A thinking-focused classroom is one which is constructivist in orientation and which places importance on social interactions in the attainment of “taken-as-shared” meanings. While there can never be a prescriptive set of strategies or a set format for such classrooms, there are broad features which generally typify thinking-focused pedagogy. In a thinking-focused mathematics classroom, there is usually a constant focus on sense-making and conceptual understanding, and mathematical thinking is encouraged and valued. The teacher tries to establish an atmosphere of inquiry and students are encouraged to build up their own ideas, to understand how different people approach problems in differ ent ways and to explore how sharing and reflecting on these differences can help to deepen their own understanding. In so doing, student autonomy is accepted and encouraged.