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The 40th Annual International Conference on
Critical Thinking
...The Longest-Running Critical Thinking Conference in the World
Entirely Online with Real-Time Study Groups
Registration Closed
Includes two months' free membership at the
Center for Critical Thinking Community Online!
(Free membership begins September 15, 2020.)
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the fact that many of you cannot travel, the 40th Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking has been moved to the fall and will occur entirely online - but with (virtual) face-to-face contact and many opportunities to interact with the presenters! We will utilize a virtual platform featuring prerecorded presentations, online activities, supplemental digital reading material, and real-time online discussion groups including question-answer sessions with presenters. This online format will enable you to: 
Focal Presentations and Guest Presentations will be rolled out throughout the conference. The Live Discussion Groups based on continue into early November (to accommodate scheduling for all discussion groups). You will choose from a schedule of Discussion Groups once they are scheduled. You will need to view the prerecorded presentations prior to participating in their respective Discussion Groups. 
Focal Presentations will be prerecorded (followed by scheduled interactive Discussion Groups) by Fellows and Visiting Scholars of the Foundation for Critical Thinking. They are 'Focal' because they focus on the very foundations, or the central ideas, in a rich conception of critical thinking. Each Focal Session targets one or more essential concepts or sets of principles in critical thinking, often in connection with essential applications of critical thinking. Guest Presentations will be prerecorded (and followed by scheduled interactive Discussion Groups) by conference participants whose proposals have been approved by Fellows of the Foundation for Critical Thinking. These are presentations in which presenters share their experiences in bringing critical thinking into the teaching and learning process, into daily decision-making, throughout organizations or departments, or into any other aspect of work or life. Guest Presenters may share their research in critical thinking, or their developed theory and application of critical thinking.
Guest Presentations will be listed soon on this website.
All presentations will be followed by scheduled online Discussion Groups, in which attendees will be able to participate via video feed, audio feed, or text chat (depending on their available technology). Presenters will elaborate on and contextualize their presentations during these discussions, and participants will have the opportunity to ask questions. The number of Discussion Groups following each Focal Presentation will be determined by the number of registrants interested in discussing that presentation, while each Guest Presenter will hold at least two Discussions Groups based on his or her presentation.
The Discussion Group Schedule will be made available to all participants throughout the conference.
Intensive Workshops will be held in real time online and will be led by Fellows and Scholars of the Foundation for Critical Thinking. These sessions will be held the first three Fridays of the conference (September 18, September 25, & October 2). They will address foundational concepts, principles, and applications of critical thinking.
All Intensive Workshops will run from 1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time (10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Pacific), with periodic breaks.
| Registration Options | Cost Per Person | |||
| Early-Bird Rates - If Paid by July 15, 2020 | 1 Person | 2-3 people | 4-6 People | 7 or More |
| Main Conference Only | $495.00 | $480.00 | $455.00 | $430.00 |
| Main Conference & Intensive Workshops | $595.00 | $575.00 | $545.00 | $515.00 |
| Standard Rates - If Paid AFTER July 15, 2020 | 1 Person | 2-3 people | 4-6 People | 7 or More |
| Main Conference Only | $585.00 | $565.00 | $530.00 | $495.00 |
| Main Conference & Intensive Workshops | $695.00 | $670.00 | $630.00 | $590.00 |
| Intensive Workshops Only - Pay Any Time Before October 1, 2020 | 1 Person | 2-3 people | 4-6 People | 7 or More |
| Intensive Workshops Only | $195.00 | $185.00 | $165.00 | $145.00 |
Registration Closed
Click titles for descriptions . . .
Dr. Gerald Nosich
Dr. Gerald Nosich is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Critical Thinking and a prominent authority on critical thinking. He has given more than 150 national and international workshops on critical thinking, has worked with the U.S. Department of Education on a project for the National Assessment of Higher Order Thinking skills, has served as the Assistant Director of the Center for Critical Thinking, and has been featured as a Noted Scholar at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Nosich is Professor Emeritus at SUNY Buffalo State and the University of New Orleans, and is the author of three books including Learning to Think Things Through: A Guide to Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum and Critical Writing: Using the Concepts and Processes of Critical Thinking to Write a Paper (forthcoming in 2020 or 2021, Rowman & Littlefield).
Dr. Paul Bankes For nearly twenty years, Dr. Paul Bankes has played an important leadership role in fostering the Paulian conception of critical thinking in multiple school districts. As a principal, he led the implementation of this critical thinking approach to bring about state-recognized levels of achievement in three different Title I schools – a high school, a middle school, and an elementary school. He helped author the reasoning portion of the Colorado Academic Standards that are based on the Paul-Elder framework. In addition to his administrative experience, Dr. Bankes was an elementary school teacher, continues teaching critical thinking courses at the college level, and is currently serving as a Director on his School Board of Education.
Dr. Brian Barnes Registration Closed
Since 1981, The Foundation and Center for Critical Thinking – sister organizations that together represent the world's oldest think tank dedicated to critical thinking – have hosted the world's longest- 
running critical thinking conference. The conference emphasizes the Paul-Elder Framework for Critical Thinking, which stands apart from other critical thinking theory in that, first, it applies to all human thought in all fields, professions, and domains of life; second, it relies on natural, rather than technical, language to provide tools and concepts that enable the thinker to break down, assess, and enhance his or her own thinking; third, it accounts for human emotions and desires; and fourth, it emphasizes the importance of ethics in reasoning.
Regardless of your professional, educational, or personal background, the Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking provides a unique opportunity for you to improve your understanding of critical thinking, as well as your ability to apply it to your everyday work, learning, and life.
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