In Kaiser Elementary’s sixth-grade classrooms, learning math looks a little different this year. Students stand at whiteboards in small groups, talk through problems, challenge one another’s ideas, and work toward a shared solution. It’s part of an instructional approach called Building Thinking Classrooms, and it is already making a noticeable impact.

Principal Matt Broesamle says the change has brought new energy into the classrooms. “It gets our students more engaged in the process,” he said. “They’re involved in the learning instead of just waiting for answers from an adult.”

The model is designed to build students’ problem-solving skills by having them think through tasks collaboratively. Groups are randomly formed rather than teacher-selected pairs, which allows students to communicate with different peers instead of sticking to the same familiar partnerships. Each group of three or four students works at a whiteboard, where they can write, erase, and revise as their ideas develop.

Students learn how to make sense of solutions, listen to others’ ideas, and adjust their thinking; skills that matter beyond the classroom. Teachers also use on-the-spot observations to see where students are struggling and provide immediate support. 

In Holly Rauch’s sixth-grade classroom, she asks students to visualize the problem, then try to determine what the equation should be. Students identify key parts, such as the dividend or divisor, before giving their answers. As soon as she is sure everyone understands the equation, as well as the different methods to get there, Ms. Rauch splits the students randomly into groups. The students gather at whiteboards around the room with their group members and begin working on a new problem. 

Ms. Rauch walks around the room, making sure everyone is contributing and encouraging students to explain how they arrived at their answer, not just what the answer is. Everyone is working on the same word problem, but the strategies to arrive at the answer vary slightly from group to group. Sometimes she challenges them to draw the scenario or show their reasoning visually, like stretching out a “measuring tape” to compare the cost per yard of fabric.

Next door, Rachel McKee’s sixth-grade students review their test questions in the same format. They work collaboratively to solve word problems. Ms. McKee roams as students discuss what worked and what didn’t; she asks each student what they contributed to finding the final solution. No one sits quietly; every student participates. 

The Building Thinking Classrooms model strengthens students’ math skills and helps improve their communication and teamwork abilities, as well as their confidence.

“Students are on their feet, moving, talking, and thinking,” Mr. Broesamle said. “They’re engaged, thinking through the process, and building the skills they’ll carry into middle school and beyond.”

Kaiser Elementary began this work after seeing the approach succeed at Ensign Intermediate School, where seventh-grade math teachers implemented Building Thinking Classrooms last year. Ensign principal Samantha Payne says students entering Ensign from Kaiser will recognize the structure, which Payne considers an advantage. “This prepares them for the expectations of seventh-grade math.”

“Building Thinking Classrooms creates a high level of depth of knowledge. The whole class may be working on the same problem, but the learning process is more rigorous than if students were seated alone,” Payne said.

It’s something Broesamle sees happening in his sixth-grade classrooms now, and he’s hoping to extend the approach to lower grades.