From Mimicking to Thinking: The Math I Needed in High School

Here’s What Happened

I attended the 2025 CPM Teacher Conference in San Diego with one goal in mind: to immerse myself in learning how EmpowerED Coaching can better support math teachers. While I’ve spent 21 years in the classroom and over a decade training teachers, math has never been my primary content area. So, I walked in with an open mind and math insecurity as a history teacher, ready to learn like a student.

The keynote, delivered by Dr. Nicole Joseph, struck a personal chord. She introduced the concept of “math trauma”, and instantly, I was transported back to my own struggles in high school math—standing at the board in 9th grade Honors Algebra, staring at an equation, completely lost, while my teacher waited for an answer I couldn’t give. Shout out to Mrs. Ragasa. The same feeling resurfaced my sophomore year in Geometry, when missing class due to illness left me drowning in unfamiliar theorems. Shout out to Mr. Huie. 

Now, as an intervention teacher, I see these same emotions in my students—frustration, insecurity, and the belief that they “just aren’t math people.” Algebra and Geometry consistently have the highest failure rates among freshmen and sophomores, disproportionately affecting students of color. Dr. Joseph’s research confirmed what I’ve seen firsthand: African American female students are significantly underrepresented in higher-level math courses.

But she didn’t just present the problem—she presented a solution. Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC), a framework centered on collaboration, risk-taking, and engagement, has the power to transform students’ perception of math and their confidence in their own abilities. After two days of intensive training, I left convinced that BTC strategies are essential for improving math instruction and that EmpowerED Coaching can help teachers bring them to life in their classrooms.

Here’s What I Learned

Over the course of two days at the 2025 CPM Teacher Conference in San Diego, I immersed myself in sessions focused on Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) and shifting instructional practices to encourage deep mathematical thinking, problem-solving, and student autonomy.

One of the most impactful takeaways came from Peter Liljedahl’s research on BTC, which identifies 14 key elements that turn a traditional math classroom into an active, engaging, student-centered learning environment. Some of the most powerful ideas included:

• Vertical, non-permanent workspaces: Having students solve problems on whiteboards and walls fosters collaboration, reduces hesitation, and encourages real-time thinking.

• Visibly random grouping: Randomly assigning students to new groups every class period prevents social hierarchies and ensures all students are engaged.

• Verbal task delivery: Instead of giving students written instructions, teachers should deliver problems verbally to promote active listening and classroom discussion.

• Encouraging productive struggle: Teachers must resist the urge to rescue students at the first sign of struggle. Instead, they should guide students toward peer collaboration and offer strategic hints to keep thinking moving forward.

In another session, Crystal Frommert highlighted how teachers unknowingly do too much thinking for students, often answering questions before students have a chance to truly engage. She provided five strategies to shift the cognitive load back to students:

🔹 Be comfortable with silence – Give students time to process and struggle productively instead of jumping in with answers.🔹 Ask guiding, not leading questions – Instead of "Did you check your work?" try "What strategy could you use to verify your answer?"🔹 Resist over-explaining – Keep explanations concise and let students do the heavy thinking.🔹 Encourage peer-to-peer questioning – Create a classroom culture where students rely on each other first before turning to the teacher.🔹 Normalize multiple solution paths – Emphasize that math isn’t just about getting the “right answer,” but about understanding multiple approaches.

It became clear to me that many of these high-impact strategies align directly with the services EmpowerED Coaching provides, especially in supporting math teachers who want to implement BTC, increase student engagement, and build confidence in struggling learners.

Here’s What I Urge You to Do

If you’re a teacher:🔹 Reflect on your classroom practices—are you thinking for your students more than you should?🔹 Experiment with student-centered strategies like vertical workspaces, peer discussions, and delaying direct answers.🔹 Create a culture of collaboration and productive struggle so students see mistakes as learning opportunities.

If you’re a school or district leader:🔹 Recognize that Building Thinking Classrooms isn’t just a trend—it’s a research-backed framework proven to increase student engagement and achievement.🔹 Invest in professional development and instructional coaching to help teachers implement these strategies effectively.🔹 Provide ongoing teacher mentorship, classroom coaching, and real-time feedback to ensure these changes stick and impact student learning long-term.

This is exactly where EmpowerED Coaching comes in.Through customized professional development, classroom coaching, and mentorship, I help teachers:

• Implement BTC strategies that transform math instruction

• Increase student engagement, risk-taking, and collaboration

• Support Multilingual Learners by strengthening academic language development

• Shift their teaching from teacher-led to student-centered learning

The 2025 CPM Teacher Conference reaffirmed my belief that small instructional shifts can lead to major student gains—but only if educators receive the training and support to implement them effectively. EmpowerED Coaching is here to provide that support.

Want to learn more?Visit www.empoweredcoachinginc.com to see how I can help your school or district!

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