Knowles at VAST Professional Development Institute, Harrisonburg, VA

Knowles is excited to be attending and presenting at the Virginia Association of Science Teachers Annual Professional Development Institute, in Harrisonburg, VA, November 12-14, 2026. Join us for our session or stop by the booth to say hello!

Modeling through a Building Thinking Classrooms approach

By Knowles Program Officer, Teacher Development Takumi Sato | Friday, November 13

The interactive session will engage attendees in developing science models in small groups intentionally designed to sustain thinking. This session introduces the Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) approach, which has been used in math classrooms, and adapts the underlying practices for use in science. Attendees will experience key practices including working in groups at a vertical, non-permanent surface (VNPS) and to share their ideas and collaboratively build a model.