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30th International Conference


Join us at the World's Longest Running Annual Conference on Critical Thinking...


2010 CONFERENCE THEME:
How To Teach Students To Master Content
By Developing A Questioning Mind

July 19 - 22, 2010
Preconference:  July 17-18
Near U.C. Berkeley


The Center and Foundation for Critical Thinking have together hosted critical thinking academies and conferences for three decades. During that time, we have played a key role in defining, structuring, assessing, improving and advancing the principles and best practices of fair-minded critical thought in education and in society. We invite you to join us for the 30th International Conference on Critical Thinking. Our annual conference provides a unique opportunity for you to improve your understanding of critical thinking, as well as your ability to more substantively foster it in the classroom and in all aspects of your work and life.

The conference will consist in approximately 40 conference sessions offered over four days. Participants will choose in advance the sessions offered on days one, two, and four. On the third day of the conference  participants will choose from approximately 30 sessions.  We invite both new and returning participants to join us for the preconference,  to be held July 17-18, 2010.  Note that this year a number of advanced sessions (including two preconference sessions) are offered for returning registrants and those who have participated in our professional development programs onsite.  Preconference sessions offer an occasion for in-depth learning over a two-day period (choose among 4 options).

All conference sessions are designed to converge on basic critical thinking principles and to enrich a core concept of critical thinking with practical teaching and learning strategies. For a fuller explanation of core critical thinking concepts review the Thinker's Guide Series or articles from our library.

Throughout our work we emphasize and argue for the importance of teaching for critical thinking in a strong, rather than a weak, sense. We are committed to a clear and "substantive" concept of critical thinking (rather than one that is ill-defined); a concept that interfaces well with the disciplines, that integrates critical with creative thinking, that applies directly to the needs of everyday and professional life, that emphasizes the affective as well as the cognitive dimension of critical thinking, that highlights intellectual standards and traits. We advocate a concept of critical thinking that organizes instruction in every subject area at every educational level.

Download the
Conference Flyer »


Files available for download  »
  • PreConf_Schedule_2010.doc
    •
  • Conf_Schedule_2010.doc
    •

    29th Conference Keynote Video

    The keynote address from the 29th Annual Conference is available on YouTube in a five-part series. Click Here to watch Dr. Richard Paul's Keynote Address.



    CONFERENCE OVERVIEW
    Choose from the following sessions when registering. Choose one for each day section.  See preconference and conference schedule and sessions for full titles and descriptions.

    PRECONFERENCE
    • Socratic Questioning
    • Assess Students Learning and Thinking 
    • Advanced Session: Develop a Thinker’s Guide 
    • Advanced Session: Questioning the Heart of the Critical Thinking Field  
    DAY ONE 
    • Foundational Session (for new registrants)
    • Advanced Session:  Going Deeper: (for returning registrants)
    DAY TWO Morning
    • Taking Ownership of Content Through Thinking 
    • Skilled Questioning and Close Reading
    • Critical Thinking: Many Things to Many Persons
    • Paulian Framework of Critical Thinking 
    DAY TWO Afternoon
    • Develop Long-Term Staff Development Plan 
    • Critical Questions Students Should be Asking 
    • Skilled Questioning and Substantive Writing
    • Advanced Session:  Skilled Learner as Skilled Questioner
    DAY THREE 
    • Concurrent sessions - choose at the conference, from among 30 sessions
    DAY FOUR Afternoon 
    • The Power of the Thinker’s Guide Library
    • Teaching Students to Ask Multilogical Questions 
    • Male Chauvinism, Vulgar Feminism, Human Dogmatism
    • Advanced Session: Advanced Design of Instruction

    Conference Plan and Sessions:

    PRE-CONFERENCE: Saturday and Sunday
    (you choose one of the following in-depth two-day sessions)…

    Using the tools of critical thinking in Socratic questioning… Dr. Enoch Hale

    Using Critical Thinking Strategies to Assess Students Learning and Thinking within a Discipline    …Dr. Gerald Nosich

    Advanced Session: How to Develop a Thinker’s Guide in Your Area of Expertise    … Dr. Linda Elder

    Advanced Session: Questioning the Heart of the Field (Thinking through the core concept of critical thinking, the manner in which the core can be contextualized, and the ways in which contextualizations of the core can generate intellectual controversy)    ....Dr. Richard Paul


    CONFERENCE    : Monday - Thursday

    DAY ONE    : Monday
    (you indicate one of the following sessions, which runs all day following the morning key-note address)…
     DAY TWO Morning: Tuesday
    (you choose one of the following sessions for the morning)…
     DAY TWO Afternoon: Tuesday
    (you choose one of the following sessions for the afternoon)…


    DAY THREE: Wednesday

    • Concurrent sessions. Participants will choose from among numerous concurrent sessions while at the conference.  Concurrent sessions are invited, and will be posted presently.
    DAY FOUR Morning: Thursday
    (you choose one of the following sessions for the morning)…

     


    This year's conference will be held at the Claremont Resort Hotel & Spa near U.C. Berkeley, California.  More information on the Claremont Hotel





    From Past Conferences...

    Speakers from past critical thinking conference










    30th International Conference on Critical Thinking Keynote address by Richard Paul in 5 parts








    Please do not pass this message by.

    CRITICAL THINKING IS AT RISK.

    Here are some of the big reasons why:

    1. Many people believe that critical thinking should be free and that scholars qualified to teach critical thinking should do so for free. Accordingly, they do not think they should have to pay for critical thinking textbooks, courses, or other resources when there is "so much free material online" - despite how erroneous that material may be.
    2. There are many misguided academicians, and some outright charlatans, pushing forth and capitalizing on a pseudo-, partial, or otherwise impoverished concept of critical thinking.
    3. Little to no funding is designated for critical thinking professional development in schools, colleges, or universities, despite the lip service widely given to critical thinking (as is frequently found in mission statements).
    4. Most people, including faculty, think they already know what critical thinking is, despite how few have studied it to any significant degree, and despite how few can articulate a coherent, accurate, and sufficiently deep explanation of it.
    5. People rarely exhibit the necessary level of discipline to study and use critical thinking for reaching higher levels of self-actualization. In part, this is due to wasting intellectual and emotional energy on fruitless electronic entertainment designed to be addictive and profitable rather than educational and uplifting.
    6. On the whole, fairminded critical thinking is neither understood, fostered, nor valued in educational institutions or societies.
    7. People are increasingly able to cluster themselves with others of like mind through alluring internet platforms that enable them to validate one another's thinking - even when their reasoning is nonsensical, lopsided, prejudiced, or even dangerous.
    8. Critical thinking does not yet hold an independent place in academia. Instead, "critical thinking" is continually being "defined" and redefined according to any academic area or instructor that, claiming (frequently unsupported) expertise, steps forward to teach it.

    As you see, increasingly powerful trends against the teaching, learning, and practice of critical thinking entail extraordinary challenges to our mission. To continue our work, we must now rely upon your financial support. If critical thinking matters to you, please click here to contribute what you can today.

    WE NEED YOUR HELP TO CONTINUE OUR WORK.

    Thank you for your support of ethical critical thinking.