30th International Conference

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.

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 Plan and Sessions:

• Foundational Session: For All New Registrants
  Critical Thinking as Essential to Skilled Reasoning in Any Subject or Discipline…
  Participants will be assigned to one of three groups led by Dr. Linda Elder, Dr. Gerald Nosich, or Dr. Enoch Hale. 
• Advanced Session: Foundations of Critical Thinking – Going Deeper …Dr. Richard Paul

• Engaging Students in Taking Ownership of Content Through Thinking… Dr. Gerald Nosich 
• Helping Students Understand the Role of Skilled Questioning in Close Reading…Dr. Enoch Hale
• Critical Thinking: Many Things to Many Persons…Dr. Richard Paul
• Exploring Diverse Frameworks for Thinking; Suggesting the Paulian Framework as the center point of critical thinking as an academic discipline…Dr. Linda Elder

• How to develop a successful long-term staff development plan that fosters critical thinking…Dr. Linda Elder
• To Think Is To Question. To Think Critically Is To Ask Critical Questions. What Are Some Critical Questions Students Should be Asking To Learn at higher and higher levels?... Dr. Gerald Nosich
• Helping Students Understand the Connection Between Skilled Questioning and Substantive Writing…Dr. Enoch Hale 
• Advanced Session: The Skilled Learner as Skilled Questioner…Dr. Richard Paul

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.

• A Quick Look at the Whole: The Power of the Thinker’s Guide Library…Dr. Enoch Hale
• Teaching Students to Ask Multilogical Questions within a Field or Discipline…Dr. Gerald Nosich
• Questioning Male Chauvinism and Female Chauvinism: Transcending Two Forms of Dogmatism; Toward Egalitarianism and Fairmindedness in Gender-Centered Issues…Dr. Linda Elder
• Advanced Session: Critical Thinking Pedagogy; Advanced Design of Instruction…Dr. Richard Paul

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