See below for the full list of Fellows’ problem solving tasks and their descriptions facilitated in the Problem Solving Corner, as well as their sessions presented at the 2026 Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) Conference.
Problem Solving Tasks
| Presenter, Support Person | Task Name and Link | Task Description |
| Jackie Rankin | Animal Arrangements | Thin slice on permutations for secondary using word arrangements. Accessible to all teachers. |
| Kari Baransky, Marta Soto-Johnson | Jungle Explorer | Curricular Thin Slice on the Pythagorean Theorem. Great for applying the Pythagorean theorem to word problems in introductory geometry. Accessible to all teachers. |
| Jenn Downes, Jessica Jané | Snow Cone problem | Curricular thinking task involving the volume of a snow cone. Accessible to all teachers. |
| Carson Dunn | Investment growth: How to become a Millionaire | Investment growth: Learn how to become a millionaire with this exploration into exponentials! Accessible to all teachers. |
| Cleo Alberts | A Curricular-Supporting Traffic Jam Problem |
Problem-solve with this engaging reasoning task designed to support modeling with constraints, practice with unit conversion, and attending to appropriate levels of accuracy. Accessible to all teachers.
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| Jessica Jané, Shane Donahue | Inquiry Cubes | This problem solving session that promotes pattern recognition and spatial reasoning, and is a great task for establishing classroom discussion norms and a positive math mindset. This task applies to grades 6 –12, but can readily be adapted to others. Accessible to all teachers. |
| Leigh Lessard, Shawn McClory | The Last Banana | Problem solve with sample spaces, joint probability, and mathematical reasoning in this statistical task appropriate for grades 7–12. |
| Shawn McClory, Courtney Sobanski | Z-Score Thin Slice | A fun deep dive into Z-Scores and the Empirical Rule. Best suited for statistics courses. |
| Maureen Ringrose, Jenn Downes | Precalc Graphs of Rational Functions | Engage with this curricular thin-sliced task to explore key features of the graphs of rational functions. Best suited for Algebra II and Precalculus courses. |
| Jennifer Roggi, Kelsey Onofrio | Carpet Squares | This problem leads into perfect squares, square roots, and irrational numbers. Well suited for grades 7 – 9. Accessible to all teachers. |
| Courtney Sobanski, Shane Donahue | Multiplying like Rabbits | A curricular thinking task that models rabbit populations to explore geometric sequences and exponential growth. Grades 7 – 12. Accessible to all teachers. |
| Marta Soto- Johnson | Decoding Binary Code | A thin-sliced binary code task perfect for kicking off the school year (Grades 5–12). Connect students to the math of AI coding while opening a powerful conversation about why we use symbols to communicate efficiently. Accessible to all teachers. |
Sessions
| Session Title, Presenter(s), Session Description |
| Math Teacher Leadership with Peter and the Noyce Fellows!
All Noyce MTL Fellows In this session, the CT Noyce Math Teacher Leader (MTL) Fellows join Peter Liljedahl to highlight the work of math teacher leadership in advancing instructional change. Through interactive discussion and reflection, participants will consider the role of teacher leaders in the change process, and particularly in building capacity to implement Building Thinking Classrooms. We look at how leaders share practice with others, win over the doubters, and create structures to support colleagues as they take risks with new strategies. There will be time for Q & A and collaborative reflection on how to foster teacher-led changes across various school contexts. Whether you are currently leading from the classroom, supporting teacher leaders, or curious about shifting your school’s math culture, you will leave with practical strategies and a vision for empowering teachers as essential drivers of pedagogical change. |
| Building Independence through BTC Structures for ALL Students
Ilisse Gomez Participants will leave with four concrete, ready-to-implement strategies that build student independence through structured feedback, purposeful questioning, self-assessment, and supported note-taking. By experiencing each tool as learners first, participants will better understand how these routines create consistent expectations, promote productive struggle, and help students take ownership of their thinking and learning. |
| Who is a Math Person? Enriching BTC Through Shifting Student Narratives, Ownership, and Empowerment
Becks Olthoff This session shares highlights from an ongoing project at a public high school in New Haven. There are two main objectives of this project: to develop richer and more meaningful data and stories around math education, and to help students become confident and engaged citizens, learners, thinkers, and communicators. Across the year, students investigate their own quantitative and qualitative data to develop and broaden their mathematical identity and reinforce other valuable qualities such as critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. Through this work, my students and I construct a different story about what it means to be a strong mathematician and who is capable of fitting that description. This is done in the context of an untracked BTC classroom that serves students with diverse linguistic, learning, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. |
| Centering Student Voice Through Self-Correction
Jen Roggi Participants will leave with a clear understanding of the philosophy behind using student self-correction of their assessments and reflection as a way to empower students and help them tell their own math story. Participants will learn how centering student voice provides immediate, relevant feedback and shifts traditional power dynamics in the learning environment. The session will share the origins of this action research project, findings, and a concrete classroom example demonstrating how self-correction, scoring, and reflection function in practice. |
