Learning Opportunities

Building Thinking Classrooms in Action: Deepening Practice, 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

This full-day professional learning session with Shelly Read will give grades 5–12 teachers the opportunity to extend their BTC practice. The day begins with a refresher of BTC tasks from the student perspective, then shifts into exploring how consolidation strategies, micro moves, and curricular tasks can sustain and deepen classroom thinking.

While many examples will draw from mathematics, the BTC framework can be applied in all subjects. Dedicated time will be spent considering how BTC strategies translate into the humanities and sciences. The day concludes with collaborative work on navigation maps—examining samples, discussing their use, and creating drafts to support your own classroom planning.

This "next steps" day is designed for educators who have some experience with BTC. Bring comfortable shoes as we will be standing and working at whiteboards.

Session Goals:

Re-engage with BTC practices through hands-on tasks as a refresher.
Develop a deeper understanding of consolidation and the role of micro moves in supporting student thinking.
Explore strategies for moving from non-curricular to curricular tasks.
Explore navigation maps as a planning and teaching tool.
Create navigation maps tailored to your own classroom context.

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 a continental breakfast 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