Why A Thinking CLassroom Benefits Each Of My Three (Very) Different Classes

After a rough start to Building A Thinking Classroom in Mathematics for the first time this year, things have really been rolling for several months now.  The increases I've seen in student engagement, perseverance, long-term memory, cooperation, leadership, vocabulary, general comfort and happiness,  and even standardized test scores have far exceeded what I expected in my first half-year of implementation.  It is very hard work, but it is really worth it.

For most of the good run I've had over the last few months, I catch myself almost every day thinking, I can't believe this works.  This past week, however, I caught myself telling myself something slightly different.

I can't believe this works with all three classes.

As they always are, my three classes this year are very different.  Personality, cohesiveness, energy level, motivation level... it's all different from one class period to the next.

But a thinking classroom has immensely benefited all three.  Here's why I think so.
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Class #1 - The Pleasers

My first class is every teacher's dream.  The first thing you'd notice about them if you visited is that they absolutely love each other.  Visibly random groups help everybody get to know each other quickly, and this group is the poster child for that benefit.  They adore each other.  Seriously.  One day recently, they spontaneously formed a welcome tunnel at the door to make everyone feel great when they got to school.  All on their own. 

Academically, they're pleasers​.  Pleasers are generally very rewarding to teach.  They are sweet.  They are adorable.  They are thoughtful. They are conscientious.
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And this group is all of those things.

Pleasers do come with a hidden danger, however - they can be more motivated to please the teacher than to thrive academically, and this group has its share of students who fall into that category. They are masters of what Peter Liljedahl calls "studenting."  They'll ask questions because it pleases me.  They'll work diligently because it pleases me. They do all the homework and take all the notes because it pleases me.  They do the all the right things, but not always for the right reasons.

Clear thinking, attention to who is speaking, sharing ideas across groups... how could I not​ be pleased?

With such great classroom habits, many pleasers are highly successful students, but others use teacher-pleasing as a means to mask real struggles in math.  That's the case with a good chunk of this class.

So, why does Building A Thinking Classroom in Mathematics benefit the pleasers?

Because disincentivizing "studenting" is what the program was designed to do in the first place.
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In this year's Thinking Classroom, this group of delightful kids has very few opportunities to please me through studenting. Most of the time, I'm not even around for them to please! The only way to please me is by thinking during tasks, thinking during note-making, and thinking during check-your-understanding questions.

So they do. 
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Class #2  - Big Energy, Small Attention Span

Class #2 is all enthusiasm.  They have a lot of energy, and quite a few of them are "math kids" in that I like to be right and I like to be done kind of way.  Quite a few of them are also math kids in that math is my best subject because it doesn't take the same extended concentration as analyzing a text kind of way.

In short, they are my big energy, small attention span class.
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​If you've had a class like this, they can be miserable to teach traditionally, even when they're strong academically (as this group is).  A bunch of them can't sit still.  A bunch of them zone out the second they sit down for a lesson.  They just want to get to the answer.  And so on.

So, why does Building A Thinking Classroom benefit a big energy, small attention span class?
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They don't have to sit still.  They don't have to sit down and listen to me.  And the words "go figure it out" are music to their ears.

I count my blessings every day that this group didn't come my way prior to this year.  In a Thinking Classroom, they are an absolute blast - all enthusiasm all the time, and they learn so effortlessly as thinkers.  In a traditional classroom, I think they would have been a real handful - one of those "so much potential, but they can't sit still and listen long enough to fulfill it" groups.
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Standing is mandatory during thinking tasks - but this isn't a thinking task.  They're choosing to stand.

They could be the poster class for Building A Thinking Classroom, though. 
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Class #3 - Anyone?  Anyone?

Actual footage of my trying to teach my third class traditionally.

My third class is mostly made up of two kinds of kids:  the unmotivated, and the motivated-but-painfully-quiet.  It is as though the universe refuses to allow a single joule of energy into the room when they're with me.  Everyone in the room just wants to get to the end of day either unbothered or unnoticed.

Ask a question - there will be no hands.  Make a joke - there will be no laughter.  Read the room - there will be no feedback.

​Anybody?  Anybody?
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So why does a Thinking Classroom benefit this energy vortex of a class?
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Let's start with the unmotivated bunch.  The quiet, non-distruptive, unmotivated types are masters of avoiding learning in a traditional classroom.  They know that, as long as they don't stand out or misbehave, they'll probably be permitted to do very little and learn very little.  As long as I don't raise my hand, don't draw attention, and don't ask any questions, I can just sit and wait for the bell.

​Actual footage of a group check-in during class #3.
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But in a Thinking Classroom, there's no sitting and waiting to be done.  Literally.  As Liljedahl teaches us in the book, standing makes the kids feel visible, so hiding to "wait it out" isn't an option.  All of their tactics are in plain sight.  I'll be visiting their group every few minutes.  There is nowhere to hide.

​What about the motivated-but-painfully-quiet bunch?  The main threat to this group is that, in normal circumstances, they won't ask questions, won't ask for help, and won't give me any indication when they're struggling.  In fact, they can be tough to distinguish from the unmotivated because their affect in class is so similar.

But in a Thinking Classroom, they don't have to.  I'll visit their group every few minutes, and I'll see if they're struggling.  The impetus isn't on them to speak up or start the conversation.  This way, their misunderstandings get noticed and addressed without their having to ask.
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And That's Everybody!

And voila!  It appears to me that, albeit for different reasons, a Building A Thinking Classroom in Mathematics has (greatly) benefited all three groups of kids, different as they may be.  

All three groups would have presented me with significant challenges last year.

Instead, we've been on a roll for months.

I can't believe this works for three such different groups of kids!

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