In her 22 years of teaching, Jana Abston has continually sought methods to engage her students in meaningful ways. This year, she has implemented a unique learning strategy called Building Thinking Classrooms, inspired by Peter Liljedahl’s research on enhancing student learning through active engagement.
Building Thinking Classrooms involves using highly engaging thinking tasks to initiate a culture of thinking within the context of curriculum. The goal is to get more students to think for longer periods of time, leading to deeper learning.
The concept revolves around vertical thinking stations—whiteboards hung around the classroom where students can work collaboratively on various tasks.
“Since my classroom only has one whiteboard that I project onto, I purchased the supplies to create 10 vertical thinking stations and hung them around my room,” said Abston. “This setup allows students to tackle logic puzzles, analyze poetry, and synthesize vocabulary while justifying and presenting their thoughts.”
While the primary goal of this initiative is not directly linked to reading comprehension, Abston emphasizes the importance of building essential life skills such as confidence and perseverance.
“In today’s society, students depend on their electronic devices to provide answers to challenging tasks or questions,” said Abston. “By eliminating devices and requiring students to work together, they are discovering that they can think, converse, and problem solve without the use of devices; additionally, many are discovering that they CAN do hard things, which in turn builds confident thinkers.”
Inspired by a summer online community of educators adapting Peter Liljedahl’s principles for English Language Arts, Abston has successfully integrated these strategies into her curriculum.
“Collaborating with teachers from across the United States, I have been able to implement Liljedahl’s math thinking strategies in my RLA classroom,” said Abston.
The collaboration fostered by this approach extends beyond academic learning. Abston has observed students interacting with classmates they might not otherwise connect with in a traditional classroom setting.
“By establishing expectations the first two weeks of school, students understand that: groups are random, and no member of the group is a ‘bad’ partner,” she notes. “Each member is responsible for the learning of all group members, and everyone has something to contribute.”
Reflecting on her journey to implement Building Thinking Classrooms, Abston highlights the significant positive effects it has had on her students.
“Despite being a one-to-one technology district, I have been able to put conversation back into my classroom by utilizing Liljedahl’s approach to learning,” said Abston. “This has not only engaged students but also helped them realize the power of collaborative problem-solving.”
Through innovative strategies like Building Thinking Classrooms, Abston is paving the way for her students to thrive both academically and socially, preparing them for future challenges ahead.