D94 Departments In Focus - Building Thinking Math Classrooms

As students began returning to school after the shelter-in-place season of the COVID-19 pandemic came to an end, many of their teachers noticed a newfound reluctance to meaningfully engage in the classroom. Unsatisfied with this "new normal," WCCHS Mathematics Division Head Steve Balhan began to reconsider what a typical math classroom could and should look like. Over the summer of 2022, Balhan asked all West Chicago Community High School math teachers to read the book Building Thinking Classrooms and begin redesigning their curriculum in order to emphasize both the importance of building upon students' prior knowledge and the full participation of all learners. In this short video, a few of them - and one of their students - tell us how well things have been going in light of this new approach. #WeAreWeGo #Learning #Living #leading [music credit: "Everything Will Be Okay" by AK]