Learning Opportunities

Introduction to Building Thinking Classrooms, Grades 5-12

Presented By

Jackie Ratkovic & Shelly Read

Series Sessions

Date	Time
Thursday, March 05, 2026	9:00 AM - 3:30 PM

Location

St. Paul Regional High School Room 220 4701 - 44 Street, St. Paul, AB

Grade Levels

Grades 4 - 6, Grades 7 - 9, Grades 10 - 12

Join us for a full-day professional learning session led by Shelly Read and supported by Jackie Ratkovic, where we will delve into the innovative approach of Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) as pioneered by Peter Liljedahl. Through hands-on activities and discussions, participants will have the opportunity to engage in BTC tasks, explore the 14 key practices, and familiarize themselves with the 4 toolkits essential for implementing BTC effectively in their classrooms.

This session is designed to equip grades 5-12 teachers with practical strategies and inspiration to integrate BTC principles into their teaching practices. By the end of the day, you will leave with a deeper understanding of BTC, concrete ideas to kickstart BTC with your students, and guidance on where to access further resources to support your BTC journey.

This introductory day is for educators who are new to BTC or need a refresher before putting it into practice. Bring comfortable shoes as we will be standing and working at whiteboards.

Session Goals:

Experience Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) tasks to implement in your own classroom.
Gain an overview of the 14 practices and 4 toolkits associated with BTC.
Obtain ideas on how to initiate BTC practices with your students.
Discover where to access additional BTC resources.

Jackie Ratkovic

Jackie loves making sense of the use and abuse of concrete materials, understanding the importance of visual, spatial reasoning for the development of number sense, problem solving skills, and learning to ask good questions are four areas that greatly intrigue her. Jackie currently works as an independent consultant and instructional coach to teams of teachers, over the past 19 years, in several districts across the province. Her work is focused on unpacking the Alberta Program of Studies in ways that honor and value its intent of a student-centered approach to understanding, which allows each student to become capable, confident, and responsible for their own learning.

Shelly Read

Shelly Read is a Faculty of Education graduate from the University of Lethbridge. She also holds an Associate Degree from Trinity Lutheran College in Seattle and most recently completed her Leadership Certification.

Shelly started her career in the Prairie Rose School Division where she spent 6 years teaching various K-9 curricula in Acadia Valley and Oyen. She then moved to Foothills School Division where she has held multiple roles at the school and divisional level including classroom teacher, Bridges Teacher, CASA Classroom Teacher, Learning Support Teacher, Instructional Learning Coach, Divisional K-12 Numeracy Facilitator, and Divisional K-6 New Curriculum Lead for Math and Science.

Shelly is passionate about math practices that develop positive mathematical mindsets, where math is considered more than just an answer on a page.

Fee $100.00

Registration Notes

Registration includes morning snacks and lunch.

Quality Standards

This session addresses the following TQS competencies:

1. Fostering Effective Relationships 2. Engaging in Career-Long Learning 3. Demonstrating a Professional Body of Knowledge 4. Establishing Inclusive Learning Environments

This session addresses the following LQS competencies:

1. Fostering Effective Relationships 2. Modeling Commitment to Professional Learning 4. Leading a Learning Community 6. Providing Instructional Leadership