What’s with all the whiteboards? 

In The Summit math classes, students are frequently seen clustered around small whiteboards on the walls. This work has been carefully designed using Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics by Peter Liljedahl. Liljedahl’s research shows that when standing in small randomized groups at vertical whiteboards students start tasks more quickly, stay on task longer, engage in more mathematical discussion with classmates, and show greater persistence in solving problems. In short, this structure leads to more thinking and greater understanding of mathematical concepts. Here are some of the high school students hard at work at their boards as well as some examples of their work.