| Teachers Leading the Work: A Districtwide Approach to BTC
Carson Dunn and Jackie Rankin In this session, teachers, school and district leadership will learn about an innovative model supporting K-12 math teachers across all schools in the Hartford Public School system during the first two years of implementation of the Building Thinking Classrooms practices. Attendees will explore the components of this model, including the use of collaborative learning teams and a problem of practice protocol. Additionally, the presenters will share research and data from teachers and key takeaways for facilitators. Session attendees will be encouraged to consider ways to apply this model in their own district or context and leave inspired to empower teachers within their own district to become transformative teacher leaders. |
| BTC in Inclusion Classrooms
Ilisse Gomez and Kelsey Onofrio Participants will leave with practical strategies for ensuring students with disabilities can fully access and thrive in a BTC classroom through intentional supports, structured thinking routines, and collaborative planning. They will also gain a clearer picture of how math and special education teachers can work together, leveraging each other’s expertise, aligning expectations, and co-constructing scaffolds, to create a unified, student-centered learning environment where all learners succeed. |
| From Tasks to Thinking: Using BTC to Strengthen PBL
Kwastina Jackson Building Thinking Classrooms practices provide the daily instructional structures that ensure Project-Based Learning results in equitable, rigorous mathematical thinking rather than just task completion. |
| Mapping Math Success: A Student-Centered Navigation Tool
Leigh Lessard This session offers practical tips on developing and implementing student navigation tools which are visual unit roadmaps that map specific learning objectives to concrete examples of basic, intermediate, and advanced problems. By clearly defining the progression of mastery, the tool empowers students to track their own proficiency and take active ownership of their learning journey. Attendees will leave with the specific process necessary to start creating their own navigation tools and a clear understanding of how this approach promotes engagement, builds confidence, fosters student autonomy, and offers a scalable strategy for district-wide coordination. |
Donna Busa, a veteran mathematics teacher for 25 years and a current teacher at East Hartford Public High School, is an example of a committed leader dedicated to lifelong learning, professional growth, and service to students and teachers. A Noyce Math Teacher Leader since 2024, Donna has built a distinguished career spanning classroom teaching, curriculum development, teacher mentorship, and educational leadership across Connecticut. 
also led her to serve as a Foundations of Teaching Instructor for Connecticut’s Alternate Route to Certification (ARC) Program. In recognition of her excellence in teaching, Donna was named a Connecticut finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) in 2015.
advocates for accessible, relevant, and rigorous mathematics pathways for all students. The webinar is posted on the Connecticut State Department of Education website to help inform educators, parents and guardians, school and state leaders on what mathematics pathways are, why they matter for equitable education, and how they can be implemented with fidelity. Donna co-presented this work at the 2026 Associated Teachers of Mathematics in Connecticut (ATOMIC) Conference in New Haven.
Shane joined the CT Noyce Math Teacher Leaders program in 2024. A devoted teacher and a tireless community advocate, Shane Donahue has spent the past 11 years teaching mathematics at Putnam High School (PHS) in Putnam, Connecticut. Since earning his Master of Arts in Teaching Mathematics, Shane has taught every mathematics course offered at PHS, including dual enrollment courses in calculus, statistics, economics, and manufacturing. Shane was instrumental in establishing Putnam High School’s dual enrollment classes, as he coordinated student enrollment, instructor certification, and initiated the relationship with the University of Connecticut.
He 
Jen Roggi, veteran mathematics teacher at Vernon Center Middle School in Vernon, Connecticut, was recently honored at the 2026 Associated Teachers of Mathematics in Connecticut (ATOMIC) Conference with the Charlene Tate Nichols Pre-K–8 Award! 
Leigh’s leadership extends well beyond her classroom. She serves as the mathematics department lead at Pathways Academy, coordinating departmental initiatives, supporting colleagues, and helping guide instructional decision-making. Leigh is a TEAM mentor and cooperating teacher, supporting the development of new educators entering the profession. Additionally, Leigh is hosting a UConn Neag Master’s intern for AY 25 – 26, in which she is supporting, mentoring, and collaborating with her intern as part of their master’s year change project. Leigh regularly facilitates professional development for teachers across the district, including a series focused on equitable grading and Building Thinking Classrooms strategies. Leigh was selected as Pathways Academy’s Teacher of the Year in 2022 and regularly hosts mathematics-centric events at her school, including but not limited to a Pi Day celebration!
commitment to equitable instruction. Her independent leadership project (ILP), 
As a Noyce MTL Fellow, Maureen engages in practitioner research that focuses on building student confidence and advancing equitable classroom practices. Her independent leadership projects (ILPs) include 
