” (Written by a different set of authors) Right after and the two are ridiculously compatible. Game-changer!

This book is well written and speaks to my veteran teacher heart. (30 years this fall!!) It's realistic as in it talks about what REALLY goes on in a classroom instead of the yearly dog and pony show observation time.

The book arrived today and I’ve read the foreword and part of the introduction. I am fully engaged and want to keep reading. I am that teacher who goes over homework, teaches a lesson, then assigns some work. Every. Single. Math. Class.

I am looking forward to reading more. I will update as I continue reading.

I read the book last summer and have implemented some of the practices this year in my Precalculus classes. This has been the biggest change in my 18 year teaching career. Students focus has shifted to learning rather than "getting it done" and I have no student or parent complaints about grades (or anything else). Peter's description of "studenting" in the introduction was spot on, and then the chapter on not grading homework sold me. I look forward to implementing more practices next year!

Loved this book. Can’t wait to implement the teaching practices once we can go back to randomly grouping students daily. Covid is creating a bit of a hassle since we need seating charts for contact tracing

This is the best professional development I have done as a Maths teacher. My students are more engaged than ever, learning more than ever, and it has fostered a culture of building meaningful relationships between myself as the teacher and the students, as well as students with each other. This book is an amazing act of service to the Mathematics community and to education as a community as well. I have always believed in Peter Liljedahl’s work, but this book now makes it possible for me to implement Building a Thinking Classroom to its full potential. I will be passing all I have leaned in this book to my student-teacher, and I will be recommending it to all of my Mathematics teaching colleagues.

A refreshing, researched and educated approach into a thinking classroom.
A must read for any math teacher and administrators looking to change the game.

My wife has taught for almost three decades and also has taught teachers at an education faculty at a university. She says this guy is the absolute bomb and she’s implementing his stuff in her classroom all the time. I know NOTHING about it but she’s happy so I’m happy 😃

What a wonderful resource! This will totally transform my practice and is a must-read!! Every math teacher should read this book and look to implement some or all of the recommended practices to enhance student thinking, engagement and achievement!

It’s going to take me a while to implement all the wonderful content here in my classroom. But boy will it be worth it! I highly recommend this book, especiyfor teachers in 360 classrooms!

So many good ideas that it's almost overwhelming (in a good way)! Can't wait to try some of these ideas in my classroom, although I wish there were a few more curricular examples to help me figure out what a lesson should look like.

This is such a great and practical book! I actually read it three times this summer because there is just SO much to take away from each chapter. I'm very excited to try out some of these techniques in my classroom this year. This book addressed very specifically many of the issues I was having in my middle school classroom with getting students to think for themselves. This is a must-read for any math teacher!

This book is eye opening. I am in chapter 10 and now have a better insight as to what my class should look like. The only downside is not the book itself, but the times that we live in where the COVID19 cases are rising; so the group work may not be feasible or safe for students to be in such a close proximity.

I love this book and will be implementing the teaching practices I leaned this upcoming school year. I highly recommend this to any math teacher at any grade level.

This book is amazing. I have been teaching 14-15 years and felt I have learned so much. I have recommended it to all my teacher friends. Mind blowing. Simple changes that I can’t wait to implement in my classroom!!!

This book is jam packed with actionable steps to improve students thinking and engagement. I have completely finished the book, but you can start with your classroom almost immediately. I’ve enjoyed how the author explained how each step was found through years of trial in classrooms. Also the FAQ at the end of each chapter answer common questions or thoughts from teachers about that specific behavior. This book is an easy read and I will be referencing it for years to come! The best book I’ve bought that is filled with practical steps to help me move toward conceptual learning.

This is the BEST education-related book I have ever read. Thorough research was done and is referenced occasionally, but he doesn’t bore you with it. Instead, it is a fine-tuned collection of practices that elevate student thinking, increase the joy of teaching, and eliminates the soul-sucking “monkey see-monkey do” examples and worksheets cycle that is so prevalent in math classrooms across the country. This is now my math teaching bible!

Every math teacher needs to read this book! It very clearly explains the optimal way to set up and run a math classroom to result in students who think rather than just mimic solving problems. Chapters are short, to the point, jargon-free and provide a good visual summary along with discussion questions. This is one of the best books on mathematics education that I have ever read.

If you are ready to take a giant leap towards more engaging and effective instruction, this book will give you practical steps towards creating an environment that is conducive to authentic engagement. Students take ownership of learning as you provide the tasks and structure necessary to foster critical thinking.

Reminds me of David Rock’s book Quiet Leadership (a must read for anyone in a “thinking” business), but customized to the K-12 classroom. A fantastic read, I enjoyed the presentation of knowledge in every chapter, especially the insightful FAQ sections from other teachers participating in the research. Hats off to everyone involved!

Mimicking, faking, stalling, slacking, I have seen all kinds of behaviours like these in my math class. Now with Thinking Classrooms by Dr. Peter Liljedahl, students are doing what all math teachers want them to be doing - thinking. I have seen many teachers including Dr. Liljedahl present this idea at many professional development opportunities. I have tried what I learned from each occasion, but it seemed disconnected. Now with this book, everything is clear. Every sequence of implementation is clear. As I implemented each of these 14 practices of thinking classrooms in my class, I gained more confidence as I saw students talking to each other discussing about math in a passionate way. They feel comfortable and safe in math class creating a community. This is what I wanted.