Making the switch to the Building Thinking Classrooms model of teaching was very challenging, but not in the way I expected. Certain aspects of Toolkit #1 were very simple to implement. I absolutely love visibly random groups and will probably never go back to anything else unless there is compelling research that suggests otherwise. Once I was able to purchase all of the materials, creating the VNPS Thinking Stations was pretty simple as well. I had trouble maintaining them, but I have some fixes for that for next year. Also, punting on the de-fronted classroom was a good choice, as I couldn’t figure out how to do it with my given furniture, and agonizing over how to make it work wasn’t going to be productive.
The biggest obstacle for me was converting my previously decent lessons and activities into Thin Slicing lessons, especially for topics that were very graph heavy, such as systems of equations or transformations. Some topics, like geometric constructions with a compass, seem downright impossible to convert into a vertical surface approach. Perhaps there are smart, creative people out there who can figure out how to make that lesson, but I’m certainly not. My goal was to have the students at the VNPS at least twice a week, and I was able to maintain that for about 3 months. Then the mental planning fatigue set in. It just took me so much time to create lessons that were adequate that I just kind of burned out. It’s a shame, because the students were always way more engaged and interested when they would be at the whiteboards. I think in my accelerated class we went 2 months straight without using them, and I always felt guilty.
Seeing as this wasn’t my first rodeo, I knew going into it that I would start strong and then fade. What I would not accept was a strong start and then a complete abandonment, and I am happy to say that that did not happen. Every week after about November I tried to look at my weekly lessons plans and choose one lesson between my two math courses I could reasonably convert, or try to find something adequate online that already existed. I was usually able to meet that goal.
So, what’s next? Well, here’s what I plan to do for next year:
- Keep visibly random groups.
- Reinforce and reformat my thinking stations to make them more durable.
- Continue re-making lessons using my 20% rule (1 lesson per week).
- Add in the “Notes To My Future Forgetful Self” from Toolkit #3
- Focus on improving my lesson consolidation!
- Continue to improve my question asking and answering during VNPS time.
- Develop and share/sell lessons for other teachers who are trying to use this method.
I still have a lot to learn and many areas to grow, but I am excited to continue on this teaching journey. Very rarely have I seen a teaching strategy have such a positive and lasting impact on my students. When I first used a Kahoot! in class the students were so excited and engaged. Now, after seeing them for years and years, students are complacent about them and don’t really care. That doesn’t happen with thinking tasks and VNPS. Every time I did it the students were more engaged, did more thinking, and made amazing connections on their own. I must continue to foster that in my classroom. I just know that it will take many years to get there. One step at a time.
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